The FBI has arrested a California man for allegedly sending a pretend ransom demand amid the continuing seek for Savannah Guthrie’s lacking mom, Nancy.
Derrick Callella, 42, was arrested in Hawthorne, Calif. on Thursday and charged with two federal crimes — one depend of transmitting a requirement for ransom associated to a kidnapped particular person and certainly one of making nameless interstate communications supposed to harass or threaten, in response to a felony grievance filed in Arizona.
The feds allege that Callella had been following the Guthrie case and acted as an “imposter” to revenue from the state of affairs, although he’s not believed to be related to any of the ransom notes despatched to media retailers demanding tens of millions in cryptocurrency.
“We have now discovered no proof linking this to Nancy’s case,” mentioned Heith Janke, the particular agent in control of the FBI’s Phoenix division. “It was somebody that was making an attempt to revenue from it. A complete imposter.”
Based on the grievance, Guthrie’s household obtained two textual content messages on Wednesday, shortly after Savannah and her siblings posted an emotional video on-line making a plea to their mom’s abductor.
“Did you get the bitcoin had been [sic] ready on our finish for the transaction,” allegedly learn the texts despatched to each Guthrie’s daughter Annie and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni.
Authorities had been in a position to decide that Callella used an web software to ship the texts by way of a special quantity than the one assigned to his cellphone, the felony grievance states. The phony quantity was accessed by an IP tackle which was later traced to Callella’s residence in California.
Authorities apprehended Callella, at which level he admitted to sending the texts utilizing the appliance, the feds mentioned. He informed them he “pulled household info from a cyber web site” and despatched the messages simply to “see if the household would reply.”
“The Division of Justice will defend victims and households in any respect prices, and grief profiteers will likely be held accountable,” U.S. Legal professional Timothy Courchaine mentioned after Callella’s arrest.
Authorities are nonetheless actively investigating the ransom notes despatched earlier this week. They’ve but to publicly verify their authenticity, however mentioned they’re being taken very critically.
“This was a observe that got here in that had information related to it,” Janke mentioned on Thursday, alluding to info that solely the presumed kidnapper may know.
Janke mentioned a ransom observe despatched to no less than one outlet demanded cash with a deadline set for five p.m. on Thursday, which has since come and gone. There’s additionally mentioned to have been point out of a second, extra critical deadline for Monday if the primary one isn’t met.
Guthrie’s potential captor has but to make contact with the household, in response to authorities.
The seek for the 84-year-old is now in its fifth day, after Guthrie was reported lacking shortly earlier than midday on Sunday. Police imagine she was taken “unwillingly” from her residence in Tucson within the early hours that morning.
Janke on Thursday introduced a $50,000 reward for info resulting in Guthrie’s return or the conviction of whoever kidnapped her. No suspects or individuals of pursuits have been publicly recognized.
