The parents of a Michigan teenager who killed himself after being targeted in an online sextortion scam have welcomed the prison sentences of more than 17 years each handed down to two Nigerian brothers who blackmailed the boy.
Jordan DeMay, 17, died in March 2022 after sending nude photographs of himself to somebody he thought was a girl who had befriended him on social media. The recipients instead were Samuel and Samson Ogoshi, who were operating a hacked Instagram account and demanded $1,000 from the teenager after threatening to send the images to his friends and family.
A federal judge in Marquette on Thursday sentenced the brothers, aged 22 and 20 respectively, to 210 months in prison each after they pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiring to sexually exploit a minor. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, the pair was extradited to the US in August 2023.
Jordan’s mother, Jennifer Buta, spoke to reporters after the sentencing. “At the end of the day, someone is being held accountable for what they did to Jordan, and while no sentence that could have been given out today will bring him back, it does give some justice,” she said, as reported by the CBS Michigan affiliate WZMQ.
Jordan’s father, John DeMay, said he would continue to use his son’s death to educate families and young people about the danger of friending strangers on the internet.
“We’re going to keep pressing forward and help kids and parents and families and schools and law enforcement understand this impact, to understand this crime and the impact that it has on people,” he said. “And how to better process these things when they do happen, and how to formulate ways to prevent them from happening.”
The court heard that Jordan DeMay, a popular student who enjoyed football and basketball at Marquette senior high school, received a demand for $1,000 after sending the photos. He paid $300 and told the brothers he would kill himself because he could not pay more.
“Do that fast … or I’ll make you do it … I swear to God,” their reply said.
Jordan died less than six hours later, his mother said.
Agents from the FBI’s Michigan field office tracked the communications to Nigeria and found the brothers were using other people’s Instagram accounts in attempts to extort more than 100 people.
Greg Zyburt, the Marquette county sheriff, told reporters that people seeking to exploit minors had no hiding place. “We are sending out that message to people all over the world that yes, we will come and get you,” he said.
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
