Midwest
Instagram blocks nude images in DMs to mitigate 'sextortion' crimes reaching record numbers
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Instagram recently announced that the photo and video-sharing platform popular among young users will be taking new steps to combat sexual extortion, or sextortion — a crime that continues to victimize more people, including minors, according to the FBI.
Sextortion is a social media crime trend in which bad actors entice or solicit a minor to engage in sexual acts or send blackmail money, according to the FBI, which received more than 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion involving at least 12,600 victims between October 2021 and March 2023.
“Companies have a responsibility to ensure the protection of minors who use their platforms,” John Shehan, senior vice president of National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, (NCMEC) said in a response to Meta’s new features to prevent sextortion on Instagram. “Meta’s proposed device-side safety measures within its encrypted environment is encouraging. We are hopeful these new measures will increase reporting by minors and curb the circulation of online child exploitation.”
A new Instagram feature called Nudity Protection, which will be turned on by default for users under 18, will blur nude images sent through direct messages (DMs) on the app and will prompt users with messages when the app detects nudity in a user’s DMs.
AFTER MICHIGAN TEEN’S SUICIDE, NIGERIAN BROTHERS PLEAD GUILTY TO PLANNING DEADLY SEXTORTION SCHEME
A new Instagram feature called Nudity Protection, which will be turned on by default for users under 18, will blur nude images sent through direct messages (DMs) on the app and prompt users with messages when the app detects nudity in a user’s DMs. (Meta)
Instagram users with the Nudity Protection feature turned on will also “see a message encouraging them to reconsider” when they try to send a nude photo detected by the app, according to an April 11 press release from Meta.
Additionally, users will get “tips” when they send or receive nude images reminding them that “people may screenshot or forward images without your knowledge, that your relationship to the person may change in the future, and that you should review profiles carefully in case they’re not who they say they are,” the press release states. Instagram will prompt users with a link to various resources curated by experts.
FATHER OF TEEN SEXTORTION VICTIM WARNS OF ‘ALARMING’ FBI REPORT
Instagram users with the Nudity Protection feature turned on will also “see a message encouraging them to reconsider” when they try to send a nude photo detected by the app, according to an April 11 press release from Meta. (Meta)
They also link to a range of resources, including NCMEC’s free service called “Take it Down,” which is meant to help victims of sextortion erase explicit images of victims or get bad actors to stop sharing them online. The tool can be accessed at https://takeitdown.ncmec.org.
Meta’s announcement came the same day two Nigerian nationals, who were extradited to the U.S., pleaded guilty to conspiring to sexually exploit teenage boys through sextortion two years after one such scheme led to a Michigan teenager’s suicide.
MICHIGAN FAMILY SOUNDS ALARM ON SON’S ‘SEXTORTION’ SUICIDE AFTER ARRESTS OF 3 NIGERIAN MEN
Jordan DeMay was 17 years old when Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and his brother, Samson Ogoshi, 20, both of Nigeria, posed as a woman on Instagram using a hacked account and struck up a conversation with the teenager, ultimately blackmailing him into sending money and threatening him for more until he took his own life in March 2022.
Nigerian brothers Samuel and Samson Ogoshi pleaded guilty to conspiring to extort minors. (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission)
“Nothing is a coincidence with them,” Jordan’s father, John DeMay, told Fox News Digital on Instagram’s announcement last week. “Jordan’s case is the first one in history that has been … extradited and prosecuted on the sextortion level. Meta … and other social media companies that are watching this case, and they’re paying attention to what’s happening because it’s the first in history.”
DeMay filed a civil lawsuit against Meta after his son’s death.
FBI WARNS TEEN BOYS INCREASINGLY TARGETED IN ONLINE ‘SEXTORTION’ SCHEMES
“There is responsibility for them … and we’re hoping that other families will follow suit,” he said. “Some of them are and some of them are going to. But there are a lot of protections with social media companies right now, and we’re trying to tear down some of those barriers to be able to allow families that have been victims because of of [the companies’] actions and not actions, and hold them accountable financially, because the only way that they’re going to stop doing it is to hit them in the pocketbook.”
Three Nigerian men were arrested in connection with the sextortion of 100 young men and the 2022 suicide of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay. (Handout)
The same night the Ogoshis started communicating with Jodan through Instagram, the teenager sent an explicit photo of himself to the account that he thought belonged to a woman. Samuel Ogoshi threatened to expose it and make it go “viral” online if Jordan did not immediately send money, prosecutors said. Jordan complied and sent the suspect money, but the crime only escalated from there as Ogoshi demanded more and more money from the 17-year-old.
The exchange went on for hours that evening until Jordan told Samuel Ogoshi that he was going to kill himself.
