GRAND RAPIDS, MI— Two Nigerian men blamed for the death of a Marquette teen two years ago have pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to sexually exploit minors.
Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and his brother Samson, 20, were extradited from Lagos after Michigan police and the FBI linked them to an online sexual extortion case involving Jordan DeMay, 17. Samuel Ogoshi, posing online as a girl, threatened to post an explicit photo of Jordan if he didn’t pay Ogoshi hundreds of dollars.
The Ogoshis targeted teenage boys across the United States as part of a sextortion ring. On March 21, 2024, a Nigerian court ordered the third defendant, Ezekiel Robert, 19, to be extradited to the United States. He has appealed that decision and the matter is before the Nigerian High Court.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten says the importance of the Ogoshis’ guilty pleas cannot be overstated.
“It sends a message to criminals in Nigeria and really to criminals in every corner of the globe that they’re not immune, that they can’t get away with doing this, that we can find them, and we can secure justice.”
Totten says the pleas are only a small measure of justice in a heartbreaking case.
“We cannot bring back Jordan DeMay, and yet it’s very significant what happened. We had two guilty pleas today and a judge pronounced them guilty.”
Both Samuel and Samson Ogoshi face 15 to 30 years in prison. They will be sentenced in the next four to six months.
