2024-09-25 19:36:06
The German prosecutor’s office has accused three men of trying to blackmail the family of the seven-time world champion in Formula 1 Michael Schumacher, DPA reports.
Schumacher was seriously injured in a skiing accident in late 2013 and has not been seen in public since. Since then, his relatives have been keeping a secret about his condition, BTA reports.
A former family security officer is suspected of making the recordings, while another man and his son are accused of complicity in the crime, according to prosecutors in the western German city of Wuppertal.
Authorities say the alleged perpetrators called Schumacher’s relatives several times demanding 15 million euros. They allegedly threatened to publish personal details on the internet if the money was not paid.
The material used in the crime was reportedly obtained from a man who in the past worked as a security guard for the Schumacher family and was also in charge of digitizing personal photographs.
During the man’s arrest, authorities seized a large amount of other potential evidence such as hard drives, USB sticks and cell phones.
German police launched an investigation into the case after receiving a tip from the Swiss authorities. According to investigators, the suspects operated from Wuppertal.
The case is not the first in which the Schumacher family has been subject to blackmail. In 2017, a 25-year-old man was convicted of trying to blackmail Schumacher’s wife Corina for 900 thousand euros. He was then given a suspended sentence of 21 months imprisonment.