According to prosecutors, five men, four from Georgia and one from Alabama, have received over $178,000 from victims of sextortion, which includes a teenager from northern Michigan who committed suicide as a result of the international scheme. The individuals have been indicted for their involvement in the crime.
The U.S. Western District of Michigan Attorney’s Office has filed charges against five men for allegedly conspiring to commit money laundering. Their actions facilitated a Nigerian sextortion scheme that tragically led to the suicide of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay from Marquette. The scheme has also victimized over 100 other individuals, as per the prosecutors’ statement.
The individuals on trial are Johnathan Green, Jarell Williams, Kendall London, Brian Coleman, all hailing from Georgia, and Dinismore Robinson from Alabama. Their ages range from 30 to 32.
The five men faced charges that were described by the prosecutors as “separate but related” to the original sextortion case.
Three Nigerian men were charged in November 2022 by the U.S. Attorney Office for the Western District of Michigan for their involvement in a sextortion scheme. The two out of the three defendants were extradited to the U.S. in August 2023 and entered a guilty plea in August 2024.
According to the press release, the accused parties would transfer the bitcoin to an undisclosed collaborator from Nigeria who they called “The Plug”.
On August 1st, Green, Williams, London, Coleman, and Robinson were apprehended by the FBI and presented in a federal court on the same day.
Money laundering is considered a federal crime and can result in a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars.
According to the release, financial scams, such as sextortion, romance scams, and consumer fraud, victimize Americans on a daily basis. Vulnerable populations, including senior citizens, children, and teenagers, are particularly at risk. Sadly, the consequences of these crimes can be catastrophic, as evidenced by the tragic death of Jordan DeMay. In response, U.S. Attorney Mark Totten stated that today’s charges unequivocally demonstrate that those who facilitate financial crimes, including domestic money launderers, will be pursued.
The case is currently under investigation by the FBI.