A California man pleaded guilty after sending a bogus ransom note to the anxious family of missing Nancy Guthrie.
Derrick Callella, 42, pleaded guilty to two felonies — transmitting a demand for ransom in interstate commerce and utilizing a telecommunications device with intent to abuse, threaten or harass a person — on Thursday, KOLD reported.
His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 10. The outlet reported that he will receive 10 years probation.
Callella, from Hawthorn, messaged Guthrie’s daughter Annie and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni about the ailing 84-year-old shortly after she vanished in February, according to the complaint filed in Arizona federal court.
Here’s the latest on Savannah Guthrie’s missing mom Nancy Guthrie
- California man pleads guilty after sending fake ransom note to Nancy Guthrie’s heartbroken family
- Nancy Guthrie case could be solved with help from armchair sleuths: detective
- FBI hasn’t dismissed all Nancy Guthrie ransom notes — but reveals many led to dead end
- FBI determines Nancy Guthrie ransom notes were fake: report
“Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction,” his message, sent to both Annie and Cioni, allegedly read.
Approximately three minutes after sending the texts, data obtained by authorities showed Callella also made a nine-second call to an unidentified family member of Nancy Guthrie, according to the court docs.
