Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady's Ex-Bodyguards Sentenced to Five Years in Jail for Attempted Murder

Miguel Solis and Alexander Rivas fired shots at photographers when the couple got married in 2009

By Zach Johnson Nov 18, 2013 7:47 PMTags
Tom Brady, Gisele BundchenLarry Busacca/Getty Images

The happiest day of Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady's lives turned out to be the worst for Miguel Solis and Alexander Rivas. After the supermodel and the quarterback exchanged vows in April 2009, their two bodyguards fired shots at photographers hoping to catch the couple's Costa Rican ceremony.

Two photographers trying to shoot the wedding claimed two bodyguards approached them, demanding they hand over their cameras' memory cards. When they began to drive away, the couple's security team opened fire. "The bullet went between us, missing our heads. If the bullet been a little more to the left or right, it would have killed one of us," photographer Rolando Aviles said. "I said, 'They're going to kill us,' and that's when I hunched down to cover myself. When the glass broke, that's when my friend started driving really fast. I could have lost my life for the sale of some pictures that Gisele didn't want published. Are they insane?"

Solis and Rivas, who are no longer employed by the Boston-based couple, were found guilty of attempted murder on Friday, Nov. 15. Both men were sentenced to spend five years in jail and ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution fees. The third man charged with the incident, Manuel Valverde, was acquitted on all counts.

In May 2009, Brady dismissed the photographers' claims in an interview with Sports Illustrated. "Absolute, total B.S.," the New England Patriots player insisted. "We found two guys on our property, and we told them to get out. Our security guys didn't even have guns. There were no shots fired."

Bündchen, 33, and Brady, 36, are parents to son Benjamin, 3, and daughter Vivian, 8 months. The athlete is also father to son Jack, 6, with ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan, 43.