David Hans Schmidt
Encyclopedia
David Hans Schmidt was a broker in celebrity photos and other celebrity related items. His specialization in acquiring celebrity sex videos and nude photos earned him the nickname "The Sultan of Sleaze," a moniker he was proud to have. In addition to celebrity videos/photos, he marketed other celebrity goods, such as the diaries of Paris Hilton
, the nude images of Amber Frey, the mistress of convicted murderer Scott Peterson.
Schmidt, born in Rochester
, Minnesota
, launched his career by brokering a deal between Playboy and reputed Bill Clinton
mistress Gennifer Flowers
.
and tried to extort him, threatened to release photos of Cruise and Holmes' wedding in Italy last year unless he was paid $1.2 million to $1.3 million.
. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging.
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
, the nude images of Amber Frey, the mistress of convicted murderer Scott Peterson.
Schmidt, born in Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, launched his career by brokering a deal between Playboy and reputed Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
mistress Gennifer Flowers
Gennifer Flowers
Gennifer Flowers is a model and actress who allegedly had a sexual relationship with former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Prior to Bill Clinton's presidency, she also posed nude for Penthouse magazine and was an actress in two films and one TV show...
.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
In early 2007, Schmidt agreed to plead guilty to attempted extortion after federal authorities said he contacted Tom CruiseTom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
and tried to extort him, threatened to release photos of Cruise and Holmes' wedding in Italy last year unless he was paid $1.2 million to $1.3 million.
Suicide
On Friday, September 28, 2007, Schmidt was found dead in his home in ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging.