Crime - Suspected Schumacher blackmailers possessed private photos
The two alleged extortionists of the family of the former Formula-1 World Champion Michael Schumacher have possessed private photos of the family. This was discovered through the analysis of seized data, the Wuppertal Public Prosecutor's Office announced. The discovered photo files concerned the private sphere of the Schumacher family.
Further details could not be disclosed for investigative tactical reasons at the moment. The intensive investigations were ongoing, it was stated. The two suspects, a 53-year-old man and his 30-year-old son, were arrested on June 19th at a supermarket car park in Hesse, Groß-Gerau.
Demand for payment in millions
The perpetrators had claimed over employees of the family that they possessed files, the non-disclosure of which the family might be interested in, it was said at the time from the Public Prosecutor's Office. They allegedly demanded a payment in millions - otherwise they would publish the data on the Darknet. As evidence, they had sent some files to the family.
Currently, the two men are in investigative detention. "They face a possible sentence of up to five years in prison if convicted," said Senior Public Prosecutor Wolf-Tilman Baumert at the end of June. The two are not unknown to the police: They are currently under supervision in another case.
Tip from Switzerland
In the current investigations, eight objects were searched, in addition to the main residences of the accused, the second residence and workplace of the older suspect in Konstanz, and rooms of other persons, among others in Solingen. Several data carriers were found during the search, which are now being evaluated.
The investigative proceedings were originally conducted by the Public Prosecutor's Office in Kassel. They were initiated based on a tip from the criminal investigation authorities in Switzerland. The "Bild" newspaper was the first to report on an attempted extortion of the Schumacher family.
The Formula-1 record world champion Michael Schumacher had severely injured himself in a ski accident at the end of 2013. Since then, he has not appeared publicly.
Another extortion attempt
It is not the first attempt to extort the family of the former race car driver. In 2017, the Reutlingen Magistrates' Court sentenced a 25-year-old man because he had attempted to extort Corinna Schumacher for 900,000 Euro. He had threatened that otherwise something would happen to the children.
The man was sentenced to a probation period of 21 months. The painter had given his real account number at a German bank in an email to Corinna Schumacher. This allowed the police to track him down within minutes.
- The blackmailers, responsible for the alleged crime against Michael Schumacher's family, are currently in investigative detention in Germany, Hesse.
- The public prosecutor's office in Wuppertal announced the discovery of private photos of the Schumacher family through the analysis of seized data.
- The perpetrators, a 53-year-old man and his 30-year-old son, were arrested in June at a supermarket car park in Groß-Gerau, based on a tip from the criminal investigation authorities in Switzerland.
- The deadline for payment in millions was set by the extortionists, threatening to publish the data on the Darknet if their demand was not met.
- The current formula one world champion, Michael Schumacher, sustained severe injuries in a ski accident at the end of 2013, and has been out of public eye since then.
- In another extortion attempt in 2017, a man was sentenced by the Reutlingen Magistrates' Court for attempting to extort Corinna Schumacher for 900,000 Euro, threatening her children.
- The police in Germany were able to track down the extortionist in 2017 using his real bank account number, providing them with a quick lead to arrest the offender.
