Source: REUTERS/Susana Vera
[Saba Sports News] German authorities announced on Tuesday the arrest of a father and son on suspicion of blackmailing the family of former Formula One driver Michael Schumacher. Prosecutors in Wuppertal, a city in western Germany, stated that the suspects contacted representatives of the Schumacher family, claiming to possess documents the family wished to keep private. The perpetrators demanded millions of dollars from the Schumacher family, threatening to publish the documents online if their demands were not met. To prove their access to sensitive documents, the suspects shared “personal documents” with the family. It is worth noting that the seven-time F1 world champion has not been seen in public since suffering severe brain damage in a skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013. Swiss authorities informed German investigators about the case, stating that Schumacher has been receiving care at his home in Switzerland since the accident. German authorities tracked down the suspected blackmailers using technical measures and apprehended them on June 19 in a supermarket parking lot in Grossgerau, located south of Frankfurt. The two men had been previously arrested for another case and are currently on probation. German authorities conducted searches at eight locations, including the suspect’s primary residence, and seized several data storage devices. If convicted, the suspect could face up to five years in prison.