Man arrested for ransom demand in Nancy Guthrie case appears in court
A man arrested and charged with allegedly sending a false ransom demand to Nancy Guthrie's family has appeared in court for the first time.
Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, California, was charged with sending a demand for ransom in interstate commerce and making a phone call, without disclosing his identity, with intent to abuse, threaten or harass a person, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona wrote in a news release Thursday, Feb. 12.
According to a criminal complaint, the office reported Callella allegedly sent the demands in two text messages to a "missing person's family" on Feb. 4. He is also alleged to have made a nine-second phone call to a family member.
In the complaint, Callella is accused of texting "A.C. and T.C., the daughter and son-in-law of N.G." – who appear to be Annie and Tommaso Cioni – identical messages that read: "Did you get the bitcoin? We're [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction."
But "through the course of the investigation, it was found that Callella was acting as an imposter, trying to take advantage of the ongoing situation," prosecutors allege.
A lawyer for Callella could not be immediately reached by USA TODAY for comment.
Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for 13 days after she was "taken" from her home located outside of Tucson, Arizona, in the early hours of Feb. 1, authorities have said.
The FBI called Nancy Guthrie's case a "kidnapping" in a Feb. 12 social media post, releasing photos of a black backpack and a person the agency described as a male about "5'9" - 5'10" tall, with an average build." The image of the man was first shared two days earlier when the FBI posted footage "recovered" from Guthrie's doorbell camera.
The FBI also announced the reward has been doubled to $100,000 for any "information leading to the location of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance."
Contributing: Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press; USA TODAY Entertainment staff