Guilty plea in Cruise photo case

David Hans Schmidt - known for dealing in compromising star photos - could face up to two years in jail.

Mr Schmidt filed his plea to the charge of sending communications for purposes of extortion on 24 August, court documents revealed in Los Angeles show.

Mr Cruise married fellow actor Katie Holmes in Italy in November 2006.

Mr Schmidt, 47, of Phoenix, Arizona, is currently out on bail; a date has yet to be set for him to officially enter his plea in court.

Meanwhile, a plea agreement for Schmidt's co-defendant Marc Lewis Gittleman, 33, was filed under seal on the same day, on a charge of conspiracy to commit extortion.

He could face up to five years in prison. His lawyer declined to comment on the plea.

'Threats'

Mr Gittleman - a data recovery expert from Los Angeles - allegedly obtained the images from the event's official photographer, who went to him for help in recovering the pictures from a computer hard drive.

Mr Gittleman allegedly made copies of the photos and contacted Mr Schmidt, after finding out on the internet about his ability to broker deals involving celebrity images.

Mr Schmidt is 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 (£620,000) and $1.35m (£670,000).

Both men were arrested in July.

The deals Mr Schmidt has previously tried to secure include selling items and images of Paris Hilton and intimate video footage of actor Colin Farrell and a former girlfriend.

His claimed successes include the sale of a video of skater Tonya Harding's wedding night. The pair were arrested on 26 July.