Michael Schumacher security team member accused of €15M blackmail over stolen photos and videos. Michael Schumacher's Security Guard Faces Trial for Blackmail Plot.

A former security team member for ex-Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher is accused of stealing 1,500 photos and 200 videos in a €15 million ($15.7 million) extortion scheme, according to German prosecutors.

The trial of three individuals linked to the alleged plot is set to begin this month in Wuppertal, Germany.

Schumacher, now 55, sustained a severe head injury during a skiing accident in December 2013 and has remained out of the public eye ever since. His family has maintained strict privacy about his condition.

Prosecutors claim that 53-year-old Markus Fritsche, who had a trusted position within Schumacher’s security team, took the images and videos after learning he was being dismissed earlier this year. For eight years, he was one of the few people who knew the true state of health of the seven-time world champion. But when the Schumacher family decided to dispense with his services as part of a review of their care system, Fritsche devised a criminal blackmail scheme. Allegedly, Markus Fritsche, with the help of his son Daniel Lins, 30, a computer specialist, and nightclub bouncer Yilmaz Tozturkan, 53, planned to leak the material on the dark web if the ransom wasn’t paid.

The stolen data, reportedly stored on four USB drives, was allegedly removed from Michael Schumacher’s Swiss residence. On June 3, Tozturkan is said to have called the family, revealing the existence of the stolen material and providing proof through email. Another email on June 11 reportedly contained four photos and ransom demands.

Swiss authorities traced the phone number linked to the call, leading to the arrests of all three suspects on June 19.

Unfortunately this is not the first time the Schumacher family has faced threats. In 2017, a man received a suspended 21-month sentence for attempting to extort €900,000 by threatening harm to Schumacher’s son Mick, who raced in Formula 1 with Haas in 2021 and 2022.

Earlier this year, the family was involved in legal proceedings after a German magazine falsely claimed to have conducted an exclusive interview with Michael Schumacher, which was actually generated using AI. A Munich court awarded the family €200,000 ($217,000) in damages in May.