French footballer Karim Benzema blackmails teammate with 'sex tape'
A judge sentenced Benzema to one year in prison and fined her 75,000 euros.
Benzema, 33, was one of five people charged last month with attempting to extort money from Frenchman Matthew Valboena.
The scandal shook the football scene in France and both players lost their place in the national team.
The case dates back to June 2015, when the two footballers were in a French training camp.
At the camp, prosecutors said, Benzema pressured Valboina to pay the blackmailers with whom Benzema had conspired to act as mediator.
Benzema has always denied the allegations and insisted he was only trying to help Valboina.
Benzema has returned to the French national team following the scandal and is expected to play for Real Madrid in the Champions League against FC Sheriff Tripoli on Wednesday night.
Benzema was not present in the Versailles court at the time of the verdict, nor was Valboina, who plays for the Greek club Olympiacos.
Four of Benzema's co-defendants were also found guilty in Wednesday's trial. He was sentenced to 18 months to two and a half years in prison.
Benzema's lawyers said they would appeal the sentence. At the time of the verdict, however, the judge had said that Benzema had "used lies and deception" to persuade his partner to pay the blackmailers.
Benzema made a surprise return to the French national team in May this year. When the allegations first surfaced in 2015, he was dropped from the team.
But last month, the French Football Federation said the conviction did not mean Benzema would be dropped.
Benzema is in excellent form at the moment. He has scored 9 times in 13 games for his country. He has also scored 10 goals for his club, Real Madrid, this season. The club has not yet commented on the decision.
Due to his performances on the field, Benzema has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or Footballer of the Year award, which will be announced next week.
What is the matter?
It all started in 2015 when Valboina, now 37, asked a man named Axel Ingot in Marseille to upload his cell phone content to a new device.
Ingut found sexually explicit videos of Valboina on the phone. On the ring and another co-accused in the case, Mustafa Zawawi, was accused of trying to blackmail Valboina by threatening to make the material public.
Zawaii told reporters that he had shared the videos, but had never tried to raise money.
Valbuena also told the court that another person, Younes Huaus, had contacted him, but Younes stated that he had warned Valbuina about the issue without asking for money.
Authorities conducted an undercover sting operation when Valboina approached police. The prosecution said that another accused was brought in the scandal on this occasion. Karim Zenati, a childhood friend of Benzema. The prosecution said that on this occasion, Benzema was asked to act as a mediator in the scheme.
In October 2015, Benzema contacted his teammate in his room at the national team training camp.
Benzema said he had merely tried to help his teammate lose the inappropriate video, and warned him, "Be careful, they are big, big thugs."
He then offered to contact Valboina with someone he could trust, his childhood friend, Karim Zenati.
Police were tapping phone calls at the time, and Benzema told a friend he was "not taking us seriously."
Karim Zenati is said to have replied, "We are here to resolve it. If they do not want a deal, they will have to deal with it again."
Giving evidence at the start of the trial, Valboina said he had never considered paying for the video to be released.
Unlike his former teammate Benzema, Welbwina has not played for France since the scandal began. During the trial, Valboina told the court that football was her life. "I knew that if this video came out, it would make things difficult for the French team."