Ex-Lover Jailed for Six Years over Blackmail of BMW Heiress

A few months ago, the Quandt family, BMW's leading shareholder, had to face one of the worst scandals in their entire existence as Susanne Klatten, heiress of the German car maker, confessed she was blackmailed over the affair she had with a former Swiss investment banker, Helg Sgarbi. The surprising fact was that the blackmailer was no one else than her lover himself.

If anyone had doubts about the blackmail, any suspicion will vanish as Sgarbi admitted his deed, Times Online reported. Following his testimony, he was sentenced to six years in prison, albeit the state prosecutor asked for a nine-year sentence.

In fact, the Swiss investment banker confessed he seduced not only Klatten but also three other wealthy women and convinced them to give him nearly 10 million euros ($12.64 million).

He even managed to persuade Klatten herself to give him a cardboard box containing 7 million euros in 500 euro notes as he told her he had paralyzed a child in a traffic accident in America and had to pay the money as a compensation to avoid being imprisoned. But when he asked 49 million euros from the BMW heiress, his blackmail was made public by Klatten.

"I regret what I did," Sgarbi, 44, told the Munich court. "I apologize to the women involved."

Sgarbi previously told the newspapers that he blackmailed Klatten to revenge his Jewish grandfather who was forced to work in Quandt family factories during the war. However, nothing was mentioned about that by Sgarbi at the trial.

Married Klatten met  Sgarbi at a health center and he made her believe he was a special envoy for war zones, even though he had previously worked at a chicken fast food stand and at an investment bank Credit Suisse. After seducing the wealthiest woman in Germany, he threatened her to send photos and tapes of their hotel-room dates to colleagues, family and the press.

Sgarbi's testimony spared Klatten of the ordeal of appearing in court.