This is one of the most bizarre blackmail/extortion plots I’ve ever heard of. I fully expect it to be part of a future Law & Order: SVU episode (because it involves a minor). Here are the basics: Cindy Crawford and her millionaire Gerber heir husband Rande Gerber were victims of a blackmail plot by one of their former nannies and one of the nanny’s “acquaintances”. The blackmail involved a photo that the former nanny took of Kaia, the then seven-year-old daughter (who is now 8 years old) of Cindy and Rande, tied up on a chair during part of a “game”. When the nanny and this random person tried to blackmail Cindy and Rande for $100,000, threatening to sell the photo. Which is really, really gross. Anyway, it seems like Cindy and Rande contacted the authorities straight away, and everything is now a criminal and legal matter. Here’s more, including a statement from Cindy and Rande’s rep, from Us Weekly:

Cindy Crawford and her husband Rande Gerber are the latest celebrities to be ensnared in an extortion drama involving a bizarre photo of their eight year-old daughter, Kaia.

TMZ reported that an odd photo of Kaia (taken when she was seven) was stolen from a former nanny by an acquaintance named Edis Kayalar. The photo depicts her “bound to a chair and gagged,” TMZ notes, as part of the nanny’s “cops and robbers game.” (The parents were unaware of this “game.”) Kayalar subsequently threatened to sell the photo, thus beginning a blackmailing plot.

A rep for the couple has released the following statement to Usmagazine.com:

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.

[From Us Weekly]

God, this nanny and her friend sound like deplorable, disgusting people, don’t they? Who the hell does that? Ties a child up “as a game” with the idea to blackmail the parents? It’s completely gross, and I hope Kaia is okay (it sounds like she is). Here’s another thing – I hope they aren’t just being charged with extortion and all of the money-and-blackmail related crimes. Tying a child up, even if she thinks it’s just a game, could totally be a criminal offense as well. I’m thinking child endangerment, something like that. Cindy and Rande also have a 10 year old son – and there is no mention as to whether he was tied up as well (probably not). I’m glad the authorities got involved, and it sounds like Rande and Cindy will be pursuing their prosecution to fullest extent.

Header photo is Cindy, Rande, and their children Kaia and Presley at the LA Mission and Anne Douglas Center’s Thanksgiving Meal For The Homeless in Los Angeles, California last year, November 26, 2008. Additional photos of Rande and Cindy at the AFI Fest 2009 Screening Of ‘A Single Man’ on November 5, 2009. Credit for all: WENN.

Cindy Crawford is the cover girl for September’s Redbook Magazine, and I couldn’t believe what Cindy’s promoting… her home accessories line at J.C. Penney! I had no idea Cindy sold linens and things. But some of this stuff looks nice… and she even decorated her own house with stuff she designed (Redbook has a photo spread of the collection in Cindy’s home). In the interview, Cindy comes across as mostly blah – I think she’s probably a very nice woman, but she’s never really fascinated me. She mostly talked about her kids, being married, her life as a wife and mother. Her life seems pretty charmed. Alas, she does not talk about how her husband Rande Gerber and George Clooney are BFFs. That is what I would love to know about – mainly because it seems like George has a little crush on his best friend’s wife. Just my opinion! The complete interview is here, but these are some of the highlights: 43-year-old Cindy has cellulite, she doesn’t really care about the paparazzi taking bad pictures of her, her daughter doesn’t think modeling involves skill and Cindy’s cooking:

Cindy on body image: “I have cellulite,” she says, laughing. “I admit it. But sometimes I just say, ‘Screw it, I am going to wear a bikini.’”

Partnering with J.C. Penney to create Cindy Crawford Style: “It’s my take on home fashion. The whole concept is to help women discover their own livable, comfortable style by offering versatile pieces that are updated classics. And it incorporates what Penney’s does so well, which is quality and value. I love the idea of home as your sanctuary, as the place that tells a story about you — and how individual that is for every person.”

First big design purchase: “When I moved into my first apartment in Chicago, I went to a store where you could pick the shape and the fabric of the sofa. I was so excited; it even had a pullout bed for guests. But when they delivered the couch, it didn’t fit around the corner in the entry, so I had to get an upholsterer to cut off one of the arms. It didn’t look totally weird, but it was good reminder that you have to measure everything. Still, I ended up moving that sofa to New York with me to two more apartments and had it recovered. It was a good couch.”

Cooking: “I am not a fine chef, but I can certainly get dinner on the table for 14 people. With that many, I try to keep it simple: salmon, mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach, and salad. For sure, I do the desserts. I make a coconut cake, which is actually easy, and a carrot cake, which my husband loves so much we had it for our wedding cake. If I want to get on his good side, I make that cake. The hard part is that I use white chocolate in the frosting and you have to melt it and introduce the other two ingredients, sour cream and cream cheese. The timing is crucial; otherwise the white chocolate can start coagulating and you get chunky frosting — which, by the way, still tastes good. Last night, Presley and I had a pie contest. He made strawberry rhubarb — I gave him my recipe, but I didn’t touch his pie — and I tried a new one: peach blueberry. And I said, “We won’t tell who made what, and we’ll have a vote.” And his pie won. I was outbaked by my 10-year-old!”

On the difference between everyday beauty and camera-ready beauty: “I always say even I don’t wake up looking like Cindy Crawford! What people see on magazine covers is one moment that was perfect — the wind, the light, the hair, the makeup. That’s a two-hour process. People get excited that they’re meeting the Cindy Crawford from the Playboy spread 13 years ago, and I am a mother of two now. I have to check in with myself. It’s good to have an awareness of that outside pressure; I can’t let it get to my core. I love my life.”

