Five U.S.-based men have been charged in connection to a sextortion scheme that led to the suicide of a 17-year-old from Marquette.
U.S. Attorney for Western District of Michigan Mark Totten announced the charges in an unsealed federal indictment in connection to the death of Jordan DeMay.
Three Nigerian nationals were already charged in the case. Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and Samson Ogoshi, 20, of Lagos, Nigeria, later pleaded guilty to conspiring to sexually exploit teenage boys, U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement.
The Ogoshis were accused of running an international sextortion ring in which they posed as a woman and which resulted in the suicide of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay of Marquette, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on March 25, 2022. The two men were accused of inducing DeMay to send a naked picture of himself and then extorting him.
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The Ogoshis, who had previously been extradited from Nigeria to stand trial, were remanded to the custody of federal marshals after pleading guilty.
The new suspects were charged with conspiring to commit money laundering. They are:
- Johnathan Demetrius Green, 32, Stone Mountain, Georgia
- Jarell Daivon Williams, 31, McDonough, Georgia
- Dinsimore Guyton Robinson, 30, Huntsville, Alabama
- Kendall Ormond London, Jr., 32, Lithonia, Georgia
- Brian Keith Coldmon, Jr., 30, Stone Mountain, Georgia
“Every day Americans fall victim to financial scams, including sextortion, romance scams, and consumer fraud,” Totten said in a statement. “Senior citizens, children, and teenagers are especially vulnerable. The result of these crimes can be devastating, as the death of Jordan DeMay makes painfully clear. Today’s charges send a loud and clear message that we will chase down everyone who enables these crimes, including the U.S.-based money launderers.”
According to the indictment, the U.S.-based money launderers controlled the financial accounts where they money went, and would keep about 20% of the victims' funds and convert the rest into bitcoin.
