Cindy Crawford Victim Of Alleged Extortion Plot That Involves Photo Of Daughter Kaia "Bound And Gagged"

Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber are going after the man (left) who allegedly attempted to extort $100,000 from the famous couple over a photo of their daughter Kaia "bound and gagged."

The photo was allegedly taken by a former nanny during a game of "cops and robbers," and was apparently stolen later by her friend, German male model, Edis Kayalar.

Kayalar met with Rande Gerber to return the photo, saying he wanted to make sure it was kept out of the tabloids, but after Gerber supposedly paid him $1,000 dollars, the couple alleges that Kayalar demanded a hundred grand, saying he had a second copy of the photo.

Crawford and Gerber filed a criminal complaint in a Los Angeles federal court yesterday, and released a statement through a rep:

A criminal complaint was filed today in federal court in Los Angeles by the U.S. Attorney's office and the FBI stating that Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford have been the victims of an on-going extortion scheme. This crime has been committed by Edis Kayalar, an acquaintance of a former nanny employed by the family. Mr. Kayalar threatened to sell an image taken of the couple's then-seven-year-old daughter. There was no previous awareness by Mr. Gerber and Ms. Crawford of the existence of the photograph when they were contacted by Mr. Kayalar. The photo was taken by the former nanny as part of a purported game without the knowledge of the parents. The couple reported the extortion threat to the police and the FBI began a criminal investigation in the matter. Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford intend to pursue any and all available legal action against anyone who aids the perpetrator in the distribution or sale of the photograph of their daughter.

Of all the bizarre celebrity extortion attempts recently, this one has got to be the strangest!