Tom Cruise Extortionist Found Dead
September 30th 2007 01:07
A man who tried to extort $US1.2 million from Tom Cruise has been found dead in his home.
David Hans Schmidt, 47,also known as The Sultan of Sleaze, was under house arrest and due to face the fedreal court on October 11. It is believed he would plead guilty in a plot to extort money from Tom Cruise for the stolen wedding photos to Katie Holmes in Italy last Novemer.
Starting in May, Schmidt had repeated contact with Cruise representatives and threatened to release the photos if he did not receive between $US1.2 million and $US1.3 million ($A1.37 million and $A1.48 million), authorities said.
Schmidt had been free on $US100,000 ($A114,000) bond. He also faced a $US250,000 ($A285,000) fine under a plea agreement filed on August 24 in Los Angeles.
Schmidt had made a reputation for himself in Hollywood for trying to broker deals involving celebrities in compromising situations. Earlier this year he tried to auction off Paris Hilton's diaries and other possessions that were locked away in a LA storage locker. Other celebrity victims include Colin Farrell (sex tape), Tonya Harding (wedding night sex video), Dustin Diamond (Screech - Sex video) and Jessica Lynch, rescued US Army prisoner in Iraq (nude pics).
Investigators are ruling the death as suicide.
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