Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber seemed to be in great spirits as they took their daughter Kaya out to Starbucks in Malibu yesterday (November 14) as news of their family’s horrific extortion debacle has begun leaking to the press.

The alleged plot involves a photograph of the supermodel’s young daughter described as a prank picture of the girl wearing shorts and a t-shirt bound to a chair and gagged. The photo apparently fell into the hands of the suspect Edis Kayalar. Federal court documents say he sought $100 000 from Cindy and Rande in exchange for the photo. Kayalar, a former model, was deported from the US to Germany in September, but according to criminal charges filed in LA, he continued demanding money from the high profile couple. If he’s convicted of extortion, he could face two years in prison.

Amid all the heartache and turmoil, Cindy took time out of her busy schedule to thank her fans for their kind words of encouragement. “Thanks for all the support and prayers,” she tweets. “It means so much to me.”