US court jails Nigerian man 72 months over sextortion scam that led to teenager’s death

A US court has sentenced Imoleayo Samuel Aina, a 27-year-old Nigerian, to 72 months imprisonment over a sexual extortion case that led to the death of a teenager in the country.

Joel Slomsky, the trial judge at the US eastern district of Pennsylvania, on October 28, sentenced Aina to “72 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and $3,250 in restitution”.

Aina was arraigned on charges bordering on “cyberstalking, interstate threat to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and wire fraud”.

In May, Aina pleaded guilty to the charges.

The case centred on Jack Sullivan, a student at Kutztown University, who committed suicide after being targeted in an online sexual extortion scheme.

THE CASE

On July 31, 2024, Aina and his accomplice—Samuel Olasunkanmi Abiodun—were taken into custody by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after a Nigerian court ordered their extradition.

In August 2024, Aina, Abiodun and Afeez Olatunji Adewale, another Nigerian, were charged in court over wire fraud and sexual extortion.

In December 2024, Abiodun pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud. He was sentenced on June 10 to five years in prison.

Adewale remains in Nigeria pending extradition to the United States.

David Metcalf, a US attorney who reacted to Aina’s sentencing, said the Nigerian was the “driving force” behind the sextortion scheme.

“The department of justice won’t just stand by when innocent victims in the US are harmed by criminal scammers overseas,” Metcalf said.

“As this case shows, we can — and we will — find, prosecute, and hold accountable these insidious sextortionists who terrorise people for money.”