Nightclub bouncer jailed over Michael Schumacher blackmail plot
A nightclub bouncer involved in a plot to blackmail Michael Schumacher has been sent to prison.
The mastermind behind a plot to blackmail F1 legend Michael Schumacher for £12 million has been jailed.
Yilmaz Tozturkan, a 53-year-old nightclub bouncer has been sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of conspiring with two other men to obtain private footage of the seven-time world champion.
Tozturkan’s 30-year-old son, Daniel Lins, was handed a six-month suspended sentence, while Schumacher’s former bodyguard Markus Fritsche, 53, was given a two-year suspended sentence.
Fritsche stole 1,500 photographs, 200 videos and confidential medical records from a computer and passed them on to Tozturkan, who told the Schumacher family he would “upload them on to the dark web” unless money was paid.
Tozturkan told the court: “I’m very sorry and ashamed for what I have done. It was a very disgusting thing. I take full responsibility.”
The Schumacher family lawyer, Thilo Damm, expressed concern about a hard drive containing sensitive material that is still missing.
“We do not agree with everything the court said. You can rest assured that we will exhaust all legal possibilities at our disposal,” he said.
“We don’t know where the missing hard drive is … so there is the possibility of another threat through the back door.”
Damm said the Schumacher family plan to appeal what they feel are “lenient sentences”.
Michael Schumacher now lives in private with his family, and has not been seen in public since he suffered a series head injury in a skiing accident in December 2013.
His family have kept information about his medial condition a secret.
A rare update was provided in September 2021 upon the release of a Netflix documentary about the F1 legend’s life.
Schumacher’s wife Corinna said the 91-time grand prix winner is “different, but he’s here”.
"He still shows me how strong he is every day,” said Corinna. "We're trying to carry on as a family.
"We live together at home. We do therapy.
"We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he's comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond.
"And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will. And we are getting on with our lives.”
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