German prosecutors have charged three men with attempting to blackmail Michael Schumacher’s family.
Prosecutors said the chief suspect, a 53-year-old man from Wuppertal, had threatened to release private photos and videos of the seven-time F1 champion’s 2013 skiing accident. He had demanded €15m from Schumacher’s family.
Schumacher, 55, has not been seen in public since the mishap.
The images were evidently sourced from another 53-year-old who had worked as a security guard for the Schumacher family until 2021.
A “five-figure” sum was accepted for the photos and videos so the second suspect could face jail time on charges of being an accomplice to attempted blackmail and breach of privacy.
Prosecutors say the alleged ringleader phoned an employee of the Schumacher family several times recently to demand the money.
He allegedly threatened to leak the images if the money was not paid.
If found guilty he faces a maximum jail sentence of up to 15 years. Prosecutors believe the punishment may be less as he failed to follow through with the threat.
The man’s 30-year-old son was also charged with being an accomplice to blackmail. Apparently his father had asked him to create an untraceable email address which he used to send the victim’s family samples of the blackmail material.
The family alerted authorities in Switzerland, where Schumacher is being cared for at his family home.
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