Man arrested in Tom Cruise extortion plot

LOS ANGELES, July 26 (UPI) -- A man who earned a reputation trafficking racy footage of celebrities was arrested in Los Angeles for allegedly trying to extort Tom Cruise, officials said.

David Hans Schmidt was captured by FBI agents Tuesday after reportedly trying to sell Cruise photos of the actor's November 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes, E! News reported Thursday. Schmidt allegedly demanded more than $1 million for the photos, purportedly stolen from Cruise's private collection.

Neither Cruise nor Holmes had an official comment. Cruise is in Germany shooting the World War II film, "Valkyrie."

Bert Fields, Cruise's attorney, said Schmidt first approached the actor earlier this year, saying he had the wedding photos and wanted to deal. Fields said Cruise contacted federal authorities.

The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles confirmed Schmidt was arrested and arraigned Wednesday.

Schmidt was being held on $100,000 bond.