'It happened so quickly,' mother shares story of sextortion case that led to Michigan teen’s suicide

Marquette, Michigan — Six hours is all it took for Jennifer Buta to lose her son Jordan DeMay, 17, after a group of Nigerian scammers threatened to share a sexually explicit photo the teen had sent in March 2022.

“What happened to Jordan happened over a six-hour period overnight. The first message he got happened around 10 p.m. and by 4 a.m. he had taken his life. There was no chance to notice any change in behavior because it happened so quickly,” said Buta.

On Sept. 6, two brothers involved in the plot —  Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21 —  were each sentenced to 17½ years in prison and five years of supervised release for their roles in the sextortion case.

“When I found out that this happened to Jordan, I had little to no knowledge about sextortion. I thought, me as a very involved parent… If I didn’t know about this, chances are other parents didn’t know about this,” shared Buta.

The scheme targeted more than 100 other victims.

“These defendants sexually exploited and extorted more than 100 victims, including at least eleven minors, resulting in the tragic death of a 17- year-old high school student,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “These sentences should serve as a warning that the perpetrators of online sexual exploitation and extortion cannot escape accountability for their heinous crimes by hiding behind their phones and computers. The Justice Department will find them, no matter where they are, and we will bring them to justice in the United States.”

At a press conference Thursday, U.S. Attorney Totten emphasized the scope of this threat and the need for vigilance by sharing that multiple other deaths tied to sextortion schemes are under investigation in the Western District of Michigan.

“I get feedback all the time saying, ‘this did happen to my child and because you shared Jordan’s story,' they knew to come to me,” said Buta.

As detailed in their plea agreements (here and here), Samuel and Samson Ogoshi engaged in a scheme that included at least 11 identified minor victims. They bought hacked social media accounts and used them to pose as young women, making fake profiles and using the messaging feature on the social media accounts to contact victims. They conducted online research about their victims to learn where they lived, attended school, worked, and the identities of their family and friends. They then solicited their minor victims to produce sexually explicit images of themselves. Once they received the images, they created a collage of pictures that included the sexually explicit image with other images of the victim and their school, family, and friends. The Ogoshi brothers threatened to disclose the collages to the family, friends, and classmates of the victim unless the victim agreed to pay money using online cash applications.

“These kids need to be reminded that if this does happen to them, they are the victim and they should not be ashamed… even if they do send a photo or money and everybody sees it, that’s going to pass and their life is worth it,” said Buta.

In November 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan charged Samuel Ogoshi, Samson Ogoshi, and Ezekiel Robert, all Nigerian nationals, in the sextortion scheme that resulted in DeMay’s death. The Ogoshi Brothers were extradited to the United States in August 2023 and pleaded guilty in April. On March 21, a Nigerian court ordered Robert extradited to the United States. He has appealed that decision, and the matter is before the Nigerian High Court.

In addition, on Aug. 2, U.S. Attorney Totten announced the unsealing of a federal indictment in a separate case charging five U.S.-based defendants with conspiring to commit money laundering that facilitated the sextortion scheme. 

Buta shared the following advice for parents: ““Parents need to be sitting down and having open conversations this scam. Letting children know that if anyone asked them for money or photos or favors, they may need to seek help from an adult.”

And for teens and children victimized in the same way as her son, Buta offered this advice, "If you find yourself in Jordan’s situation, please go to a trusted adult. A parent, an educator, a counselor – anybody. Because people want to help you and what is happening right now in front of you is so minimal compared to what the rest of your life is. Your parents are there to get you through any situation and your life is so important.”

If you have information about or believe you are a victim of sextortion, contact your local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at tips.fbi.gov.