They were asking for 15 million euros! Schumacher’s blackmailer confesses in court

Wuppertal—After brazenly exploiting a celebrity's stroke of luck, the trial for the attempted blackmail of former Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher (55) began on Tuesday in the Wuppertal district court. The defendants admitted some of the charges. The father-son duo, accused alongside another man, gave their statements on the first day of the trial. They both apologized to the family and admitted they'd made a mistake. All three men in the dock – the primary defendant and two possible accomplices – are said to have tried to blackmail the racing legend, who had largely withdrawn from public life after a skiing accident in 2013, and his family with private photos and videos. A 53-year-old from Wülfrath near Wuppertal, who is accused of aiding and abetting, had access to the family's image and video files as an employee of a security company. The 30-year-old and his father, also 53, are said to have tried to trick the family out of 15 million euros using copies of the recordings. It is said that the latter demanded the sum by making phone calls. If the Schumachers didn't play along, the alleged perpetrators said they'd publish the images on the darknet and sell them. The former security officer, however, told the court on Tuesday that he was not involved. His lawyers said he was only responsible for a hard drive that was later misplaced under his supervision. However, he needed to find out where it was. Michael Schumacher trial: This is what the three alleged perpetrators are looking at regarding sentencing. The blackmail attempt didn't succeed. After much work, the Swiss police were able to trace the calls and arrest the father-son duo and the ex-security employee. The police also seized the incriminating image and video material. The fact that the 53-year-old main defendant was already on probation for another offense at the time of the extortion is likely to make it more difficult for the court to hand down a sentence. On the first day of the trial, the judge read out the charges and heard from several witnesses, including two police officers who were involved in the investigation. The trial is set to resume on 23 December. As more trial days are scheduled before the verdict is announced, we will know the sentence in the new year. However, the public prosecutor's office expects a maximum prison sentence of four years. Otherwise, it would be up to the regional court.