An Alabama man pleaded guilty to money laundering in the Nigerian sextortion scheme that led to the suicide death of a teenager in Michigan.
Dinismore Guyton Robinson, 29, of Huntsville, Alabama, is one of five people in the U.S. charged with money laundering in connection to this scheme. His sentencing is scheduled for April 24, 2025.
The group allegedly used online payment systems, like Apple Pay, Cash App, and Zelle, to collect funds to send to Nigerian sextortionists.
The sextortionists had boys and young men send them nude photos and then they would blackmail them for money after they were sent, according to the indictment.
The payments were sent through money launderers in the U.S., who would keep around 20% before converting the rest to Bitcoin to send to Nigeria.
Green laundered funds for Jordan DeMay, 17, of Marquette. While he was a student at Marquette High School in March 2022, he was contacted on Instagram by Nigerian men posing as a girl.
They convinced him to send a nude photo and then blackmailed him for money.
DeMay sent $300 to them, but they kept pressuring him to send more money. Hours later, DeMay killed himself inside his home, according to officials.
Three Nigerian men were charged in connection to the scheme that led to DeMay’s death and targeted more than 100 other victims.
Two of the three men were extradited to Michigan, which was the first time that someone from Nigeria had been extradited to the U.S. to be held accountable for crimes, according to Cheyvoryea Gibson, a special agent with the FBI. They pleaded guilty to the sexploitation of children and were sentenced to 210 months in prison in September 2024.
With the announcement of this charge, the FBI shared the following tips for people to protect themselves 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.
