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Derrick Callella leaving court; Nancy Guthrie.Credit : KOLD NEWS 13/YouTube; Savannah Guthrie/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
The man accused by federal authorities of sending fake ransom texts to Nancy Guthrie’s family amid the investigation into her kidnapping has been released from custody on pre-trial conditions
Derrick Callella, 42, allegedly sent ransom demand text messages to Nancy’s daughter Annie Guthrie and her husband, Tommaso Cioni, on Feb. 4, law enforcement claims
Authorities are continuing to investigate Nancy’s kidnapping. She has not been seen since Jan. 31
The man accused by federal authorities of sending fake ransom texts to Nancy Guthrie’s family amid the investigation into her kidnapping has been released from custody.
Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, Calif., appeared in federal court in Tucson on Thursday, Feb. 12. He is charged with two offenses: transmitting a demand for ransom in interstate commerce and utilizing a telecommunications device with intent to abuse, threaten or harass a person “without disclosing his identity,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release.
He was released with pre-trial restrictions after his court appearance and declined to speak to reporters, according to local news stations KOLD and KVOA. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona also confirmed Callella’s release in a statement to PEOPLE on Friday, Feb. 13.
Federal court records do not list an attorney who can speak on Callella’s behalf.
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According to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, authorities allege Callella sent ransom demand text messages to Nancy’s daughter Annie Guthrie, and her husband, Tommaso Cioni, on Feb. 4.
“Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction,” one of the texts allegedly read, per the complaint. Three minutes later, Callella allegedly made a call to a family member, which lasted nine seconds. (That family member was not identified.)
The complaint claims that the texts from Callella came shortly after Nancy’s other daughter, Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, posted a video on Instagram alongside her siblings, asking Nancy’s apparent kidnappers to contact them.
“As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk,” the journalist said in the clip.
Nancy, 84, was last seen on Jan. 31, and authorities believe she was kidnapped from her Tucson home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1. No suspects or persons of interest have been named in the case.
However, the FBI has released surveillance footage of a masked and “armed” person appearing to tamper with a Nest camera at Nancy’s front door on the morning of her kidnapping.
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A person seen on Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera on the morning of Feb. 1.Pima County Sheriff’s Department
“The suspect is described as a male, approximately 5’9” – 5’10” tall, with an average build. In the video, he is wearing a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack,” the FBI Phoenix office said in a post on X shared Thursday.
Since Nancy went missing, multiple alleged ransom notes requesting multimillion dollar sums in bitcoin for her return have been sent to Arizona news stations KOLD and KGUN, but federal authorities said in the complaint that Callella is not connected to those.
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FBI ‘Not Aware’ of Any ‘Continued’ Contact Between Nancy Guthrie’s Family and Kidnappers as Ransom Deadline Passes
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After investigators identified Callella as the person allegedly linked to the phone number that sent the texts, they took him into custody, the complaint states.
While speaking to investigators, the complaint says, Callella allegedly admitted to sending the text messages. He claimed he found the family’s information on a “cyber site” and had been following the case on TV, per the complaint.
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Nancy and Savannah Guthrie.Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
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FBI agent Heith Janke announced at a press conference on Feb. 5 that a person had been charged in connection with an imposter ransom demand. Callella was later identified as that suspect.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI will continue to hold this defendant accountable and any other individuals who seek to interfere with federal investigations or profit from the victim’s family’s grief,” the release states.
As for Nancy’s case, the FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for any information leading to her recovery or an arrest.
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