A plot to blackmail Michael Schumacher’s family for millions of euros has led to the arrest of two men.
According to a report from German publication Bild, two men from Wuppertal, Germany have reportedly been arrested for attempting to make millions of euros by blackmailing the family F1 legend Michael Schumacher.
Exact details on the alleged blackmail attempt have not yet been made public but a spokesperson for the public prosecutor’s office confirmed that arrests had been made.
“We are investigating a case of blackmail to the detriment of a celebrity and have executed arrest warrants in this case,” Wolf-Tilman Baumert, a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office, told the newspaper.
“We cannot provide any further information at this time.”
Since the end of 2013, the seven-time Formula 1 champion has not been seen in public after suffering a severe brain injury. The incident happened after Schumacher slid while skiing off-piste while vacationing with his family in France and according to the medical staff that operated on him, the impact was ‘very violent.’
Since then, details of his medical condition have been kept under wraps, and his wife Corinna has strongly protected him. However, the growing demand for information about the F1 legend has resulted in several attempts to take advantage of the family.
The Schumacher family was granted £170,239 in compensation earlier this year by a German court after successfully suing a magazine over a fictitious “interview” they published—and featured on the front page—as being the first after his accident.
The magazine produced AI-generated statements claiming Schumacher could stand by himself and even slowly walk a few steps and his family was very sad about the incident. The Schumacher family was angered by the fabricated report and promptly filed a legal action despite the magazine clarifying in its copy that the statements were fake.
Publisher Funke Mediengruppe offered apologies to the family and fired editor-in-chief Ann Hoffman. Despite the move, the magazine group was forced to pay damages by the Munich labour court, which ruled in the Schumachers’ favour.
In 2017, a blackmailer was jailed for threatening to kill Schumacher’s children in the event that the family declined to pay a ransom of €900,000. Since he had supplied his own bank details when demanding the money, he was easily apprehended by police.
Schumacher raced in F1 between 1991 and 2012, winning his final world championship title with Ferrari in 2004. His son Mick Schumacher spent two years in F1 and is now a reserve driver for Mercedes, as well as racing for Alpine in the World Endurance Championship.
Racetrackmasters continues to wish Michael Schumacher a quick recovery.
