In a high-profile court case in Germany, three men have been convicted for a scheme to blackmail the family of Michael Schumacher, the former Formula 1 champion who has not made a public appearance since suffering severe brain injuries in a ski accident in 2013. Yilmaz T, 53, was sentenced to three years in prison after threatening to release 900 personal photos, nearly 600 videos, and confidential medical records on the dark web unless the Schumacher family paid €15 million (£12 million). His 30-year-old son received a six-month suspended sentence for his role in the extortion, while a former security guard at the Schumacher residence got a two-year suspended sentence after denying involvement.
The blackmail plot began when Yilmaz T confessed to having received sensitive files from Markus F, the former security guard, in exchange for a substantial sum. According to evidence presented during the trial, the father and son had sent threatening emails to the Schumacher family, indicating they would leak the sensitive content. However, Yilmaz later attempted to present a “clean deal” instead of continuing the threats, claiming he was acting as a broker for the return of the stolen items.
The Schumacher family, upon discovering the threats, alerted authorities in Switzerland, leading to the arrests of the trio in June 2024. Following the verdicts, Thilo Damm, the lawyer representing the Schumacher family, criticized the leniency of the sentences and confirmed plans to appeal. He expressed concerns about a missing hard drive containing sensitive information that could pose future risks, underscoring the case as a deep betrayal of trust.
