A man from Georgia has admitted his role in a sextortion scheme that funneled money from young victims in the United States to a criminal network in Nigeria.
The case, which drew national attention after the suicide of a Michigan teenager, has now led to several guilty pleas and the unraveling of a cross-border money laundering operation.
Johnathan Demetrius Green of Stone Mountain, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a federal money laundering conspiracy, prosecutors said. He is one of five American men who helped move at least $150,000 in extorted funds from victims through digital payment platforms before converting the money into cryptocurrency and sending it overseas.
The charges stem from an investigation launched in 2022 following the death of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay from Michigan. Prosecutors say DeMay was lured into sharing intimate photos by Nigerian perpetrators posing as a teenage girl. When he refused to pay more money, the group threatened to expose him. Hours after the threats intensified, DeMay took his own life.
According to court records, Green received $300 from DeMay through Apple Pay, transferred it to his Cash App account, and then bought Bitcoin. That cryptocurrency was forwarded to a Nigerian contact known as “The Plug,” who in turn directed the money to the sextortionists — identified as Nigerian brothers Samuel and Samson Ogoshi.
The Ogoshi brothers were sentenced last year to 17 years in prison for running the large-scale operation, which targeted over 100 victims, many of them boys and young men. Investigators said the sextortionists demanded payments in exchange for keeping nude photos private, while simultaneously pushing victims toward despair.
Green was part of a wider network that included four other men: Dinsimore Guyton Robinson of Alabama, Kendall Ormond London, Brian Keith Coldmon, and Jarell Daivon Williams — all from Georgia. Each has pleaded guilty to similar charges. Prosecutors say the group kept about 20 percent of the stolen money before sending the rest in Bitcoin to Nigeria.
The Justice Department believes the Americans laundered at least $178,658 between 2020 and 2022, although the exact number of victims remains unknown. Prosecutors say the funds passed through platforms like Apple Pay, Cash App, and Zelle, making the money trail harder to trace. The Nigerian mastermind, referred to only as “The Plug,” has not yet been publicly charged.
Federal authorities are still pursuing other individuals involved in the case, including a third Nigerian suspect, Ezekial Ejehem Robert, whose extradition was sought in 2023. His current location remains unconfirmed.
Green and the others face up to 20 years in federal prison. Prosecutors say the sentencing will reflect the serious harm caused to victims, including the tragic death of DeMay.
Authorities say the case underscores the growing use of digital platforms by international crime rings and the devastating personal toll such scams can take on vulnerable individuals.