3 weeks ago
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Former bodyguard Markus Fritsche and two accomplices have been convicted of attempting to blackmail €15 million (US$15.7 million) from Michael Schumacher's family by threatening to release private photos, videos and medical records.
Markus Fritsche, 53, who worked closely with the Schumacher family at their Swiss residence for years as their bodyguard, was entrusted with digitizing family materials. Instead, he sold the data to his two accomplices for a five-figure sum.
Fritsche received a two-year suspended prison sentence and a €2,400 fine at the Wuppertal District Court in Germany on Feb. 13.
His accomplices, Yilmaz Tozturkan, 53, was sentenced to three years in prison while his son Daniel Lins, 30, was given a six-month suspended sentence. They got fined €1,200 each.
Tozturkan, a nightclub bouncer who has a criminal record, was identified as the mastermind behind the purchase of the data from Fritsche and using it to blackmail the Schumacher family, demanding €15 million.
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Michael Schumacher as a F1 racer. Photo by AFP |
Investigators said the defendants had two hard drives and four USB sticks containing private photos and videos medical records and other information about Schumacher's family.
It was revealed that the trio repeatedly called the Schumacher family demanding payment, threatening to publish the stolen information on the dark web if their demands were not met, The Guardian reported.
The Schumacher family asked the blackmailers for proof that they actually had the sensitive documents. They responded via untraceable email.
However, police traced one of the calls to a phone near Kassel, ultimately leading to the arrests.
Prosecutors said they seized approximately 900 photos, nearly 600 videos and digitized medical records from the defendants, though one hard drive remained missing.
During the trial, Tozturkan and his son expressed remorse and accepted responsibility, while Fritsche denied the charges.
Despite the verdict, the Schumacher family plans to appeal, arguing that the former bodyguard's punishment should be four years in prison instead, their lawyer said.
Michael Schumacher, who competed from 1991 to 2012, won a record seven Formula 1 titles (tied with Lewis Hamilton). He has remained out of public view since a severe skiing accident in 2013 left him with life-threatening brain injuries.
This case marks another instance of the Schumacher family being targeted for blackmail, as in 2017, a man was convicted of attempting to extort €900,000 from Schumacher's wife Corinna.
