Two Nigerian brothers, Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and Samson Ogoshi, 20, have been extradited to the United States to face prosecution over allegations of scamming a 17-year-old teenager till he killed himself.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Mark Totten announced the extradition after the duo was indicted in May 2023, for sexually extorting numerous young men and teenage boys in the Western District of Michigan and across the United States.
Samuel Ogoshi was also charged with causing the death of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay of Marquette, Michigan, who was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March 2022.
It was learnt that the Ogboshis convinced the teenager to send them his nude pictures and afterwards, used the pictures to blackmail and extort money from. He allegedly killed himself when he got tired of paying.
“Sextortion is a horrible crime,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “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.” U.S. Attorney Totten said.
“I am extremely pleased with how swiftly extradition efforts moved forward and I am grateful to the FBI and our Nigerian law enforcement partners for their unyielding work to secure justice in this international sexual exploitation investigation.
“Financial sextortion is a global crisis that impacts teens in our country and around the world,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan.
“As this case demonstrates, the FBI is committed to working closely with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to prevent young men and women from becoming victims of this tragic crime.”
It’s anticipated that the extradited defendants’ initial appearance will take place Monday afternoon at the federal courthouse in Grand Rapids at a time to be determined by the court.
The Nigerian authorities arrested Samuel and Samson Ogoshi in Nigeria in January 2023, at the request of the United States. Nigerian prosecutors managed the extradition proceedings, on behalf of the United States. On July 20, the Honorable Justice B.F.M. Nyako ordered the Ogoshis to be turned over to the United States to face the charges in the indictment.
On August 3, B.E. Jedy Agba, the Solicitor-General of the Nigerian Federation, signed the final surrender order, authorizing the United States to bring the Ogoshis to West Michigan.
