Man charged in Tom Cruise extortion plot found dead

Authorities believe that David Hans Schmidt, a broker in celebrity photos and other items who was known as ‘The Sultan of Sleaze,’ committed suicide. Schmidt, who agreed to plead guilty in a plot to extort money from Tom Cruise, was found dead in his home.

By Rene Lynch, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
3:09 PM PDT, September 29, 2007
A celebrity photo broker facing federal prison for trying to extort more than $1 million from Tom Cruise and wife Katie Holmes has been found dead, an apparent suicide.

Schmidt had long denied claims that he came by his merchandise through unscrupulous means. But earlier this year he agreed to plead guilty to attempted extortion after federal authorities said he contacted Cruise’s representatives and threatened to release photos of Cruise and Holmes’ wedding in Italy last year unless he was paid $1.2 million to $1.3 million.

At the time of his death, Schmidt was wearing a monitoring device while under house arrest in Arizona pending sentencing. He was found dead in his townhouse about 3 p.m. Friday after police noticed that the device indicated he not moved and he had not checked in, law enforcement officials told the Associated Press.

His attorney, Nancy Kardon, told AP that she had spoken to Schmidt earlier this week and was preparing for an Oct. 11 hearing in federal court where he would formally enter his plea. She said she had planned to ask for probation.

“I was greatly saddened by his loss and I found him to be a very kind man,” Kardon said.

A second man still faces charges in connection with the Tom Cruise extortion plot. Computer expert Marc Lewis Gittleman, 33, of Los Angeles allegedly took the pictures when he worked on a computer belonging to the wedding’s authorized photographer. Gittleman reportedly made a copy of the hard drive and later brought them to Schmidt.

The Associated Press was used in compiling this report. (Source: LA Times)

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