Los Angeles - Supermodel Cindy Crawford has been targeted in a bizarre extortion plot and police are hunting for a German man suspected of demanding cash in return for compromising pictures of Crawford's young daughter, according to US media reports Friday. Court papers filed Thursday by the FBI and the US attorney's office said Crawford and her entrepreneur husband Rande Gerber were the victims of the 100,000-dollar extortion scheme involving a photograph of their 7-year-old daughter purportedly taken by the couple's former nanny, according to Los Angeles TV station KTLA.
The photo shows the scantily clad child bound and gagged and was taken as part of a "cops and robbers" game without Crawford's knowledge.
Police are searching for an acquaintance of the nanny who reportedly threatened to sell the photo. He has been identified as male model Edis "Eddie" Kayalar, 26, a recent deportee to Germany now believed to be in Stuttgart, according to officials.
Kayalar has been charged with one count of extortion. If convicted, he could face a prison sentence of up to two years. The nanny, who has not been named, has not been charged.
A representative for the family said that they were determined to press charges in the case.
"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," spokeswoman Annett Wolf said.
