The death of Jordan DeMay, 17, who was one of hundreds of American youths targeted in a rapid spike in online “sextortion” incidents in recent years, prompted the FBI to work with Michigan authorities to investigate. This led to the arrests.
A boy in a small Michigan town committed suicide last year after an internet chat devolved into demands that he pay money to conceal intimate images. According to FBI Director Christopher Wray, he was one of scores of people who were targeted online by two guys who were extradited from Nigeria to answer for their crimes.
The charges followed the FBI’s collaboration with Michigan authorities to look into the death of Jordan DeMay, 17, who was one of thousands of American youths targeted in a rapid increase in online “sextortion” instances over the past several years.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Wray stated that “they will face charges in the U.S. for what they did to Jordan, but also regrettably, a whole bunch of other young men and teenage boys.” “You’re bringing up a crime that knows no boundaries. We ensure that the same applies to our collaborations.
In an address to the International Association of Chiefs of Police discussing the ways the organization helps police combat violent crime, fentanyl, and gangs, Wray brought up the case. Wray concentrated on the FBI’s connections with all sizes of U.S. police agencies, including the approximately 6,000 task force personnel dispersed across the nation, during a year in which tensions between Congress and the FBI have occasionally reached new heights.
The threats that we all face around the nation are very intimidating, he continued. Teamwork is, by far and away, the most efficient strategy to address these dangers.
The FBI joined the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office and state police inquiry after DeMay passed away in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. According to investigators, DeMay believed he was speaking on Instagram with a young woman when the topic soon changed to a request for pornographic images.
The conversation quickly turned to demands for money in exchange for the other side not emailing DeMay’s family and friends the images after he posted pictures of himself. Authorities claim that the person on the other end of the line forced DeMay to commit suicide when the adolescent was unable to pay.
According to the FBI, who claimed that two Nigerian brothers using a hacked Instagram account were on the other end of DeMay’s call, DeMay had never been speaking with a girl. They conducted web research on him and targeted their threats using information about his acquaintances and family. The identical method was used to try to contact more than 100 people, according to investigators.
The Lagos, Nigerian brothers Samuel and Samson Ogoshi have entered a not-guilty plea. The attorney for Samuel Ogoshi declined to comment. A message asking for response was not immediately responded to by Samson Ogoshi’s attorney.
Since 2021, the FBI has recorded a tenfold increase in “sextortion” instances. At least 3,000 youngsters have been the targets, and more than a dozen have committed suicide. Many scams are thought to have their roots with con artists operating in African nations like Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. While children as young as 10 have been the target, the majority of victims are between the ages of 14 and 17.
DeMay’s mother, Jennifer Buta, described him as a laid-back high school athlete with a significant number of friends and a girlfriend. The night before he passed away, she claimed, he was getting ready to travel to Florida with his father. In the wake of his passing, his family has spoken out, advising other parents to have a conversation with their children about “sextortion” scams.
“It’s critical that parents are aware that this can occur. Their kid is not an outlier. It can happen so quickly if they use social media, the speaker warned. “Parents need to let their children know that they can talk to them about anything, and that they can count on them to support them and provide guidance in these circumstances.”