Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema: Star accused in sex tape blackmail case - CNN.com
One of the world's leading football players is accused of blackmailing a fellow France international footballer.
French police are looking into whether Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema played a part in an alleged attempt to extort money from Marseille player Mathieu Valbuena.
The allegations center around a purported sex tape, a source close to the investigation told AFP.
Benzema is under investigation for "complicity in blackmailing and participating in criminal association with intent to organize a crime," according to a statement from the Versailles prosecutor's office.
The statement used the French term "mise en examen" -- a legal status that allows prosecutors to investigate someone accused of criminal activity for up to two years.
Benzema's attorney Sylvain Cormier says the 27-year-old has "taken no part in this blackmail attempt," and that the case has gone public "in a fallacious manner."
"His heart goes to his friend Mathieu Valbuena," Cormier said in a statement broadcast on BMTV.
Benzema appeared before a Versailles judge Thursday morning after being held overnight.