Probation given in Cruise extortion
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A man who tried to extort $1.3 million from Tom Cruise in exchange for stolen wedding photographs of the actor and Katie Holmes was sentenced to two years’ probation Thursday.
Marc Lewis Gittleman, 34, also was fined $3,000. He pleaded guilty Sept. 21 to interstate transportation of stolen property. Gittleman, a computer technician, apologized in court.
Court documents show Gittleman obtained thousands of photos from a damaged hard drive that was brought to his workplace by a photographer.
He then contacted David Hans Schmidt, 47, who was known for peddling nude photos and sex tapes of celebrities, and e-mailed Cruise demanding $1.3 million to keep the pictures private.
Cruise’s representatives called authorities, who set up a sting operation to catch Gittleman and Schmidt.
Schmidt pleaded guilty to transmitting threatening communications with intent to extort. He hanged himself in September.
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