MARQUETTE, MI— Two Nigerian men charged in a sextortion scheme that took the life of a Marquette teen were sentenced Thursday.
Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, were given 210 months, or 17.5 years, in prison for conspiracy to sexually exploit minors. Jordan DeMay took his life two years ago after Samuel Ogoshi sextorted him on Instagram.
During her victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing, Jordan’s mother Jennifer Buda asked Judge Robert Yonker to impose the stiffest penalty. She said the Ogoshis tortured Jordan for hours while he was alone.
“They used relentless threats and their countdown to terrify him, and then they encouraged and provoked him to take his own life. Between them, they shared ‘Got another one.’ Because that’s all Jordan was to them—was a business transaction.”
Judge Yonder said it wasn’t the Ogoshi’s intent for Jordan to die, but the scheme went beyond simple extortion.
“In this case, because the target in the individual’s case we’re most focused on today was a minor at age 17, it fits the statutory elements of exploitation of a child.”
Jordan’s stepmother Jessica DeMay tearfully recounted the morning they found Jordan’s body in his bedroom. She said no one in the family will ever be the same.
U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said the sentencings send a “thundering” message to would-be criminals.
“The day when you could commit these crimes outside our borders, rake in easy cash, destroy lives, and escape justice is over.”
Totten also said the case is a reminder that cell phones can let online predators target kids in the safety of their own homes.
“And it can happen fast. We know that the time from initial contact to Jordan’s passing was a mere two hours.”
The Ogoshis were also sentenced to 5 years of supervised release and mandatory registration on the U.S. Sex Offender Registry. Judge Yonker will confer with the victims and determine restitution within the next 30 days.
Five Georgia and Alabama residents were charged last month with conspiring to commit money laundering in connection with the Ogoshi’s sextortion ring.
Totten notes his office is investigating multiple sextortion-related deaths in the Western District of Michigan alone.
