Man charged in Tom Cruise extortion plot found dead

David Hans Schmidt specialized in acquiring celebrity sex videos and nude photos -- a specialty that earned him the nickname "The Sultan of Sleaze," a moniker he wore like a badge of honor. But he also readily marketed other celebrity goods, such as Paris Hilton's diaries, in which she reportedly recounts sexual escapades.

Schmidt had long denied claims that he came by his merchandise through unscrupulous means. But earlier this year he agreed to plead guilty to attempted extortion after federal authorities said he contacted Cruise's representatives and threatened to release photos of Cruise and Holmes' wedding in Italy last year unless he was paid $1.2 million to $1.3 million.

At the time of his death, Schmidt was wearing a monitoring device while under house arrest in Arizona pending sentencing. He was found dead in his townhouse about 3 p.m. Friday after police noticed that the device indicated he not moved and he had not checked in, law enforcement officials told the Associated Press.

His attorney, Nancy Kardon, told AP that she had spoken to Schmidt earlier this week and was preparing for an Oct. 11 hearing in federal court where he would formally enter his plea. She said she had planned to ask for probation.

"I was greatly saddened by his loss and I found him to be a very kind man," Kardon said.

Among other items Schmidt purported to have obtained:

* Explicit photographs he said were found in the Dumpster at Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx's Las Vegas home.

* Hilton's sex diaries, which along with other personal items had been discovered in a Los Angeles-area storage locker. (A Hilton spokesman said at the time that the items were illegally obtained.)

* A homemade sex tape starring Colin Farrell and former Playboy playmate Nicole Narain.

* A sex tape involving Fred Durst, lead singer of Limp Bizkit.

* Nude pictures of Amber Frey, the key prosecution witness in the Scott Peterson double-murder trial.

* Nude photos of rescued U.S. Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch. (The photos were offered up to Larry Flynt for publication in his Hustler magazine, but he ultimately declined to publish them.)

Schmidt did not shy away from the sordid. Although some called what he did unscrupulous, he relished it.