A nightclub bouncer has been jailed for three years after attempting to blackmail Michael Schumacher’s family for €15 million.
Yilmaz Tozturkan, 53, was sentenced at Wuppertal district court on Wednesday for threatening to publish private images and video material of the Formula 1 legend.
Before the verdict was announced, Tozturkan told the court: “I’m very sorry and ashamed for what I have done. It was a very disgusting thing. I take full responsibility.”
Prosecutors revealed that more than 1,500 images, videos and confidential medical records were downloaded from a computer and given to a former bodyguard.
Michael Schumacher’s blackmailer has been sentenced to jail for three years
PA
The stolen materials were then passed to Tozturkan, who threatened to upload them to the dark web unless payment was made.
The materials were taken from a computer at Schumacher’s residence, with some being obtained through a former security employee.
Two other defendants received suspended sentences for their roles in the blackmail attempt.
Tozturkan’s son, Daniel Lins, 30, was given a six-month suspended sentence despite claiming the scheme was merely a “business deal”.
Markus Fritsche, a former security employee who had been commissioned to monitor the Schumacher estate in Switzerland, received a two-year suspended prison sentence.
The Schumacher family expressed concerns that one hard drive containing sensitive material remains missing, despite repeated searches of the defendants’ properties.
Family lawyer Thilo Damm said they would appeal what he called “lenient sentences”.
“We don’t know where the missing hard drive is, I don’t have a crystal ball but so there is the possibility of another threat through the backdoor,” Damm said.
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Michael Schumacher’s condition has been kept private after a skiing accident in 2013
PA
“We do not agree with everything the court said. You can rest assured that we will exhaust all legal possibilities at our disposal.”
Michael Schumacher suffered serious head injuries in a skiing accident in 2013, which dramatically changed his public presence.
The seven-times Formula 1 champion has not appeared in public since the incident.
The family continues to protect his privacy and does not make any statements about his state of health.