French Soccer Star Charged In Teammate Blackmail Case

Real Madrid and French national team striker Karim Benzema is being formally investigated in an extortion case regarding a sex tape of fellow national team member Mathieu Valbuena.

Benzema was taken into custody Wednesday night for complicity in an attempt to blackmail. 

Suspected blackmailers got ahold of a sex tape featuring Valbuena, and reportedly approached a childhood friend of Benzema in an effort to extort money from his teammate. 

A source close to the investigation told France 24 Benzema admitted to having "agreed with his childhood friend on what he should say so that [Valbuena] would negotiate exclusively with him."

Officially, however, Benzema has denied any involvement, and his attorney told reporters his client "is happy, even satisfied, to be able to finally put an end to this painful controversy." (Video via ESPN)

Benzema isn't the first soccer player to be questioned in the case. Last month, Djibril Cisse was arrested but was later released without being charged. 

If found guilty, Benzema could face a maximum five-year prison sentence. 

This video includes images from Getty Images.