Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Andrew Birge, on Thursday, announced that all five defendants charged with conspiring to launder proceeds for Nigerian sex extortionists, Samuel Ogoshi, Samson Ogoshi and Ezekiel Robert, have pleaded guilty.

The defendants include Dinsimore Guyton Robinson (29), Kendall Ormond London (32), Brian Coldmon, Jr., (30), Jarell Daivon Williams (31) and Johnathan Demetrius Green (32).

The indictment shows the conspirators leveraged online payment systems to collect sextortion proceeds and send them to a Nigerian individual they referred to as “The Plug”.

The indictment also alleges that conspirators laundered the funds of sextortion victims, including Jordan DeMay, a 17-year-old high school student from Marquette, Michigan, who died in November, 2022.

“These individuals helped and profited from this awful, heartbreaking scheme and so they now will face the consequences,” Mr Birge said on Thursday. “The conspiracy offence is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The court will decide the sentences upon consultation with federal sentencing guidelines and the individual circumstances.”

Special Agent in charge of the FBI’s Michigan Division, Cheyvoryea Gibson, noted that the plea by the defendants reminds anyone involved in sextortion or money laundering schemes, appreciating agencies involved in investigating the case.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the dedicated members of our FBI Detroit Cyber Task Force, as well as teams from the Grand Rapids Resident Agency, Lansing Resident Agency, Marquette Resident Agency, FBI Birmingham (Huntsville Resident Agency), and FBI Atlanta for their tireless efforts,” Mr Gibson said.

He continued, “We also deeply appreciate our partners at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan. The FBI remains committed to protecting the American public and will continue to prioritize dismantling criminal networks that exploit our most vulnerable citizens.”

Last year, Peoples Gazette reported the two Ogoshi brothers, aged 22 and 20, of Lagos, Nigeria, were convicted after pleading guilty to conspiring to sexually exploit teenage boys in the Western District of Michigan and across the United States.

The then U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said the convictions would send a message to criminals in Nigeria and every corner of the globe, adding the U.S. authorities would find them and bring them to book.

The plea agreement described the integrated roles played by the two Ogoshi brothers and one Mr Robert in creating fake accounts, luring and extorting victims. The Ogoshi brothers also agreed to cooperate in the prosecution of others as part of their pleas.

The offence of conspiracy to sexually exploit minors requires a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison; the maximum possible penalty is 30 years.