California Man Pleads Guilty to Sending Fake Ransom Notes in Nancy Guthrie Case

A California man has pleaded guilty to sending fake ransom messages to the family of missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. Derrick Callella, 42, from Hawthorne admitted in federal court that he made calls and sent texts on February 4 pressing the family about a bitcoin transfer.

He already knew someone else had made an earlier ransom demand, and his messages were meant to harass the family while trying to pull information about the investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance.

Callella now faces a maximum of two years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, plus one year of supervised release. His sentencing is scheduled for September 10 before a federal judge in Arizona.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen in February at her home in Arizona. She remains missing, and investigators have not identified any suspects in her case.

The FBI and local authorities continue to treat the disappearance as a possible kidnapping for ransom