EXCLUSIVE DETAILS: Cindy Crawford Target of Extortion Scheme
Nov. 12 2009, Published 9:55 a.m. ET
Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber recently got disturbing news regarding a plot involving their then seven-year old daughter.
Read The Official Documents Here
In documents filed on Thursday by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office in the U.S. District Court, the couple is revealed to be the targets of a extortion scheme.
Edis Kayalar, an acquaintance of the couple's former nanny, apparently threatened to sell a photo of the couple's daughter. In the photo, the young girl is bound to a chair in revealing clothing and also gagged.
EXCLUSIVE: George Clooney and Cindy Crawford’s Double Date
On July 13 around 7 p.m., the couple received a phone call from Kayalar (who initially identified himself as “Brian”) during which he claimed to have stolen the picture from their former nanny and wanted to return it because it “bothered” him and it “just wasn’t right.”
A few hours later, he called back asking Gerber to meet him at a bar and also mentioned he was “broke” and would like monetary compensation as a reward for returning the photo.
Crawford's spokeswoman Annett Wolf issued a statement saying Crawford had no knowledge of the photo and that the photo was taken as part of a game. According to the documents, the nanny- who had been fired a week before Kayalar’s phone call- said the photo was taken as a prank. She was going to put it on the family’s front door as a joke but decided against it in the end.
“The victims have since learned from their daughter that the nanny took the photograph as a part of a purported ‘cops and robbers’ game,” the court papers stated.
Gerber eventually gave Kayalar $1,000 in cash for the image but Kayalar continued to ask for more money for copies he made of the photo. He later asked for as much as $100,000 (later upped to 100,000 euros) as a payoff for not releasing the photo to the media.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Kayalar “has not been arrested” and authorities believe he is in Germany. On September 16th he was arrested for an immagration violation and shortley deported back to Germany.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
“Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford intend to pursue any and all available legal action against anyone who aids the perpetrator in the distribution or sale of the photograph of their daughter.”
