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2007 | 2006 | 2005

4 items from 2007

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Cruise Extortionist Tried To Kill Himself Before

1 October 2007 | WENN | See recent WENN news »

The man who tried to extort $1 million from Tom Cruise and his wife Katie Holmes over stolen wedding photographs tried to commit suicide at least two weeks before he actually killed himself. David Hans Schmidt was found dead at his home in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday. He was due to be sentenced on October 11 after pleading guilty in August to transmitting threatening communications with the intent to extort. Daily News journalist George Rush has now revealed that Schmidt called him two weeks ago and admitted he'd tried to kill himself. Schmidt told Rush: "I did something really stupid. I put a belt around my neck in the shower. Fortunately, it didn't work." Rush adds, "He was phoning me every other day. I said, 'You've got to get yourself on some medication.' He said he was on some, but it just didn't work for very long." »

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Man Pleads Guilty To Trying To Extort Money From Tom Cruise

31 August 2007 | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

A man who claimed to have 7,600 stolen photographs taken at Tom Cruise's wedding to Katie Holmes in Italy last year and who had offered to sell them to the actor for $1.2-1.3 billion to keep them out of the press, has agreed to plead guilty to extortion, the Associated Press reported, citing court documents unsealed on Thursday. Under the plea agreement, the man, David Hans Schmidt, could be sentenced to two years in prison and fined $250,000. »

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Cruise Wins Extortion Case

31 August 2007 | WENN | See recent WENN news »

The man who demanded $1 million from Tom Cruise over stolen wedding photographs has pleaded guilty to transmitting threatening communications with the intent to extort. David Hans Schmidt was arrested in July after approaching Cruise's aides and asking for $1 million in return for photos he'd acquired from the movie star's 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes. In court papers, Cruise's lawyers report Schmidt, who has been dubbed the 'Sultan Of Sleaze' for peddling sex tapes of Paris Hilton and Colin Farrell, told the actor's representatives that "it would not look good for anyone if the photographs become public." But now Schmidt has agreed to enter a plea agreement in a bid to keep jail time to a minimum. When sentenced, he faces up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a substantial monetary fine. »

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Man Arrested Over Stolen Cruise Photos

27 July 2007 | WENN | See recent WENN news »

A man has been arrested for allegedly attempting to sell stolen photographs of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' wedding. Cruise's lawyer Bertram Fields claims Arizona native David Hans Schmidt, 47, approached the actor's representatives in June demanding more than $1 million for the pictures of the couple's 2006 wedding in Italy. The FBI was contacted and Schmidt - known for arranging deals for celebrity photographs - was arrested by agents on Tuesday. He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. Schmidt is currently trying to sell Paris Hilton's diaries, as well as photographs of her and personal items that were left abandoned in an LA storage lock-up. »

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2007 | 2006 | 2005

4 items from 2007

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