Schumacher Family โIncreases Caution with Employees Following โblackmail Attempt
Wuppertal,Germany โ – Theโ family ofโ Formula 1 โคlegend Michael Schumacherโค has become โmore guarded in itsโ interactions with employees following a blackmail attempt involving โฃprivate photos and videos,his manager โSabine Kehmโข testified at โthe Wuppertal district โcourt.The incident, stemming from the family’s efforts to protect โSchumacher’s privacy since his severe skiing accident inโฃ 2013, โhas โledโฃ to a noticeable shift in how the family approaches relationships with those who work for them.
Kehm stated the breach of trustโฃ has resulted in the family maintaining a greater distance and exercising increased caution. “The breach of trust has led the โขfamily to be more distant from the people โwho work for them and to โbe more cautious,” sheโฃ told theโค court during the appeal process.
The blackmailers โขattempted to extort 15 โmillion โeuros from theโฃ family,โฃ threatening to publish theโฃ images on the darknet.Schumacher has remained largely out of the public eye since suffering a serious headโฃ injury in the 2013 skiing accident.
“I personally find it extremelyโ perfidious that people want to โexploit the sufferingโค in such a way, so it’s clear that the family is being tougher onโ their people,” โฃKehmโ added. She noted that Corinna Schumacher, Michael’sโค wife, views the situation “with bitterness,” and expressed concern over renewed media โpresence around theโข family’s property. “This makes you aโฃ bit unfree.”
Inโ february, the โขWuppertal district court sentenced the primary defendant, a repeat โoffender, to three years in prison for attempted extortion. A former family security employeeโ received a two-year prison โsentence andโข a โฃfine of 2,400โ euros โfor โaiding and abetting. Both verdicts were appealed. The appeal of the sentence for the main defendant’s son, who received six months probationโ for aiding and abetting, has been finalized. Further hearings โare โscheduled through early December.
Source: ntv.de, uzh/dpa
