Kidnappers Demand $36.5M for Rich Guy's Mother-in-Law

Bernie Ecclestone faces paying a hefty ransom for wife's mom
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 26, 2016 9:37 AM CDT
Kidnappers Demand $36.5M for Rich Guy's Mother-in-Law
Bernie Ecclestone of the Formula One Group is seen in Bahrain in April.   (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Criminals hoping for a share of Bernie Ecclestone's fortune have reportedly kidnapped the racing billionaire's mother-in-law in Brazil. Local media say the criminals, in touch with the 85-year-old Formula One head, are demanding $36.5 million—the highest ransom ever in a Brazilian kidnapping, per the Telegraph. The BBC reports 67-year-old Aparecida Schunck was seized near her Sao Paulo home on Friday. Police and Ecclestone have yet to comment.

Schunck is the mother of Ecclestone's 38-year-old wife, Fabiana Flosi, whom Ecclestone married in 2012. That same year, a man was jailed for threatening to abduct one of Ecclestone's daughters if he wasn't paid $262,500, reports ESPN; Ecclestone, one of the UK's richest men, is worth an estimated $3.1 billion. Similar demands were once made daily in Brazil—there were 321 kidnappings in Sao Paolo alone in 2002—but are now less common due to a police anti-kidnap division, reports Reuters. (Read more Brazil stories.)

We use cookies. By Clicking "OK" or any content on this site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. Read more in our privacy policy.
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X