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."...
- 10/1/2007
- WENN
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.
- 8/31/2007
- WENN
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.
- 7/27/2007
- WENN
Kevin Federline has lashed out at reports he is trying to sell a sex tape he allegedly made with his estranged wife Britney Spears, insisting "there is no sex tape." Celebrity porn merchant David Hans Schmidt has already offered $100 million to a man claiming to have a digital copy of a sex tape featuring shocking footage from the couple's honeymoon. But Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan says, "There is not a sex video of Kevin and Britney in existence. It goes without saying that the stories of Kevin attempting to sell such a video are patently false and anyone who reports that they have information of such attempts is either lying or reporting the lie of someone else. It would be impossible to comment upon and correct all of the other misinformation about Kevin that appears on a daily basis and consequently no attempt has been made, or will be made, to do so. I hope that the public and media will keep this in mind before assuming accuracy of facts from Kevin's silence." A 19-second clip alleged to be taken from the videotape was recently leaked online, and featured a brunette woman performing a sex act. Spears, 24, filed for divorce from Federline, 28, on November 7, after two years of marriage. Federline is seeking spousal support and custody of the couple's two children - Sean Preston, 14 months, and Jayden James, two months.
- 11/22/2006
- WENN
Desperate Housewives actress Marcia Cross is battling to keep naked pictures of her from being published. Two hundred sexy snaps were reportedly discovered by a catering company hired to removed rubbish from redhead Cross' home in Los Angeles. The firm's owner is being represented by agent David Hans Schmidt, who plans to sell the pictures. Schmidt tells the New York Daily News, "There are some pictures of her showering outside. She looks absolutely gorgeous. And yes, the carpet does match the curtains." But 44-year-old Cross' legal team claim the photos were thrown away by mistake and insist they still belong to her and husband Tom Mahoney. She is demanding their return. But Schmidt is confident he has the law behind him and hints he plans to sell them abroad: "The pictures were not stolen. When you throw something away, you forfeit that property. We recognize the copyright issue, but US copyright law stops at the border." But he has given Cross the opportunity to buy the photos back, claiming he knows how wealthy she is after discovering her tax return in the trash as well. Schmidt adds, "I'm not looking to mortify Ms. Cross. I just want the most money for my client. I know how much she made, but out of respect for Ms. Cross, I won't discuss it."...
- 10/31/2006
- WENN
Former teen TV star Dustin Diamond is reportedly the star of a candid new sex tape in which he romps with two women. The 29-year-old, who played geek Screech Powers in Saved By The Bell, engages in a number of sexual acts with the women in the 40-minute tape. Agent David Hans Schmidt has acquired the rights and is currently seeking a distributor for Saved By The Smell. Schmidt tells the New York Daily News, "Just when you think you have seen everything in this business, mankind has raised the bar another notch. Or lowered it." Diamond's manager Roger Paul hopes the tape will raise his client's profile and help resurrect the acting career that collapsed when Saved By The Bell ended in 1997. He says, "I haven't seen the tape. I've heard rumors. Dustin has been trying to escape the Screech typecast. So this may help me get more bookings." Diamond will welcome any royalties he gets from the tape - in June he launched a campaign to save his home from foreclosure, by selling autographed T-shirts on the internet.
- 9/28/2006
- WENN
Colin Farrell and his ex-lover Nicol Narain have secretly spoken about their sex tape which has become the subject of a scandalous lawsuit - because the Playboy Playmate wanted the actor to know she never leaked it. Sexy Narain is appalled by press reports connecting her to the leak, which she filmed with Farrell's permission when they were a couple, but she wanted to speak to the Irishman before firing back. Now she insists that, like Farrell, she has no idea how the 15-minute tape got into the wrong hands and she's joining forces with her ex to keep it from going public. She says, "I don't want it out there any more than Colin does. It was something that was made privately between me and him and it's just unfortunate that the situation is the way it is right now. We're both in the same boat... It's very unexpected. We both feel the same way - neither one of us want it out there." Farrell has slapped a restraining order on sex tape broker David Hans Schmidt, who plans to release the saucy film as a DVD.
- 7/26/2005
- WENN
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