Last week, a nightclub bouncer who attempted to blackmail the Schumacher family to the tune of AUD $25 million (€15 million) was sentenced to three years in jail.
Another two people were handed suspended sentences, including a former member of the family’s security detail, Markus Fritsche.
“We do not share all of the court’s statements, in particular that Mr F. is only accused of aiding and abetting and not of complicity,” said Thilo Damm, lawyer for the Schumacher family following the sentencing.
“You can assume that we will exhaust all legal remedies available to us.”
Fritsche and his son were handed suspended six-month sentences, which Schumacher’s wife Corinna has labelled “too lenient”.
“We have appealed against what we consider to be the far too lenient sentence for Mr F,” Corinna Schumacher announced in a statement.
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“In my opinion, he was the mastermind behind this.
“What still shocks me most is the massive breach of trust.
“He should receive a punishment that deters any potential copycats.”
As a member of the Schumacher family’s security team, Fritsche was able to gain access to confidential medical records.
That included hundreds of documents and photographs which he copied onto a USB drive.
It was those documents that were then used in the attempted extortion, with Fritsche engaging his son and Yilmaz Tozturkan in the plot.
Tozturkan received a three-year prison sentence after being found to have contacted the Schumacher family threatening to release the documents on the dark web should the AUD $25 million not be paid.
“It’s a very, very disgusting thing that I did,” Tozturkan admitted during court proceedings, during which he entered a guilty plea.
“I realised that on the second day in prison. I will answer for it.
“I am very sorry and ashamed. I will take responsibility for what I have done.”
While police efforts have managed to retrieve most documents stolen, some remain missing.
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