The Tragic Case of Jordan DeMay: A Victim of Online Scam

The Case of Jordan DeMay

By Rare StoriesPublished 8 months ago • 3 min read

The sad scheme of sexual extortion, which ultimately resulted in the death of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay, rapidly unfolded within a timeframe of fewer than six hours.

During the early hours of March 25, 2022, the teenager tragically took his own life through a self-inflicted gunshot wound due to overwhelming fear that his naked pictures would be publicly shared.

The sequence of events that led to this heartbreaking outcome was initiated by three individuals located far away across the Atlantic, who pretended to be a woman on Instagram. These individuals, later identified by American prosecutors as Nigerian brothers Samuel and Samson Ogoshi, along with Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, allegedly manipulated the minor into sending explicit photos and subsequently extorted him for $1,000.

Background

Jordan DeMay was a 17-year-old student at Marquette Senior High School in Michigan. He was a homecoming king, a star athlete and a beloved role model. He was also the victim of an international sextortion ring that pushed him to take his own life last March.

Sextortion is a crime in which people adopt fake identities online, coerce victims to send nude photos of themselves and then try to get the victims to pay money in exchange for a promise not to post the photos. According to the FBI, sextortion is a growing threat that affects thousands of people, especially young people, every year.

Jordan DeMay was contacted by an Instagram account that appeared to be from a woman with the username "dani.robertts". But the account had been hacked by Samuel Ogoshi, a 22-year-old Nigerian who allegedly used the profile to force young men into sending him explicit images of themselves.

After Jordan DeMay sent a nude photo of himself, Ogoshi demanded $1,000 from him. When Jordan DeMay sent $300, Ogoshi threatened to send the explicit image to his family and friends if he did not send more money. Hours later, Jordan DeMay told him he was going to commit su-icide. Ogoshi responded "Good. Do that fast. Or I'll make you do it. I swear to God."

This pushed the young Jordan to shoot himself in the head.

Jordan DeMay's parents found him dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound . They were shocked and devastated by their son's death.

The parents provided excerpts of text conversations between DeMay and the extortionists, according to NBC News.

'I have screenshot (for) all your followers and tags. I can send this nudes to everyone and also send your nudes to your family and friends until it goes viral … All you've to do is to cooperate with me and I won't expose you,' one scammer said.

'Are you gonna cooperate with me ... Just pay me right now ... And I won't expose you,' he added.

The Criminals Extradited

After a request from the United States, Nigerian authorities apprehended Samuel and Samson in January. Subsequently, on July 20, they were instructed to be handed over to American officials to face the charges presented against them in the indictment.

Tragically, Demay passed away a few months prior to his anticipated graduation from Marquette Senior High School, where he actively participated in various sports teams.

Samuel faces a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison if convicted, while Samson faces a minimum sentence of five years.

'Sextortion is a horrible crime,' according to federal 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,' he continued.

Jordan was few months away from his high school graduation

'I am extremely pleased with how swiftly extradition efforts moved forward and 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.