Judgment day looms in F1 legend Schumacher blackmail case
German Formula One racing driver Michael Schumacher, Prague, Czechia, June 28, 2012. (Shutterstock Photo)


The trial of three men accused of attempting to extort the family of former Formula One driver Michael Schumacher is set to conclude Wednesday with a verdict.

Two of the defendants – a father and son – have already confessed before the Wuppertal District Court in western Germany.

The third, a former security employee of the Schumachers, has remained silent. He is accused of passing on the material to the main defendant and his son.

Michael Schumacher, a record seven-time Formula One world champion, has been shielded from the public eye by his family since a skiing accident in 2013 left him with a serious head injury.

The Schumacher family was blackmailed with the threat of the publication of private photographs and videos unless they paid 15 million euros ($15.5 million).

According to the public prosecutor's office, 900 pictures, nearly 600 videos and Schumacher's digitized medical records were seized.