Cindy on date nights: “We do have date nights. It sounds a little cheesy, but that’s what it is — time for the two of us. We recently went to see The Hangover. My husband just lost his father so he really needed that kind of movie. It was an escape. The kids go to bed at 9, and we also have that hour and a half at night before I go to bed, although in the summer the kids want to stay up later. I remember being a kid in summer and having the whole summer ahead of you. I want them to be able to stay in their pajamas all day if they want. That’s what summer is for. But we’re still figuring out bedtime, because I want that time alone with my husband.”

On her kids’ dream jobs: “I hope they are kind and respectful and can function in this world and still be individuals, not necessarily leaders but not followers. I hope they can incorporate what they’re passionate about into whatever their job is. Presley has an adult friend who is a Navy SEAL, and right now he wants to be that. My daughter says she wants to be a singer and a dancer, but — and the way she said this was so cute — she might model first because you don’t have to have any special skills. And then she wants to end up being a teacher. That’s an interesting career path; we’ll see how that works out for her.”

[From Redbook]

Hmm… I wonder if Cindy even gets along with George Clooney, or if she views him as her husband’s creepy friend. You know George probably ogles her. But other than my lingering questions about Clooney, it seems like Cindy and Rande has a really strong relationship and family. Rande’s probably just thrilled he wakes up beside Cindy Crawford every morning.

Here are Cindy and Rande on Sting’s yacht in Saint-Tropez on August 6th. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .

Cindy Crawford’s husband, restauranteer Rande Gerber, is being sued by two ex-employees who claim he wrongfully terminated them after they refused his crude and invasive advances. Gerber’s friend George Clooney is set to defend him against the charges, claiming that he was with him the night of at least one of the incidents and that he can vouch for his whereabouts the entire time. An alibi from Clooney might not be enough to exonerate Gerber though. The National Enquirer has a quote from yet another employee who claims she was fired shortly after she refused to have sex with him in a hotel room. This is from Harmony Kubiak, an ex-employee willing to go on the record to The Enquirer. She also spoke to Star Magazine in 2004 about the incident, which allegedly happened in 2000. Gerber has been married to Cindy Crawford since 1998 and they have two children together.

Gerber… made his move when they piled into a limo with a group of his friends to drive to a strip club in the Big Easy, Kubiak told The Enquirer in an exclusive interview.

“Rande suggested I sit on his lap. We were all pretty drunk by then,” she says.

They kissed several times, and Gerber invited her back to his hotel room. But when they got to his room, the night “got kind of weird,” Kubiak said.

She said that she passed out on Rande’s bed, and when she woke up, he was wearing nothing but a towel and undressing her!

“That’s when things came to a screeching halt,” she said. “I freaked out and told him I had to leave.”

When she returned to work at Whiskey Blue, “the managers acted differently toward me,” and she was fired not long after, said Kubiak.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, May 18, 2009]

If this is true, it’s disturbing on so many levels. Not only did Gerber try to sleep with this woman when she was passed out – he also presumably arranged to have her fired for resisting his advances. This guy is cheating on his wife and he’s supposedly so aggressive about it that he sexually harasses his female employees and makes sure they’re let go if they resist. This could all be some elaborate plot to frame the guy of course, and you can’t assume that someone is guilty just because of allegations. Either way, it’s got to be upsetting for Cindy and their kids, who are 9 and 8 and may be old enough to get the gist of what’s happening. We’ll have to see how this lawsuit turns out and what kind of evidence is provided by the waitresses who got fired.

Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber are shown on 12/5/08. Credit: WENN.com

Over the weekend we heard that Cindy Crawford’s husband, Rande Gerber, was accused of sexual harassment by two different former waitresses at a restaurant he owns. One former employee at his club claims that Gerber tried to kiss her multiple times during an incident in 2008 and that he put his hand up her dress. It all looked pretty damning to Gerber, but he has at least one high profile friend who is willing to vouch for him in court. George Clooney was hanging out with Gerber on the night he’s accused of groping the women. Clooney says that he was with him the entire time and that nothing happened:

Rande Gerber’s sexual harassment lawsuit is about to get even sexier — George Clooney will take the stand. Put another way, he’s testifying against the chicks, so they may as well fold now.

Gerber, along with a couple of his employees, are being sued for sexual harassment — allegedly kissing and fondling two former waitresses. Gerber calls the claims a “blatant lie” and he’s even got witnesses to prove it — including Mr. Clooney himself.

A rep for Gerber tells us, “Mr. Gerber and Mr. Clooney are willing to take a lie detector tests to prove that the allegations against Mr. Gerber are false. Mr. Gerber will not settle this extortion case even for a single dollar and will take all actions necessary to clear his name, including filing a $10 million lawsuit for malicious prosecution once these allegations are proven false.”

Case closed.

UPDATE — Through his rep, Clooney tells us, “I was with Rande the entire night — as were a lot of people — they will all say the same thing that I’m saying. This event never happened. Period.”

[From TMZ]

I don’t know. It’s hard to claim that you were with someone the entire night and can say with certainty that they didn’t leave your side. It bodes well for Gerber that Clooney is so willing to step up and testify on his behalf, though. I usually think there’s some merit to claims like this. That’s not to say that false allegations don’t happen. In the Rob Lowe case he seems to have been railroaded by an ex employee who was looking for a quick settlement and didn’t expect him to fight back. Something similar could be happening to Gerber, but just because Clooney is saying he was with him that night doesn’t mean that the case is closed and that it was motivated by money. It’s not a simple thing to accuse someone of sexual harassment and these women deserve to have the incidents investigated.

Photo credit: WENN.com