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A former security guard for Michael Schumacher is on trial for allegedly trying to blackmail the 7-time Formula One champion’s family. He allegedly stole 1,500 photographs and 200 videos from the family, including photos of Schumacher after his near-fatal skiing accident in 2013.
Markus Fritsche, 53, and two other suspects, stand accused of a $15.7 million blackmail plot. Fritsche, according to German prosecutors, allegedly used his position on Schumacher’s security team to steal the photos and videos using four USB drives after he learned that he was going to be fired. The stolen materials were reportedly taken from Schumacher’s home in Switzerland.
Fritsche, along with the other two men, his son Daniel Lins, 30, and a friend, nightclub bouncer Yilmaz Tozturkan, 53, ESPN reports, threatened to release the photos and videos onto the dark web if the blackmail was not paid.
A telephone call from Tozturkan on June 3 allegedly alerted the family to the stolen material, with proof then sent to the family via email. Another email followed on June 11 allegedly including four images and the ransom demands.
Swiss authorities were able to trace the caller’s number, leading to three arrests being made on June 19.
The Guardian reported in September that the stolen items “allegedly included images of the seven-time Formula One champion before and after the 2013 skiing accident in the French Alps that left him with a serious brain injury.”
Markus Fritsche, the chief suspect in the case, now faces a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Michael Schumacher’s wife, Corinna, has kept the F1 legend’s health shrouded in secrecy since he suffered a brain injury in the skiing accident in which he was not wearing a helmet. No one outside of a very small group of people including close family members and his medical personnel, has been allowed to visit with him in person and he hasn’t been seen in public since his accident. In October, there were unconfirmed reports that he did attend his daughter’s wedding.