Overview
- Derrick Callella, 42, admitted Thursday in federal court to two counts of harassment by telecommunications device for calling and texting the Guthrie family with bitcoin demands and fake ransom messages.
- Prosecutors say investigators traced the phone number and IP address tied to the Feb. 4 bitcoin demand to Callella’s residence and email, which led to his February arrest and later release on a $20,000 bond.
- Callella faces a statutory maximum of two years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines but his plea agreement calls for five years of probation and a Sept. 10 sentencing date.
- Officials emphasize that this guilty plea is the only criminal conviction so far and does not resolve the Feb. 1 disappearance of 84‑year‑old Nancy Guthrie, whose family has made repeated public pleas and described months of trauma.
- The FBI’s Phoenix office says some ransom notes have been deemed extortion while other demands remain under investigation, and agents continue forensic testing at federal and private labs as they review thousands of tips and leads.