Prosecutors in Germany released more details this week about the three arrests they made earlier this year in connection with a blackmail attempt of Michael Schumacher, a Formula 1 legend, as well as his family.
The updates come as the three men have been formally charged.
The Guardian reported that the primary suspect in the case is a 53-year-old man who’s been accused of issuing threats that he’d release “deeply private” videos of photos of Schumacher. The man said the content in question was from both before and after a life-changing accident that occurred in 2013.
The man allegedly demanded that Schumacher pay him a €15 million ransom to not release the content, saying that if he didn’t receive the money, he’d release the videos and photos on the dark web.
The man never followed through on his promise to release that content, but attempted blackmail is still a serious crime, which could result in the man spending 15 years behind bars if he’s convicted.
Another man who is involved in the incident is a man who until 2021 served as a security guard for the family. He’s the person who is believed to have stolen the videos and photos from Schumacher, and then selling them for a “five-figure” sum, police said.
If he’s convicted on the charges against him, he could spend a significant amount of time in prison as an accomplice to attempted blackmail as well as breaching the privacy of the Schumacher family.
The third person involved is a 30-year-old man who’s the son of the main suspect. He allegedly created an untraceable email address that was used to send some samples of the content the man had to the Schumacher family, which in essence facilitated the attempted blackmail.
The son is facing charges of being an accomplice to the blackmail.
Authorities say that the incident started in June of 2023. At that time, the main suspect in the case made multiple calls to an employee of the Schumacher family to demand the ransom.
The family was alarmed by the threats and contacted Swiss authorities immediately. They were able to trace that phone number to Germany.
German authorities then got involved, and they were able to ultimately identify the three men who were involved in the attempted blackmail.
Schumacher has stayed out of the public eye since being involved in a major accident back in 2013. His family has had a strong desire to allow Schumacher to maintain his privacy as he recovers.
The family has only given updates every once in a while on his health.
One of the most recent public updates came from Jean Todt, one of Schumacher’s close friends who was also a former boss of the Ferrari team.
The Independent quoted Todt as saying:
“Michael is here, so I don’t miss him. [But he] is simply not the Michael he used to be. He is different and is wonderfully guided by his wife and children who protect him.
“His life is different now, and I have the privilege of sharing moments with him. That’s all there is to say. Unfortunately, fate struck him 10 years ago. He is no longer the Michael we knew in Formula 1”