Michigan dad speaks out about Nigerian sextortion suspects who led son to take his own life

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Father of Michigan teen who died by suicide speaks out after Nigerian sextortion suspects plead not guilty

John DeMay, the father of a Michigan teenager who died by suicide after becoming the victim of a sextortion scheme on social media, spoke out Friday after the two Nigerian suspects accused of plotting the scheme pleaded not guilty Thursday.

John DeMay, the father of a Michigan teenager who died by suicide after becoming the victim of a sextortion scheme on social media, said the two Nigerian suspects accused of plotting the scheme “Googled” his son’s death after the fact.

Jordan DeMay was 17 years old when he shot himself in 2022 after falling victim to sextortion on Instagram. The FBI defines sextortion as a “serious crime” in which perpetrators threaten to expose a victim’s sensitive or private information in exchange for sexually explicit material or money.

The main suspect in DeMay’s death, 22-year-old Samuel Ogoshi, is one of three men from Lagos arrested earlier this month for allegedly hacking Instagram accounts and sexually extorting, or “sextorting,” more than 100 young men online, including DeMay. Ogoshi allegedly posed as a young woman under the username “dani.robertts.”  

Ogoshi and his 20-year-old brother, co-defendant Samson Ogoshi, pleaded guilty on Thursday, according to federal court documents.

MICHIGAN FAMILY SOUNDS ALARM ON SON’S ‘SEXTORTION’ SUICIDE AFTER ARRESTS OF 3 NIGERIAN MEN

After three Nigerian men were arrested in connection with the sextortion of 100 young men and the 2022 suicide of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay, DeMay’s family is speaking out. (handout)

“The defendants actually … Googled Jordan’s death after he died,” John DeMay told Fox News Digital of Thursday’s court proceedings in Michigan. “So, they knew that he died from their action, and they continued to victimize other people even after the fact.”

Jordan’s case is the only sextortion case in the history of the United States in which suspects overseas have been extradited from Nigeria to the U.S. to be processed through the American criminal justice system. 

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“Sextortion is a horrible crime,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement last week after the Ogoshi brothers were extradited. “To those who commit these crimes: we will pursue you around the world. And to those who are victims: please know we stand ready to help you.”

Jordan DeMay shot himself in 2022 after falling victim to sextortion on Instagram. (handout)

DeMay described the proceedings as “groundbreaking” and hopes his family’s tragedy sparks change for future sextortion cases.

“It’s literally happening to every single teenager that’s on social media,” DeMay said. “They’re being targeted right now. At least at some point in their life, they’re going to be targeted. So, it’s just a matter of whether they buy into it or not.”

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DeMay heard during Thursday’s hearing that the FBI may have statements from the Ogoshi brothers making “some admissions” in interviews conducted in Nigeria. 

Nigerian brothers Samuel and Samson Ogoshi are charged in connection with Jordan DeMay’s suicide after allegedly plotting a sextortion scheme against him. (Economic and Financial Crimes)

“It sounds like they have these initial certain screenshots and pictures and such that were provided to them during that interview,” DeMay explained. “So it seems to me that they’ve been cooperating to some degree. With that said, I’m hoping that we’re probably never going to get to a trial. I imagine once the overwhelming evidence is presented to the defense, I imagine they’ll work to find the best plea bargain they can get.”

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The grieving father added, however, that no matter the suspects’ sentences, whether they are “50 years or 30 years,” it will never amount to “true justice.”

Jordan DeMay began chatting with someone he thought was a woman on Instagram under the username “dani.robertts.” (handout)

The “dani.robertts” account that targeted Jordan on Instagram was real but had been hacked and sold to Ogoshi, who used the profile to coerce young men into sending explicit photos of themselves, authorities said. He allegedly used the photos as leverage for money, according to the FBI.

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Jordan DeMay believed he sent a nude image to Ogoshi, posing as dani.robertts, who then threatened to send the image to DeMay’s friends and family if DeMay did not send money. When DeMay could not send any more money, he killed himself.

John DeMay also said he would tell Jordan “every single day” if he had “a chance” that threats from the sextortionist were not the end of his life. (handout)

Antigone Davis, global head of safety at Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, previously told Fox News Digital in a statement that the company wants “teens to have safe, positive experiences online, and we work to help prevent and stop criminals from targeting them with sextortion schemes.”

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“This includes cooperating with law enforcement to help protect vulnerable teens from these horrific crimes and bring their perpetrators to justice. In addition to the work we do to protect teens from sextortion, we also helped found NCMEC’s TakeItDown, which allows teens to stop the spread of their intimate images online,” Davis said.

The FBI encourages anyone who believes they are a victim of sextortion, or knows someone who may be, to contact their local FBI office or toll-free at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. Email tips to audrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants.