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Derrick Callella reportedly said he was trying to see if the family would respond.
Amid the emotional toil Nancy Guthrie's family is going through – with the disappearance of their 84-year-old mother, ransom notes, and absolutely no clue of how she is doing — they also received an “impostor” ransom note.
This comes as the search for Nancy Guthrie, mother of TODAY show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, is in its 13th day.
Derrick Callella, a 42-year-old California man, was presented before the federal court in Tucson on Thursday for sending this fake ransom note. He was arrested and charged with serious offences following the message.
According to KOVA News, Callella sent a fake ransom note to Nancy's eldest daughter, Annie and her husband, Tommaso Cioni.
Callella is reportedly out of custody but is subject to various pre-trial restrictions before trial.
What are the charges against Derrick Callella?
Derrick Callella has reportedly been charged with transmitting a demand for ransom in interstate commerce. He is also charged with making a phone call without disclosing his identity to abuse, threaten, or harass a person.
What are the pre-trial restrictions on Derrick Callella?
The news portal said that his pre-trial conditions include having Callella's electronic devices monitored, not being able to travel except between Arizona and California and the states necessary to get from one to the other.
Callella has also been ordered not to have any contact with alleged victims or potential witnesses.
Who is Derrick Callella?
Derrick Callella is a 42-year-old resident of Hawthorne, California, who sent an “imposter” ransom note to the Guthrie family.
According to a criminal complaint, as cited by KOVA News, he allegedly sent a text message from a VOIP (internet-based) number and made threatening calls without revealing his identity on February 4.
“Did you get the bitcoin were waiting on our end for the transaction, (sic)” the text messages read. The report also claimed that Callella had made a 9-second call to a family member.
Investigators said the message was sent shortly after the family released their first public video appeal asking for proof of life.
Callella was taken into custody after law enforcement traced the VOIP number linked to his email and IP address in California. He has reportedly admitted to sending the texts and making a call to the family already in distress over their mother's disappearance.
According to KOVA News, Callella said he was trying to see if the family would respond.
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