Nancy Guthrie 'imposter' behind phony ransom notes pleads guilty to federal charges

The accused "imposter" down a phony ransom request successful the Nancy Guthrie lawsuit pleaded blameworthy to harassing her household with a phony ransom outgo Thursday successful a national tribunal successful Tucson, Arizona.

Guthrie is the 84-year-old parent of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, and she vanished from her location successful the city's Catalina Foothills vicinity successful the aboriginal hours of Feb. 1. The pursuing day, ransom demands were sent to section media — and investigators proceed to look into their authenticity.

The FBI rapidly deemed messages from Derrick Anthony Callella, a 42-year-old antheral from Hawthorne, California, arsenic a hoax, and helium was arrested wrong days of Guthrie's suspected abduction and indicted connected online harassment charges.

He is expected to person a condemnation of 5 years connected national probation astatine a ceremonial sentencing later, according to the Tucson-based KVOA-TV.

FBI SAYS NANCY GUTHRIE ABDUCTION DEMANDS MAY BE ‘LEGITIMATE’ AS CASE STILL PROBED AS KIDNAPPING FOR RANSOM

Derrick Callella pleaded blameworthy successful a strategy to extort bitcoin from the Guthrie household aft Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images/Obtained by Fox News)

He was accused of contacting Guthrie's different daughter, Annie Guthrie, and son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, from a spoofed telephone fig connected Feb. 4 and asking, "Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting connected our extremity for the transaction." He besides allegedly placed a nine-second telephone to the household afterward.

"Through the people of the investigation, it was recovered that Callella was acting arsenic an imposter, trying to instrumentality vantage of the ongoing situation," national prosecutors said successful a connection aft the suspect's archetypal tribunal quality successful mid-February.

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Nancy Guthrie, 84, has been missing from her Arizona location since Jan. 31, 2026. (Don Arnold/WireImage/Getty Images)

According to tribunal documents, investigators person not linked him to a Feb. 2 ransom request sent to section media and TMZ. They did, however, allegedly nexus the spoofed fig to a Google email relationship successful Callella's name.

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After being work his Miranda rights, Callella allegedly confessed to sending 2 messages, saying helium had recovered the family's interaction accusation online and had been pursuing quality sum of the case, according to the transgression complaint.

These 2 images were released by the FBI, recovered from Nancy Guthrie's Nest doorbell camera. No suspects oregon persons of involvement person been publically identified. (FBI)

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Then-FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke told reporters astir the apprehension successful a February quality briefing but said the FBI was investigating a antithetic ransom request arsenic perchance having travel from the existent abductor.

Callella had been freed connected $20,000 aft his apprehension and was not allowed to use for a passport.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaks astatine a quality league with Heith Janke, center, FBI peculiar cause successful charge, Phoenix, and adjunct peculiar cause successful charge, Tucson, Jon Edwards, during a briefing astatine the Pima County Sheriff's Department, Jan. 27, 2026, Tucson, Ariz. (Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star via AP)

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Savannah Guthrie and her siblings antecedently responded to 2 different ransom demands, that she said backmost successful March she believes could beryllium legitimate.

The individuality of whoever sent them remains a mystery, however, and nary arrests person been made.

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Annie Guthrie, her hubby Tommaso Cioni, and Savannah Guthrie astatine their missing parent Nancy Guthrie's location connected Monday, March 2, successful Tucson, Ariz. (Fox News)

"The FBI and its task unit partners person received respective ransom notes implicit the people of this investigation," the FBI's Phoenix bureau said successful a connection connected Wednesday. "Some person been deemed to beryllium extortion attempts without legitimacy. Other ransom demands whitethorn perchance beryllium morganatic and are inactive being investigated arsenic such. This lawsuit continues to beryllium investigated arsenic a kidnapping for ransom case."

The FBI is assisting successful the investigation, the connection added, noting that the Pima County Sheriff's Department remains the pb bureau connected the case.

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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, however, has repeatedly stated that the FBI is starring ransom-related investigations.

"Any questions regarding alleged ransom notes should beryllium directed to the FBI," helium said successful a connection of his own. "We admit the public's continued practice and the accusation provided passim this investigation. Anyone with accusation that whitethorn assistance investigators is encouraged to interaction the FBI astatine 1-800-CALL-FBI oregon taxable an anonymous extremity to 88-CRIME."

On Thursday, the sheriff's section deferred remark connected Callella's plea to the FBI. The feds did not instantly respond.