A German man has been charged with attempting to extort $100,000 dollars from supermodel Cindy Crawford and her husband Rande Gerber over a photo showing the couple's daughter gagged and bound to a chair, federal prosecutors said.
The US Attorney's Office in Los Angeles said 26-year-old Edis Kayalar - who was recently deported to Germany - threatened to distribute the photograph to the media unless Crawford and her husband gave him the money.
According to court documents, the photo was apparently taken by the couple's former nanny and shows the girl, who was seven at the time the photo was taken, tied to a chair wearing shorts and a T-shirt. The girl told her parents, who were unaware of the photo, that the nanny had taken the picture as part of a "cops and robbers" game, according to an affidavit filed in the case.
Officials say Kayalar, who is a friend of the nanny, took possession of the photo and threatened to release it unless Crawford and Gerber met his demands, however Kayalar initially said he wanted to return the photo because he was a "good person" and didn't want to see it land in the tabloids.
Gerber later met with Kayalar at a bar, where Kayalar showed him a copy of the photo and said he also took a handwritten note from the nanny's apartment that read, "The baby sitter went crazy and tied everyone up and they need your help! Please."
The nanny said she had taken the photo as a prank and was going to post the photo and the note on the front door of the family's house, according to the affidavit. The nanny never went through with the joke and has since been fired.
Gerber eventually got the photo from Kayalar and paid him $1,000 in cash "for his trouble," the affidavit said, but Kayalar is accused of demanding more money while saying he had another copy of the photo.
Authorities say Crawford and her husband reported the extortion attempt, which soon triggered the FBI investigation.
Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the US Attorney's Office, said US prosecutors were "in contact with German authorities concerning the matter."
Crawford and Gerber have been married since 1998 and have two children.