WARNING SIGNS OF SUICIDE: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PREVENTION, RED FLAGS AND HOW TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE
“Good,” Samuel Ogoshi wrote. “Do that fast. Or I’ll make you do it. I swear to God.”
John DeMay said he would tell Jordan “every single day” if he had “a chance” that threats from the sextortionist were not the end of his life. (Handout)
The Ogoshi brothers face a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years for each charge of conspiracy to sexually exploit minors. An indictment against the two brothers alleged they were involved in hundreds of similar schemes – many involving minors.
The average age of sextortion victims is between 14 and 17 years old, the FBI said in a press release earlier this year, but the agency noted that any child can become a victim. Offenders of financially motivated sextortion typically originate from African and Southeast Asian countries, according to the FBI. The FBI also saw a 20% increase in sextortion incidents involving minors between October 2022 and March 2023.
GROWING ‘SEXTORTION’ TREND TRICKS BOYS INTO SENDING EXPLICIT IMAGES THROUGH GAMING SITES, EXTORTED FOR MONEY
Sextortion can lead to suicide and self-harm. Between October 2021 and March 2023, the majority of online financial extortion victims were boys. These reports involved at least 20 suicides, the FBI said.
WATCH: John DeMay speaks about son’s sextortion
Christopher Dietzel, research associate on the iMPACTS Project at McGill University, called on Meta to do more to prevent sextortion.
“Automatically blurring nude images in direct messages is not enough, nor does it address the potential for sextortion, since perpetrators can still save, share, and use these images to abuse and exploit their victims,” Dietzel said. “Instagram and other social media companies need to put policies and measures in place that hold perpetrators accountable, address the dissemination and exploitation of non-consensual sexual images, and educate young people about potential harms.”
Melissa Henson, vice president of the Parents Television and Media Council, called on Congress to pass “online child protection legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act, the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act 2.0, the EARN IT Act, among others.”
“[T]here is simply no reason, and no excuse, for Congress not to ensure our children are better protected online,” Henson said. “Our children face an online world that is primarily designed for adults, with little to no protections for them. They are up against powerful algorithms that feed harmful content to them. They can interact with adults who may turn out to be predators and fall victim to sextortion schemes. They can access sexually explicit and graphically violent content with a click of a button. Congress must hold the tech industry accountable for protecting our children.”
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Detroit, MI
Vigil, protest held for Renee Nicole Good at Detroit’s Clark park
Vigil held in Detroit for woman fatally shot by ICE agent in Minnesota
People gather at Detroit’s Clark Park on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 to host a vigil for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
The name Renee Nicole Good bounced off the buildings of southwest Detroit as hundreds marched on the evening of Friday, Jan. 9, following Good’s fatal shooting by an immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier in the week.
A candlelight vigil was held at 6 p.m. at the city’s Clark Park in memory of Good, before attendees took off marching down Vernor Highway.
As of 7:30 p.m., the mass crowd had reached Cavalry Street, about half a mile away from the park, and turned, yelling “What do we want? Justice ” and calling for ICE’s ousting from communities.
Good, 37, was in her car when she was shot in the head on Wednesday, Jan.7, by a federal immigration officer in south Minneapolis. She leaves behind three children, ages 6, 12 and 15.
The shooting was recorded by witnesses and heightened political and community tensions over federal immigration enforcement as part of President Donald Trump’s nationwide immigration operations. The Trump administration has since said the shooting was done in self-defense, USA TODAY reports.
Protests have occurred in cities across the U.S. since Good’s death, including gatherings in Michigan, and additional demonstrations are scheduled throughout the weekend.
This is a developing story.
Milwaukee, WI
Chief marketing and communication officer named to Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 | Marquette Today
Lynn Griffith, chief marketing and communication officer, was named to the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list.
Griffith leads Marquette’s Office of Marketing and Communication, a team of 30 talented professionals who work to elevate and differentiate the Marquette brand via strategy and planning; brand management; media relations; internal communication; presidential communication; social media; issues and crisis management; advertising, digital and creative services; video; and editorial content, including the university’s flagship alumni publication, Marquette Magazine.
Under Griffith’s leadership, Marquette’s marketing and communication team has been recognized for excellence, winning multiple National Collegiate Advertising awards, Circle of Excellence Awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter Paragon Awards. In 2024, the university’s digital storytelling strategy was named a Ragan’s PR Daily award finalist. Marquette is ranked a top 55 most trusted higher education brand in the U.S. by Morning Consult and its social media is No. 5 in the country for higher education social media engagement by RivalIQ.
