California man pleads guilty to sending fake ransom note in Nancy Guthrie case

A California man pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment after sending fake ransom messages to the family of missing Tucson woman Nancy Guthrie, authorities announced Thursday.

Derrick Callella, 42, admitted he called and sent text messages to Guthrie’s family on Feb. 4 asking about a bitcoin transfer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona. Callella acknowledged he knew an earlier ransom demand had been made.

He also admitted his actions were meant to harass the family by seeking information about the investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance, prosecutors said.

Details about charges for fake ransom note in Nancy Guthrie case

Callella was charged in Tucson with transmitting a demand for ransom in interstate commerce and using a telecommunications device without disclosing his identity with the intent to abuse, threaten or harass a person, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The charges stemmed from two text messages and a nine-second phone call to a Guthrie family member on Feb. 4, prosecutors said.

The plea announcement came a day after the FBI said it was investigating whether some of the ransom notes that surfaced after Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home in January were legitimate.

A conviction for harassment using a telecommunications device carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, and one year of supervised release.

Related

Peoria resident struck and killed by train in Flagstaff, police sayHow did Arizona wind up with a decade-long teacher shortage — with no end in sight?Arizona state land sales nearly double to $817.8M, fueled by major auctionsFatal collision in Mesa shuts down Stapley Drive in both directionsSevere weather with dust, rain rolls into Valley Sunday nightBarrow Neurological Institute gets $5M Arizona health grant for brain injury drug trial