Latest news with #ThePlug
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Yahoo
4 Georgians, 1 Alabaman plead guilty in money laundering, sextortion scheme
A federal case in Michigan led to four men from Georgia and one from Alabama pleading guilty to playing a role in a sexual extortion scheme. According to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, the five men all pled guilty to conspiring to launder the money earned by Nigerian sex extortionists. The U.S. Attorney's Office said five men 'used online payment systems to collect sextortion proceeds and send them to a Nigerian individual they referred to as 'The Plug.'' The indictment against the five men said the sextortionists 'had boys and young men create nude images,' then, when the sextortionists received the pictures, they allegedly had the victims send money 'to the U.S.-based money launderers through online payment systems like Apple Pay, Cash App and Zelle.' [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The launderers kept 20%, converting the rest into bitcoin to send to 'The Plug,' who kept a portion, then sent the remaining funds to the sextortionists involved. Federal officials said three Nigerian nationals were charged in a sextortion scheme in 2022 after 17-year-old Jordan DeMay, a victim, died. TRENDING STORIES: LIVE UPDATES: Tornado watch issued for NW Georgia, parts of metro Atlanta, Flood watch issued Thousands turn out across Metro Atlanta to protest against presidential policies 1 dead after shooting in Gwinnett County shopping center parking lot The following five individuals pled guilty to conspiring to launder proceeds for Nigerian sex extortionists: Dinsimore Guyton Robinson, 29, of Huntsville, Ala., pleaded guilty on January 22, 2025. Kendall Ormond London, 32, of Lithonia, Ga., pleaded guilty on March 26, 2025. Brian Keith Coldmon, Jr., 30, of Peachtree Corners, Ga., pleaded guilty on March 28, 2025. Jarell Daivon Williams, 31, of McDonough, Ga. pleaded guilty on April 2, 2025. Johnathan Demetrius Green, 32, of Stone Mountain, Ga., pleaded guilty on April 2, 2025. 'These individuals helped and profited from this awful, heartbreaking scheme and so they now will face the consequences,' Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge said in a statement. The conspiracy offense 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. The FBI provides the following recommendations for how to protect yourself from sextortion schemes: Be selective about what you share online. If your social media accounts are open to everyone, a predator may be able to figure out a lot of information about you. Be wary of anyone you encounter for the first time online. Block or ignore messages from strangers. Be aware that people can pretend to be anything or anyone online. Videos and photos are not proof that people are who they claim to be. Images can be altered or stolen. In some cases, predators have even taken over the social media accounts of their victims. Be suspicious if you meet someone on one game or app and that person asks you to start talking on a different platform. Be in the know. Any content you create online—whether it is a text message, photo, or video—can be made public. And nothing actually 'disappears' online. Once you send something, you don't have any control over where it goes next. Be willing to ask for help. If you are getting messages or requests online that don't seem right, block the sender, report the behavior to the site administrator, or go to an adult. If you have been victimized online, tell someone. Being a victim of sextortion is not your fault. You can get through this challenge, even if it seems scary and overwhelming. There are people who want to help.[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
CBS News
04-04-2025
- CBS News
Five plead guilty in sextortion scheme that led to Michigan teen's death
Five people charged in a sextortion scheme that led to a Michigan teen's death have pleaded guilty, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The five individuals were identified as Dinsimore Guyton Robinson, 29, of Huntsville, Alabama, Kendall Ormond London, 32, of Lithonia, Georgia, Brian Keith Coldmon Jr., 30, of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, Jarell Daivon Williams, 31, of McDonough, Georgia, and Johnathan Demetrius Green, 32, of Stone Mountain, Georgia. Federal officials say the individuals were charged with conspiring to launder proceeds for "sextortionists" from Nigeria. Two Nigerian brothers, Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, were charged with conspiracy to sexually exploit minors and have been sentenced to 17 years in prison . The scheme targeted more than 100 people, including Jordan DeMay, a 17-year-old student from Marquette, Michigan. DeMay died by suicide in March 2022. Officials say sextortionists received nude images from young men and boys and had the victims send money to the five individuals through online payment systems. The five men would collect the money and send it to someone from Nigeria, known as the "The Plug." According to a news release, the five men kept 20% of the money, converted it to Bitcoin and sent it to The Plug, who kept a portion before sending the rest to the sextortionists. "These individuals helped and profited from this awful, heartbreaking scheme and so they now will face the consequences," said Acting Michigan U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge. The conspiracy offense 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."
