The California man nabbed by the FBI after allegedly sending a phony ransom note about Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s missing octogenarian mother made an initial court appearance this week ahead of a possible trial in Arizona as the search approaches the end of its second week.
Callella, 42, is alleged to have sent demands via two text messages to Annie and Tommaso Cioni on Feb. 4, and to have made a nine-second phone call to one of them as the family desperately seeks new information that will bring their 84-year-old mother home. Callella is charged with transmitting a demand for ransom and using a telecommunication device with the intent to abuse, threaten or harass a person.
The alleged imposter will remain released from jail but is now subject to various pre-trial restrictions before he faces the court. These include having his electronic devices monitored and not being able to travel except between Arizona and California and the states necessary to get from one to the other. He was also ordered not to have any contact with alleged victims or potential witnesses.
Judge Maria Aguilera did not set a second hearing date on Thursday; an attorney representing the Hawthorne man told News 4 Tucson he intends to try to waive his client’s appearance at arraignment.
Both Annie and Tommaso Cioni received identical messages, allegedly sent by Callella, that read: “Did you get the bitcoin? We’re [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction.”
In a news release, the Department of Justice said Callella was acting as an imposter and that his communication with the Guthrie children was an attempt to take advantage of the ongoing situation that has gripped the nation and dominated the news cycle since their mother vanished from her Tucson home overnight on Feb. 1.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI said they will continue to hold this defendant accountable, as well as any other individuals who seek to interfere with federal investigations or profit from the victim’s family’s grief.
The FBI, whose members are aiding in the investigation, has announced the reward has been doubled to $100,000 for any “information leading to the location of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.”
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