The Curious Case of the Theft of Tom Cruise’s Wedding Photo With Katie Holmes and The Role of Scientology

Tom Cruise and his association with the Church of Scientology caused enough buzz when a man started blackmailing the Mission Impossible star. Back in 2007, Marc Lewis Gittleman's plan to extort a hefty amount of $1 million from the actor was foiled dramatically after he claimed to have the pictures of his wedding with Katie Holmes in Italy. The wedding of the two actors was among the most awaited and lavish events in Hollywood that year. The blackmailer claimed to have stolen the actor's wedding photographs and threatened to sell them to the tabloids if he didn't adhere to his demands.

 The situation turmoiled into nasty trouble for the Hollywood couple as the actor was not allowed to reveal their wedding photographs according to the rules laid by the Church of Scientology. Taking advantage of Cruise's religious faith, paparazzi Gittleman plotted to quench his ulterior motives after accidentally stumbling upon the photographs as reported by Fox News. Two men were charged for attempting to criminally extort the action star. David Hans Schmidt who was known for brokering deals in secret and scandalous photographs and video content of celebrities was also arrested for setting up the stage for threatening Cruise.

Schmidt who was a computer technician reached out to the representatives of the Knight and Day actor and mailed them around 7000 pictures to ensure a handsome ransom in exchange for them. Peter Brust, a special agent in charge in the FBI's Los Angeles office gave a brief on the threat received by the Hollywood star. Brust said, "He said that the client would turn to the black market and find a buyer for the photos." Gittleman and Schmidt both were convicted in 2008. According to Today, Gittleman expressed remorse and told the court, "I brought unimaginable shame upon myself and my family. I’ll be working the rest of my life to make it right." 

Meanwhile, Schmidt committed suicide under suspicious circumstances just two weeks before he was set to file a guilty plea. The Arizona resident was nicknamed "Sultan of Sleaze" for his history of distributing explicit and graphic images and tapes of celebrities. The blackmailer also had a history of constantly threatening Paris Hilton and Colin Farrell concerning their personal contents. According to The Smoking Gun, a decade before his arrest, Schmidt was involved in dealing with X-rated images of Gennifer Flowers, Tonya Harding, Fred Durst, and Amber Frey. 

The famous wedding of Cruise and Holmes was also attended by Jennifer Lopez and her then-husband Marc Anthony. However, Holmes' parents refused to attend the wedding under the church of Scientology saying they were Catholics and not allowed to attend Scientology events. Cruise had joined Scientology in 1986, crediting it for helping with his diagnosis of dyslexia as reported by Vanity Fair. It was suspected that Cruise's previous splits with Penelope Cruz and Nicole Kidman had a lot to do with his religious associations and involvement with the Church of Scientology.