Nancy Guthrie Update: Who is Derrick Callella? California man pleads guilty to forging ransom note
A Californian, Derek CarreraPleaded guilty to sending false ransom demands related to disappearance of TODAY co-anchor’s 84-year-old mother Nancy Guthrie Savannah Guthrie.
Carrera pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to two felony charges. These include sending ransom demands across state lines and using telecommunications equipment to threaten or harass, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
According to the Justice Department, Calera also admitted that he acted in an effort to harass Nancy’s family with requests for details regarding the investigation into Nancy’s disappearance.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10 and must serve five years in prison under the plea agreement.
Who is Derek Carrera?
Derrick Callella is a 42-year-old resident of Torrance, California. Federal investigators say he sent fraudulent Bitcoin ransom demands to the family of Nancy Guthrie as authorities searched for a missing 84-year-old man.
According to investigators, Carrera allegedly used an app that generated fake phone numbers to send text messages requesting passwords. Authorities traced the account to an email address associated with him. This led to his arrest and subsequent guilty plea.
Investigators said the messages were sent shortly after Nancy Guthrie’s family released an emotional video pleading with her kidnappers to contact her. Each family member received a text message to a phone number with a California area code that read: “Have you received any Bitcoin? [we’re] Waiting for the deal from our side. “
According to investigators, the number was traced through a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application. Authorities later linked the account to Carrera.
When questioned by investigators, Carrera allegedly admitted to sending the text messages. He told authorities he obtained the family’s contact information from a website and had been closely following media coverage of the high-profile disappearance.
During a court hearing Thursday, prosecutors told the judge Carrera had recently tested positive for drugs.
During the proceedings, he also admitted that he had taken drugs four days earlier. However, when questioned by the judge, Carrera said he was not under the influence of any substance during the hearing, KVOA reported.
FBI says Nancy Guthrie investigation remains ongoing
Law enforcement has received multiple ransom notes since Nancy Guthrie disappeared, the FBI said Wednesday.
“This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping-for-ransom case,” the FBI’s Phoenix office said in an update. The agency added that every tip received is carefully evaluated as investigators continue to pursue leads.
While investigators have determined that some of the messages were simply “extortion attempts,” others are still considered potentially “legitimate” as the kidnapping investigation remains ongoing, according to an update from the agency on Wednesday.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department responded to the message. Each tip and potential ransom message was allegedly forwarded directly to detectives working with the FBI.
Nancy Guthrie disappeared on February 1 from her home near Tucson, Arizona. Authorities said she was last seen around 9:45 the night before. The FBI later released doorbell camera images showing an armed man wearing a mask outside her home on the morning she disappeared.
