FBI Busts Alleged Tom Cruise Extortionist

The Sultan of Sleaze has messed with the wrong superstar.

David Hans Schmidt, who earned his dubious reputation trafficking X-rated footage of Paris Hilton, Colin Farrell and Dustin “Screech” Diamond, among many others, has been arrested for allegedly attempting to extort arguably the biggest star of all: Tom Cruise.

According to Cruise’s lawyer, Bert Fields, the 47-year-old porn peddler was nabbed by FBI agents in Los Angeles Tuesday, after reportedly trying to sell back photos of Cruise’s November 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes. Schmidt allegedly demanded upwards of $1 million for the snaps, which purportedly had been stolen from Cruise’s private collection.

Cruise and Holmes had no official comment. The actor is currently in Germany shooting the WWII-era film Valkyrie.

When E! News contacted Schmidt’s office for comment, one of his assistants said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” before hanging up.

Despite Schmidt’s penchant for more salacious celeb material, the photos do not appear to be anything more than photos of the just-married coupled. It is not known when or from where the pictures were stolen.

Per Fields, Schmidt first approached the actor’s camp earlier this year, announcing he had the photos and wanted to make a deal. Fields said Cruise immediately turned to federal authorities.

Both the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles confirmed David Hans Schmidt was arrested and then arraigned on Wednesday. However, the criminal complaint is under seal, and the government is prohibited from giving out further information.

According to The Smoking Gun, which first reported the alleged extortion plot, once Cruise’s camp informed the feds, private investigators were called in to work undercover to collar Schmidt.

The sting apparently worked. Schmidt, who is based in Phoenix, disclosed to the sleuthing Website last week that he was in the midst of the biggest deal of his career and was rushing to Los Angeles for business.

Over the past several years, Schmidt has become wealthy acquiring and distributing sex tapes of the rich and famous. In the wake of Britney Spears’ split from Kevin Federline, Schmidt offered $100 million to anyone who could produce a sex tape of the couple. No such tape ever surfaced.

The self-professed “CAA of Smarm” was behind last year’s sale of a storage warehouse full of Paris Hilton’s personal belongings, the bulk of which found a home online. He also represented a catering company late last year that claimed to have found more than 200 topless photos of Marcia Cross in a trash can outside the actress’ home. (E! Online)

Entertainment Online adds:
[Tom's attorney Bert] Fields tells ET: “Tom Cruise is in Germany making a film so he is not actively involved in this situation at all. We were approached by Mr. Schmidt approximately a month and a half ago regarding some stolen wedding photos that he wanted to sell to Mr. Cruise for a very large price. We immediately contacted the FBI and after that the FBI and US Attorney’s office has handled the situation. We have cooperated with them and followed their direction.”

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