Nightclub bouncer behind £12m plot to reveal Formula One star Michael Schumacher's health secrets jailed
12 February 2025, 20:03
A nightclub bouncer has been sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of attempting to blackmail Formula One star Michael Schumacher out of £12million.
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Three men - including the former world champion's ex bodyguard Markus Fritsche, 53 - were arrested in Germany over the summer over allegations they demanded €15 million from the racing star's family in exchange for not releasing personal photos and videos.
The racing legend, 55, has not been seen in public since his near-fatal skiing accident in France in 2013, which left the star in a six month induced coma following a severe bleed on the brain.
A 53-year-old bouncer, Yilmaz Tozturkan, was arrested alongside his 30-year-old son Daniel Lins in June, and a month later Fritsche, also 53, was arrested too.
Tozturkan and Lins, both denied charges of blackmail, claiming they were offering the Schumacher family a "business deal."
During the trial in Germany, it was revealed over 1,500 images, videos, and confidential medical records had been downloaded from a computer and handed to Fritsche, who then passed them on to Tozturkan.
Tozturkan reportedly threatened to "upload them to the dark web" unless payment was made.
Prosecutors recommended a three-year sentence for Tozturkan, who is already behind bars for an unrelated crime.
The Schumacher family had been seeking a five-year sentence and viewed his actions as a profound betrayal.
Lins received a six-month suspended sentence, while Fritsche was given a two-year suspended sentence.
The Schumacher family also voiced concerns that one hard drive containing sensitive material remained unaccounted for, despite multiple searches of the defendants' properties.
Additionally, a nurse who had been dismissed by the family is suspected of being involved in the case but did not appear to testify, citing illness as the reason for her absence.
The scheme is said to have taken place after the bodyguard was fired after helping look after Schumacher for eight years.
He is then accused of recruiting the other two and hatching the plot to release the images onto the dark web.
The security guard is said to have put the images onto memory sticks when he knew he was going to be let go.
The plot was effectively foiled after authorities in Switzerland contacted German police to inform them that the Schumacher family was being blackmailed.
After an investigation, authorities were able to track down Fritsche and his alleged accomplices.
Schumacher's family have kept the driver's condition private about the star's condition since the accident.
However, a host of attempts have been made by outsiders to glean information on the star's condition.
Following the accident one journalist was seen to dress up as a priest in an attempt to access the star's hospital room.
Read more: Michael Schumacher’s family awarded six-figure sum in damages after court battle over fake interview
Schumacher has been cared for by medical professionals at the family home in Switzerland since the accident.
It comes after Michael Schumacher’s family were awarded a six-figure sum in damages earlier this year after a fake interview was published by a German women’s magazine last year.
In April last year, Die Aktuelle published a fake interview with the F1 legend, who has not been seen since he suffered life-threatening injuries in the French Alps in 2013.
The magazine presented the 'interview' as Schumacher’s first since his skiing accident.
