Five Americans Charged in International Sextortion Scheme Tied to Michigan Teen’s Suicide
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Five American men have been charged in connection to an international sextortion scheme that led to the suicide of a teenager from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Mark Totten. The announcement came on a crucial Friday morning, marking another significant development in the international cyber crime panorama.
Details of the Charges
The charged individuals were identified as Brian Coldmon, 30, and Johnathan Green of Stone Mountain, Georgia, Kendall London Jr., 32, of Lithonia, Georgia, Dinsimore Robinson, 30, of Huntsville, Alabama, and Jarell Williams, 31, of McDonough, Georgia. Each will face charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and if convicted, could face up to 20 years in prison.
The quintet’s initial court appearances followed their arrests on Thursday, carried out by federal agents. Their formal arraignment in a federal court in Grand Rapids is expected to occur in a few weeks.
Cross-Continental Criminal Network
The charged Americans’ alleged co-conspirators are two men from Nigeria who had previously accepted plea deals in relation to the same scheme. The offenders reportedly deceived victims into sending explicit images of themselves, using these images as foundation for their blackmail attempts.
In this instance, the blackmail seemingly contributed to the tragic decision of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay, resident of Marquette, Michigan, to take his own life. This particular case cast a grim spotlight on the far-reaching implications of such cybercrimes and its serious, real-world consequences.
Middlemen Money Laundering
The prosecutor’s office asserts that the five American individuals acted as middlemen in the operation. Implicated in laundering more than $178,000 in sextortion payments, the accused reportedly collected payment from the victims through common cash transfer apps before pocketing a portion. The remaining funds were allegedly converted into the cryptocurrency Bitcoin and forwarded to the scheme’s other members in Nigeria.
Former Plea Deals and Consequences
The alleged Nigerian co-conspirators, Samuel Ogoshi and Samson Ogoshi, of Lagos, according to their plea agreements, had been involved in hacking social media accounts, impersonated women, and lured unsuspecting teens and young men into sending sexually explicit pictures. After obtaining these images, they purportedly threatened to distribute the imagery to the victims’ relatives and friends unless they received payment.
The case documents revealed that the duo face between 15 and 30 years in federal prison and will likely be ordered to pay restitution. They are scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 5, subsequent to their plea deals. A third man, Ezekiel Robert, was ordered extradited to the United States in March, but he continues to be in Nigeria, awaiting the outcome of his appeals process.
Widespread Damages
The defendants’ alleged sextortion scheme has claimed over 100 victims that have been identified so far, among which at least 11 were minors, the youngest barely 15 years old. Court documentation alleges that in some cases, the convicted men carried out their threats, stooping to the level of distributing the obtained explicit images.
This investigation reminds us of the enduring need for cybersecurity awareness and online vigilance, amid growing incidences of online exploitation and internet crimes.
