Cruise photo case man found dead

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes married in Italy last year

A man who agreed to plead guilty to trying to extort more than $1m (£490,000) from Tom Cruise has been found dead at his Arizona home.

David Hans Schmidt, of Phoenix, committed suicide, investigators said.

The 47-year-old faced up to two years in jail for attempted extortion in a case involving stolen photos of the actor's wedding to Katie Holmes.

Mr Schmidt had been under house arrest and was due to plead guilty in court on 11 October, his lawyer said.

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

Mr Schmidt also faced a $250,000 (£122,000) fine under the plea agreement, filed in a Los Angeles court in August. Ms Kardon said she had planned to ask for probation.

Police said they had noticed that an electronic tag placed on him had not moved, and that he had not checked into a police station. Mr Schmidt was found dead on Friday afternoon, they added.

He was arrested in July after federal authorities said a co-defendant had obtained photos of Mr Cruise's wedding, which took place in Italy last year, from the event's official photographer.

Mr Schmidt, known for brokering deals involving compromising photos and videos of celebrities, was alleged to have repeatedly contacted Mr Cruise's representatives, threatening to sell the photos on the black market if he did not receive between $1.25m (£613,000) and $1.35m (£662,000).

The deals Mr Schmidt has previously tried to secure include selling images of heiress Paris Hilton along with her diaries, while claimed successes include the sale of a video of skater Tonya Harding's wedding night.