A federal judge has ordered a California man, who pleaded guilty to sending phony ransom messages to the family of missing Arizona woman Nancy Guthrie, to enter inpatient substance abuse treatment while awaiting sentencing. Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of a well-known television personality, has been missing from her home outside Tucson since February 1.
The man, 42-year-old Derrick Anthony Callella, was arrested days after Guthrie's disappearance after the FBI determined he had sent fraudulent ransom messages to her family members. He later pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment using a telecommunications device and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10.
Federal investigators have said that Callella was not responsible for an earlier ransom demand sent to local media, which remains under investigation. The FBI is continuing to investigate Guthrie's disappearance as a kidnapping-for-ransom case.
The court has amended Callella's release conditions, requiring him to reside at an inpatient substance use treatment facility or halfway house. He must comply with all program requirements and contribute toward the cost of treatment as directed by the U.S. Pretrial Services Division.
If Callella fails to comply with treatment requirements, the U.S. Marshals Service is authorized to remove him from the program and place him in temporary custody. Upon completing the program, he may reside at a home approved by the U.S. Pretrial Services Division.
Callella admitted sending spoofed ransom messages to Guthrie's daughter and son-in-law, asking for bitcoin and seeking information about the investigation. He obtained the family's contact information from a website while following television coverage of Guthrie's disappearance.
Callella faces up to two years in prison on each count, fines of up to $250,000 per count, and up to one year of supervised release. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10.
