A California man pleaded guilty Thursday to charges he made fake ransom demands to the family of Nancy Guthrie.
The 84-year-old Guthrie was taken from her Tucson, Arizona, home on Feb. 1. Police have been unable to determine who took her.
Derrick Callella, 42, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment by telecommunications device, according to Reuters.
“In his plea, Callella admitted that he called and sent text messages to a missing person’s family on Feb. 4, 2026, which asked about a bitcoin transfer,” the Justice Department said in a news release.
“Callella acknowledged that he knew an earlier ransom demand had been made. Callella also admitted that his actions were meant to harass the family by seeking information about the investigation into the missing person’s disappearance,” the release said.
The maximum penalty in the charges is two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The agreement to which Callella pleaded guilty sentences him to five years on probation, Reuters reported.
Callella will be sentenced on Sept. 10.
Callella texted Nancy Guthrie’s oldest daughter, Annie, and her son-in-law, Tommaso Cion, on Feb. 4, according to KOLD-TV.
He also made a nine-second call to a family member.
The message sent read, “Did you get the bitcoin were (sic) waiting on our end for the transaction.”
“The FBI takes these notes extremely seriously. They track them down, and if they find it to be fraudulent, they don’t just put it aside; they will arrest you, they have made arrests, I think they’ve made two or three arrests already,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.
Nanos added that fake notes only make the investigation harder.
“Even if they’re playing a game, I don’t know what mind that is, that says this is what I want to do — don’t do it,” Nanos said.
“Callella also admitted that his actions were meant to harass the family by seeking information about the investigation into the missing person’s disappearance,” a U.S. Attorney’s Office statement said, according to Reuters.
Although TMZ last week reported it received a ransom note, an FBI official told Reuters it was determined not to be credible.
In a post on X, the FBI field office in Phoenix said it had received “several ransom notes” since Guthrie disappeared.
Many have been ruled out as “extortion attempts without legitimacy,” while others are being investigated.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
