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Man Pleads Guilty to Fake Bitcoin Ransom Text

7/3/2026

32 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Derrick Callella pleaded guilty to sending a fake ransom text to Nancy Guthrie’s family.
He admitted asking for a bitcoin transfer and briefly calling an unknown relative.
His sentencing is scheduled for September 10 after investigators have found no suspects in nearly six months.
Authorities say the fake note is unrelated to the February 2 ransom demand while Savannah Guthrie continues to seek leads after a camera captured a masked suspect.

History

Historical Context

In May 2017 the WannaCry ransomware, exploiting the EternalBlue flaw, infected over 36,000 computers in Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan and demanded Bitcoin payments. Microsoft had released a patch for the vulnerability in March 2017, prompting the UK NHS, the FBI and other agencies to coordinate a response. That global shock shaped today’s crypto-ransom investigations, including the 2024 fake-text case.

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Story summary

Derrick Callella pleaded guilty to sending a fake ransom text to Nancy Guthrie’s family.
He admitted asking for a bitcoin transfer and briefly calling an unknown relative.
His sentencing is scheduled for September 10 after investigators have found no suspects in nearly six months.
Authorities say the fake note is unrelated to the February 2 ransom demand while Savannah Guthrie continues to seek leads after a camera captured a masked suspect.

1 / 2