A security guard for the family of seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher is on trial for allegedly attempting to extort money from the family after learning that he was going to be fired, ESPN reports.
According to prosecutors, Markus Fritsche used his position to allegedly steal 1,500 photographs and 200 videos from the family home in Switzerland. Fritsche allegedly absconded with four USB thumb drives containing the stolen media and, with help from his son (Daniel Lins, a computer expert) and a friend (nightclub bouncer Yilmaz Tozturkan), attempted to ransom the material back to the family in exchange for 15 million euro ($15.7 million). If the family refused to cooperate, Fritsche and his partners planned to dump the images on the dark web, prosecutors said.
After the family reported the incident to authorities, the would-be blackmailers were identified when the phone number used to call the family was traced back to one of the suspects.
The Guardian reports that the stolen media included photos of Schumacher after the near-fatal 2013 skiing accident from which the driver has not fully recovered. His family has remained steadfastly private about his condition; his wife, Corinna, agreed to her first public interview following the accident just five years ago.
Schumacher was injured in the waning days of December 2013, while skiing with his son Mick in the French Alps. He fell and suffered a head injury that might have otherwise been fatal had he not been wearing a helmet, but even after two surgeries, doctors were forced to keep him in a medically induced coma for several months. He has not made any public appearances since the accident and his family has chosen to keep his recovery private.
Schumacher, now 55, won the F1 World Championship in 1994 and 1995 with Benetton, then went on to win five more times consecutively from 2000-2004, during his tenure with Ferrari. He “retired” after the 2006 season but returned in 2010 before retiring for good in 2012. One of his most celebrated race cars, the F2002, was just put up for sale as part of Bernie Ecclestone’s massive car collection.
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