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A2 u.s. news
Monday 16 october 2023

A teen’s death in a small Michigan town led the FBI and police to

an online sexual extortion scheme

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST topher Wray said Saturday. tunately, a whole bunch of
Associated Press The arrests came after the other young men and teen-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Last FBI joined with police in age boys," Wray said in an in-
year, a teenager in a small Michigan to investigate the terview with The Associated
Michigan town killed himself death of 17-year-old Jordan Press. "You're talking about
after an online chat turned DeMay, one thousands of a crime that doesn't respect
to demands that he pay American teenagers tar- borders. We make sure our
money to keep intimate geted in a sharp rise in online partnerships don't have any
photos secret. He was one of "sextortion" cases in recent borders either."
dozens of people targeted years. Wray highlighted the case
online by two men extra- "They will face charges in in a speech to the Interna-
dited from Nigeria to face the U.S. for what they did tional Association of Chiefs
charges, FBI director Chris- to Jordan, but also unfor- of Police about the ways the

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before a House Committee
on the Judiciary oversight hearing, July 12, 2023, on Capitol Hill
in Washington.
Associated Press

agency assists police in tack- other end pushed DeMay to
ling violent crime, fentanyl kill himself, authorities said.
and gangs. In a year where DeMay had never been
tensions between Congress talking with a girl, accord-
and the FBI have run high ing to the FBI, which said
at times, Wray focused on that on the other end were
the agency's relationships two brothers from Nigeria
with U.S. police departments using a hacked Instagram
large and small, including account. They researched
some 6,000 task force officers him online, using details
around the country. about his friends and family
"The threats that we face col- to target their threats. They
lectively around the coun- also tried to contact more
try are incredibly daunting," than 100 people the same
he said. "By far and away, way, authorities said.
the most effective means The pair, Samuel Ogoshi and
of tackling those threats is Samson Ogoshi of Lagos,
teamwork." Nigeria, have pleaded not
After DeMay's death in Mich- guilty. Samuel Ogoshi's law-
igan's Upper Peninsula, the yer declined to comment.
FBI joined the investigation Samson Ogoshi's lawyer did
by the sheriff's department in not immediately return a
Marquette County and state message seeking comment.
police. DeMay had thought The FBI has seen a tenfold
he was chatting with a girl increase in "sextortion" cas-
on Instagram about his own es since 2021. A least 3,000
age, and the conversation children and teenagers have
quickly turned to a request been targeted, and more
for explicit pictures, authori- than a dozen have killed
ties said. themselves. Many schemes
But once he shared images are believed to be originat-
of himself, the talk changed ing with scammers based in
to demands for money in ex- African countries such as Ni-
change for the other side geria and the Ivory Coast.
not sending the images to Most victims are between
DeMay's family and friends. age 14 and 17, but kids as
When the teenager could young as 10 have been
not pay, the person on the targeted.q