A Los Angeles-area man has pleaded guilty to federal harassment charges for sending fake ransom notes claiming he had kidnapped the missing mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie.
Derrick Callella, 42, pleaded guilty on July 2 to two counts of harassment by telecommunications device, marking the only criminal conviction to date stemming from the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie from her home in Tucson, Arizona, five months ago.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The plea agreement with prosecutors calls for Callella, a resident of Hawthorne, California, to serve five years on probation, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesperson. Formal sentencing was set for Sept. 10….