Cindy Crawford extorted over 'sexy' photo of daughter

Model Cindy Crawford and her husband were the victims of a bizarre extortion scheme involving a photo of her daughter, authorities said.

According to court documents filed in Los Angeles, a German citizen was indicted after seeking to extort $100,000 from Crawford and her husband, businessman Rande Gerber.

The documents allege that the man, Edis Kayalar, 26, called Crawford in July and said he had a "sexy photograph" of her then 7-year-old daughter "in revealing clothing, bound to a chair and gagged."

Kayalar claimed that he stole the photo from the girl's former nanny, according to the court records. He allegedly told Crawford that he wanted to return the photograph to the family so the tabloids would not get it. Later, he said he would sell it to the media if the couple did not pay, the records state.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the couple said: “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.”

-- Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Suspect Edis Kayalar, 26, is a German citizen. Credit: FBI

Comments

[Brad]

did they ever say how the photo was taken....was it taken by the nanny? did her parents know the photo existed? how does this happen?

[Archangel]

Hold on one damn second, slam on those brakes and back way up!
Any charges or accusations against this guy, Edis Kayalar should be considered a very remote secondary issue right now.
Excuse me Ms. Crawford and Mr. Gerbe, but what the hell is your 7-year-old daughter doing being photographed "...in revealing clothing, bound to a chair and gagged."? This is not the stuff of any family album!
My follow-up questions are; who is responsible for such reprehensible conduct? Are there more such disgusting photos? Why was the nanny in possession of such filth? Is this conduct part of a much darker question?
I certainly hope not for the sake of that innocent little child.

[Karen]

Boo hoo.

[Archangel]

“...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...”
Why the panic Gerber/Crawford? Is there more of this filth? Are you trying to hide something even more heinous?
I hope the cops are picking up on these signals.

[Dean]

Maybe the LA Times should do a more thorough job of reporting the facts. Found this on MSNBC.

The daughter told her parents, who were unaware of the photo, that the nanny took the picture as part of a "cops and robbers" game, according to an affidavit filed in the case.

[Tom]

I wonder if this "German ctizen" was here legally? The Gerber/Crawford clan (or their nanny) has some serious 'splainin' to do here.

[JAFO]

The alleged attempted extortion is the least of there problems and least of the L.E. concerns.
I can assure you ..... Local L.E., and child welfare services have both parents in the middle of their radar. Look for a "soon to be" investigation of the parents. Even if they claim "The nanny did it w\o our knowledge", it won't fly with L.E. I think these parents basically have a hell of a lot of explaining to do to L.E. via a "Mouth Piece".

[johnny]

The nanny took the picture without anyone's knowledge or consent, while she was playing "cops and robbers" with the girl.

The only thing more disturbing then an idiot who tries to extort money from an innocent couple, are people here who are too happy to jump to accusations. Makes one wonder what kind of skeletons are they hiding when they are so eager to point fingers...

[Jose]

ANOTHER...illegal alien.

[dee]

My goodness exactly what was going on in the Gerber Household? Since the nanny is the one with the photo maybe she's the one who took it.

[Stanley Kachinsky]

Wow. Slow your roll. Perhaps there is no photo. Asking a multi-millionaire couple for what is probably less than their per diem for the year makes me think it's a hoax all the way round.

[Norman Rogers]

It sounds more like a case of very bad judgement on the part of the nanny than it does a reflection of how Crawford and her husband are raising their family.

Let's face it--you have to watch the hired help. You have to evaluate their judgement. And you have to have conversations with your children to assess where things are at as far as what goes on in the home when you're not around.

Why the rush to judgement? People with something to hide don't always go right to the police.

[Athena]

This story as written is incoherent. Just throwing this information out here with no context at all. I might as well get my "news" from TMZ.

[Alicia]

calm down. Supposedly the child was only in t-shirt and sorts--the nanny took the picture and the child explained to her folks that they were playing cops and robbers when she was tied up. doesn't sound like the parents were a part of the whole scene and probably fired the idiot after they found out....

[Eeysee MK]

Ummmmm, 7 year old girl in "revealing clothing" (ie slutwear) tied to a chair and gagged?????

First off, whose revealing clothing was she in? Her own perhaps Why is a 7 year old being dressed in "revealing clothing?" And how come the little girl didn't tell her parents that she's being tied up and gagged by the "nanny?" And who is this "nanny?"

This sounds ULTRA fishy to me.

[MikeOHara]

Sounds like extortion is the least of their worries.

[Eagle Eyes]

That is a price you pay hiring "Illegals" as domestic help.Wonder if they checked for his grren card?