Two brothers from Nigeria have pleaded not guilty to in a sextortion scam case where they were sexually extorting American boys and teens, among them a Michigan 17-year-old who died by suicide earlier this year.
According to the report, Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and Samson Ogoshi, 20, of Lagos, entered their pleas on Thursday during an arraignment in US. District Court in Marquette, Michigan, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Mark Totten.
They are accused of operating an international sextortion scam ring targeting more than 100 teenage boys and young men across the country, though their exact number of victims remains unknown.
Communicating under the Instagram handle, “dani.robertts,” the suspects posed as young woman and solicited naked or otherwise compromising pictures before threatening to release the images if the sender refused to pay them. The brothers who were arrested in May and extradited to the U.S. on Sunday, each face single counts of conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, conspiracy to distribute child sexual abuse images and conspiracy to commit stalking through the internet.
The elder Ogoshi is also facing counts of sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death. The additional charges stem from the death of Jordan DeMay of Marquette, who was found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wound on March 25, 2022.
Earlier the same day, 17-year-old DeMay sent a naked photo to the “dani.robertts” account. Samuel Ogoshi in turn threatened to send out the picture if DeMay failed to pay him $1,000, investigators said. When the victim forwarded $300, the suspect wrote back: “Enjoy your miserable life,” according to court documents.
“I’m [killing myself right now],” DeMay responded. “[Because] of you.”
“Good,” Samuel Ogoshi allegedly wrote. “Do that fast. Or I’ll make you do it.”
The brothers are due back in court for a detention hearing next Wednesday.
Sextortion scam: The Role Of EFCC In The Extradition Of The Two Brothers:
The Lagos state Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes, EFCC, had on Sunday, August 13, 2023, facilitated the extradition of Samuel Ogoshi and his brother, Samson, to the United States of America, to face prosecution on extortion scam, extorting numerous young men and teenage boys in the Western District of Michigan and across the U.S.
The Commission had, sometime in May, 2023, initiated the extradition proceedings at the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, against the Ogoshis alongside one Ezekiel Ejemeh Robert over exploitation of minors and production of pornography, following a request by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI.
The Ogoshis and Ezekiel were indicted in a United States Federal Court on December 1, 2022 on charges of exploitation of minors, resulting in death, conspiracy to sexually exploit minors by causing the minors to produce child pornographic images that the defendants now use to blackmail them.
They are further charged with conspiracy to distribute child pornography, which borders on sending images to minors, their families and friends, as well as conspiracy to commit stalking through the Internet.
The offences carry a minimum of five years and maximum 20 years imprisonment.
Specifically, Samuel was charged with causing the death of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay of Marquette, Michigan, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March 2022.
According to investigations, the suspects conspired to conduct a sex-based extortion of minors and adults in the United States of America.
The trio allegedly hacked some social media accounts, posing to be young attractive women to entice unsuspecting victims to send their sexually explicit photographs.
These pictures were then used to blackmail the victims, thereby forcing them into making huge financial payments.
While the Ogoshis were arrested sometime in February, 2023 around the Ojo axis of Lagos, Ezekiel was picked up in Nasarawa by operatives of the EFCC.
The extradition of the third defendant, Robert, is, however, still pending.