Headline

Two Nigerian Siblings Plead Guilty To Sexual Extortion In US

Published

4 weeks ago

April 12, 2024

Editor

Two Nigerian brothers have pleaded guilty in connection with an international sextortion ring, in which they threatened to release a nude photo of a 17-year-old Michigan boy, driving him to commit suicide inside his home.

Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and Samson Ogoshi, 20, each pleaded guilty to conspiring to sexually exploit teenage boys, on Wednesday, April 10, US Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement.

The brothers face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years behind bars, US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten said in a statement.

They were originally charged with conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, conspiracy to distribute child porn, and conspiracy to commit stalking over the internet in a plot against dozens of young men and teen boys in the US.

In exchange for the plea agreement, the other charges will be dropped.

“Today’s guilty pleas represent an extraordinary success in the prosecution of international sextortion,” Totten said in the release. “These convictions will send a message to criminals in Nigeria and every corner of the globe: working with our partners both here and overseas, we can find you and we can bring you to justice.”

He continued: “I hope these guilty pleas also bring a small measure of relief to the family of Jordan DeMay, who died as a result of this crime. Of course, the job is not done.

“The Ogoshi brothers await sentencing later this year, and we are still pursuing the extradition of the third defendant, Ezekiel Robert,” Totten added.

DeMay, 17, was found dead in his home of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on March 25, 2022, after an Instagram account officials said was run by the three Nigerian men threatened to release explicit photos of the teen if he did not pay $1,000.

For DeMay’s death, Samuel had faced a maximum penalty of life in prison after he was additionally charged with sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death.

The Marquette teen took his his own life after he was contacted by an Instagram account with the username “@dani.robertts,” officials have said.

“I can send this [sic] nudes to everyone and also send your nudes Until it goes viral,” Samuel messaged DeMay after the teen sent an explicit photo of himself, officials said.

Though the account appeared to be run by a woman, prosecutors said it was actually one of the several hacked profiles the sextorting trio used to entice and manipulate DeMay and others.

Despite being asked for $1,000, DeMay sent only $300, which prompted Samuel to threaten to forward the image to the high school football player’s family and friends.

The Ogoshis, who had previously been extradited from Nigeria to stand trial, were remanded to the custody of federal marshals after pleading guilty.

A Nigerian court recently ordered Robert, 19, the third defendant, to be extradited to the US, but he has appealed that decision and the matter is before the country’s High Court, officials said.

“Financial sextortion is a rising and very serious threat targeting our minors nationwide and this case shook the very core of our Michigan community,” Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan, said in a statement.

“We encourage the public to have open and honest conversations with their loved ones surrounding sextortion and to take heed of the warning signs,” Gibson said.

“If you believe you or someone you know has become a victim of this crime, please contact the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting a tip at tips.fbi.gov.”

Headline

Naira Abuse: Trouble Looms As Group Petitions EFCC, Wants Edo APC Candidate Prosecuted

Published

29 mins ago

May 8, 2024

Editor

The All Progressives Congress candidate in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, is at risk of being sentenced to six- months imprisonment in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria Act of 2007 as a coalition of civil society organisations under the aegis of the Network of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria accused him of abusing the Nigerian currency, the naira.

The group lodged the complaint with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against Okpebholo in a petition dated May 2, 2024, and addressed to the chairman of the EFCC.

The petition was signed by the group’s National Coordinator, Victor Kalu, and National Secretary, Ali Abacha.

The coalition claimed the senator is guilty of the offence of naira abuse and mutilation, citing the CBN Act of 2007, which declares such actions as punishable offences.

The coalition said it is “disappointment that prominent individuals, including lawmakers, have violated this provision of the CBN Act.”

Meanwhile, they commended the EFCC for its “swift response in arresting and charging individuals who have been caught on viral videos abusing and defacing the Naira at social events such as the cases of Mr Okuneye Idris Olarewaju, popularly known as Bobrisky, and Mr Pascal Okechukwu, also known as Cubana Chief Priest, who have faced legal consequences for their actions.”

While praising the EFCC for its actions, the coalition demanded that all individuals captured in viral videos abusing the Naira should be promptly arrested and brought to justice, as no one is above the law.

They called on the EFCC and other law enforcement agencies to investigate the “viral video involving Senator Monday Okpebholo, who is seen engaging in Naira abuse and mutilation.”

They added that Okpebholo should be held accountable for his actions as a representative of the people.

They, however, warned that failure to address the viral video involving Okpebholo would result in the coalition taking further actions.

They threatened to mobilise their members, supporters, and democracy advocates for a peaceful protest against the EFCC, citing selective action and bias if the EFCC failed to address the viral video involving Okpebholo.

In his response, the senator refuted the allegation, saying it was false.

Okpebholo, in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, described the allegation as a hatchet job targeted at smearing his image ahead of the September governorship election.

He blamed his detractors and the opposition camp as being the brain behind the campaign of calumny.

While stressing that he has never been arrested by the police for any civil or criminal offence, the lawmaker insisted the man in the video circulating on social media was not him.

He said, “As a private and public person, I have never sprayed or mutilated the naira in my over 50 years on earth. It baffles me why these agents will fabricate fake news to tarnish my image ahead of the election. I therefore called on the IGP to investigate the faces behind the petition and prosecute them accordingly.

“They are scouting for fake news and non-existent things to blackmail me and lie to Edo people. Unfortunately, we know what they are up to. They are smelling the defeat already. Edo people have already decided, and no amount of State-sponsored intimidation will work.

“In Edo State, President Bola Tinubu-led APC administration is working. The federal government is reconstructing federal roads in Edo Central, Edo North, and Edo South. That is why Edo people must take sides with the APC and vote for me as the next governor of Edo State.

“We will bring the Federal Government closer to the Edo people. We have been isolated for too long, and it is time to end that alienation.”
PUNCH

Headline

Mother Throws Disabled 6-year-old Son Into Crocodile Infested River [PHOTOS]

Published

14 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Editor

A mother has thrown her disabled six-year-old son into a crocodile-infested river where he has reportedly been mauled to death by reptiles.

Savitri Kumar, 26, from Uttara Kannada, a district in Karnataka, India, had a heated argument with the boy’s father, Ravi Kumar, 27, who repeatedly ordered her to “throw the child away,” the Times of India reports.

Police say her husband allegedly questioned her decision to give birth to a child with a disability.

When the parents fought about their son again on Saturday evening, May 4, Savitri was “distressed” and reportedly threw her son into a waste canal that flows into the Kali river, which is infested with crocodiles.

Father of the son

Neighbours who witnessed this called the police, who deployed divers to search for the boy in the water, but to no avail, as it was dark.

They returned on Sunday morning, May 5, and found the child’s body, which showed bite marks all over.

The boy suffered severe injuries and was missing a hand, which a police officer suggested indicated that the boy was mauled to death by one or more crocodiles.

A post mortem has been ordered to determine the six-year-old’s cause of death.

The couple also has another son aged two and is said to frequently fight about their older son’s speech impediment.

Officers have launched an investigation into the incident.

A police officer told local media that it was a “murder” case and that both the husband and wife have been arrested.

Headline

‘Shame On You’- Ugandan Senator Knocked For Showing Off Wooden Bridge He Constructed

Published

15 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Editor

A Ugandan Senator took to X to proudly show off the bridge he repaired for his constituents.

“People in Ndorwa East can now use the Rubira bridge which I recently repaired,” Hon. Protazio Begumisa, the MP Ndorwa East wrote on X as he proudly posed on a wooden bridge.

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