During her nine years at Marquette, Griffith has been tapped for multiple university initiatives, including co-chairing the university’s Crisis Management Team, co-leading the university’s Convention Steering Committee ahead of Milwaukee hosting the Republican National Convention in 2024, and serving on Mission Priority Examen and presidential inauguration planning committees.
An engaged member of the Milwaukee community, Griffith serves on the board of directors of Menomonee Valley Partners and on the marketing committee of VISIT Milwaukee. She is a member of TEMPO Milwaukee and the Arthur W. Page Society, as well as the Marquette Mentors leadership council, on which she also serves as a mentor. She recently completed the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities’ 18-month Ignatian Colleagues Program for lay leaders.
Griffith is a two-time graduate of Marquette, earning a Bachelor of Arts in public relations and writing intensive English and a Master of Business Administration.
40 Under 40 honorees were selected based on the impact they have had in their jobs, in the community and on Southeast Wisconsin overall. The Milwaukee Business Journal reviewed hundreds of nominations to curate its 34th 40 Under 40 cohort.
In addition to Griffith, seven alumni were named to the list:
- David Griggs, co-founder of One 5 Olive LLC
- Jordan Komp, senior principal and Milwaukee office director at Thornton Tomasetti Inc.
- Avery Mayne, attorney at von Briesen & Roper, s.c.
- Brian McClaren, principal of H. Knox Development Company
- Emily Tau, director of public affairs for Milwaukee County
- Jessica Shepherd, director of financial planning and analysis at Baird
- Mike Wanezek, partner at Colliers | Wisconsin
The 40 Under 40 honorees will be celebrated in a forthcoming special edition of the Milwaukee Business Journal and at an awards presentation on Wednesday, March 11, at the Baird Center.
Minneapolis, MN
Prosecutors in DOJ’s Civil Rights Division will not investigate Minneapolis ICE shooting, sources say
Prosecutors in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division were told they will not play a role in the ongoing investigation into a fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by a federal immigration officer, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Leadership in the Civil Rights Division, overseen by Harmeet Dhillon, informed staff in the division’s criminal section that there would not be an investigation, two sources said. Normally, after a high-profile incident involving a fatal shooting by an officer, attorneys from the criminal section fly out to the scene. Multiple career prosecutors offered to do so in this case, but they were told not to do so, one of the sources added.
While investigations into the excessive use of force can be pursued solely by a U.S. Attorney’s office without direct involvement from the Civil Rights Division, it is customary for the division’s federal prosecutors to take the lead on high-profile investigations like the one in Minnesota.
The decision also raises questions about how far the FBI’s investigation into the shooting will go.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.
On Thursday, the Justice Department announced that the FBI was leading the investigation into the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
Video footage shows the officer, identified in court records from a prior incident as Jonathan Ross, fired three rounds at the car as Good started to drive away.
The video also appeared to depict the officers did not take immediate steps to ensure that Good received emergency medical care after the shooting took place. A separate video from the scene showed officers stopping a man who claimed to be a doctor from moving toward Good.
The killing has sparked protests nationwide, including in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Detroit.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has argued that Ross was acting in self-defense, and claimed that Good was trying to use her car as a weapon in an act of “domestic terrorism.”
That description sparked immediate backlash from state and city officials, with the mayor of Minneapolis labeling the self-defense claims as “bulls***.”
On Friday, Trump administration officials shared another cellphone video of the incident that sources say was recorded by the ICE officer. The White House argues this video shows Ross was hit by Good’s car.
The Justice Department has stopped short of claiming Ross was acting in self-defense.
But in a statement to CBS News this week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the use of deadly force by law enforcement officials can sometimes be justified.
“Federal agents risk their lives each day to safeguard our communities. They must make decisions, under dynamic and chaotic circumstances, in less time than it took to read this sentence,” Blanche said.
“The law does not require police to gamble with their lives in the face of a serious threat of harm. Rather, they may use deadly force when they face an immediate threat of significant physical harm,” he added.
The criminal section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division specializes in investigating and prosecuting constitutional violations by law enforcement officers.
Some of the most common investigations involve excessive use of force, but can also include other things such as sexual misconduct, false arrests or deliberate indifference to serious medical needs.
One of the most famous civil rights prosecutions by the section in recent years took place in Minneapolis, after former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd in May 2020.
Chauvin pleaded guilty to willfully depriving, while acting under color of law, Floyd’s constitutional rights, as well as the rights of a 14-year-old boy.
Since President Trump took office last year, the Civil Rights Division has scaled back its work on excessive force prosecutions, according to legal experts.
Last year, it sought to downplay the conviction of a former Louisville police officer who was convicted of violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights and asked a federal judge to sentence him to serve just one day in prison.
The judge ultimately sentenced him to serve 33 months.
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