People really just won’t leave Michael Schumacher and his family alone. The former Formula 1 driver with seven driver’s championship titles under his belt has been out of the public eye since he suffered a head injury in a skiing accident more than a decade ago. Last year, a German magazine had the gall to publish an AI-generated interview with “Schumacher,” and now ESPN reports a former security guard is set to go to trial over allegations that he and his co-conspirators tried to blackmail the Schumacher family.
German prosecutors claim that after learning that he would soon be fired, Markus Fritsche conspired with his son Daniel Lins and his friend Yilmaz Tozturkan to steal photos and videos of Schumacher and release them on the dark web if the family refused to pay them off. Lins is reportedly a computer expert while Tozturkan reportedly works as a bouncer at a nightclub. Fritsche allegedly used his access as a member of the family’s security detail to steal more than 1,500 photos and 200 videos that he smuggled out on four USB drives.
Schumacher’s family has kept details of his condition private since his accident and have avoided releasing new media, so they had good reason to not want those photos and videos released. They did not, however, pay the €15 million the three alleged blackmailers reportedly requested. At current exchange rates, that’s the equivalent of about $15.8 million.
Tozturkan reportedly first contacted the family on June 3 over the phone and then later emailed proof. He then emailed again on June 11 with more photos and the amount of money they were demanding. He didn’t do a very good job of covering his tracks, though, because Swiss authorities traced the phone call and arrested all three men on June 19. If convicted, PlanetF1 reports they likely face at least four years in jail, if not more.
