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Celebrity News
Arrest Made in Tom Cruise Extortion Plot
Thursday July 26, 2007

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in their official wedding portrait in Lake Braccino, Italy on November 18, 2006.
Reuters

Don't mess with TomKat!

An Arizona man known as the "Sultan of Sleaze" was arrested Tuesday for attempting to extort money from Tom Cruise and is now in federal custody.

The Smoking Gun reports that 47-year-old David Hans Schmidt allegedly sought $1 million from Cruise in exchange for the return of stolen private photos of his wedding to Katie Holmes in November 2006.

According to TSG, Schmidt, who is known for distributing celebrity sex tapes, was arraigned on July 25 for the felony charge, with his bail set at $100,000. Schmidt had contacted Cruise's reps earlier in the year to broker a deal for the actor's wedding photos, prompting them to call the FBI and the United States Attorney's Office immediately. Schmidt's Wednesday arrest comes after a federal investigation into the matter.

Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office, told TSG that because the criminal complaint remains sealed, "I cannot comment about the case."

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