Three men are facing trial in Germany today for allegedly extorting the family of former Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher. The indictment claims one of the men took unauthorized photos of the family, which has been trying to keep Schumacher out of the public eye.
The other two men allegedly demanded €15 million, threatening to release the photos on the dark web. Schumacher suffered a severe brain injury in a skiing accident at the end of 2013 and has not appeared publicly since.
The last official update on his condition was ten years ago. Criminals and tabloid media occasionally exploit the lack of information on the still-popular sports figure.
In 2017, a man was sentenced to 21 months in prison for extorting Schumacher’s wife, and several media outlets faced legal action for allegedly publishing false information. The case in Wuppertal is attracting significant media attention, including inquiries from Japan.
It remains to be seen if new details about Schumacher’s condition will emerge during the trial. The process also addresses whether Schumacher’s privacy was breached.
The accused include a former security guard at Schumacher’s Swiss home, a friend, and the friend’s son. The former security guard allegedly copied files before his employment ended and sold them to his friend for tens of thousands of euros.
The friend then reportedly contacted Schumacher’s representatives, as detailed in the indictment reported by German media. His son created a special email address to send untraceable messages, but Swiss and German police eventually identified the suspects, leading to their arrest in June.
Another hearing day is scheduled after today, with the verdict expected in January.
Source: NOS