Teens arrested in Arizona crypto home invasion plot amid Nancy Guthrie search
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Two California teens arrested in connection with a $66 million home invasion in Arizona cryptocurrency The incident occurred the same day Nancy Guthrie was last seen before disappearing from her home in Tucson, about two hours away.
Authorities have not said whether the two cases are connected in any way, but the cases share some uncanny similarities.
The teens, who were not identified by Fox News Digital because they were both under 18, allegedly pretended to be delivery drivers to enter the Scottsdale home on Jan. 31, where they duct-taped and attacked the two homeowners.
According to court documents, the teens had recently met and were extorted by men known only as “Red” and “8.” The men were allegedly sent from California with $1,000 to purchase disguise, restraint and burglary tools.
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Two California teenagers allegedly posing as delivery drivers attacked a home in Arizona in an attempt to steal $66 million in cryptocurrency, police said. (Getty Images)
Authorities said one of the victims denied possessing cryptocurrency at the time of the home invasion. An adult son in the home was able to call police from another room. When officers arrived, the teens ran away but were later caught and arrested.
One of the teen’s mothers contacted law enforcement in California to report text messages on his phone describing him wearing a delivery uniform and stealing, court documents said. Authorities said the messages included a home address in Scottsdale.
Authorities in California contacted the Scottsdale Police Department (SPD) to report a possible theft. SPD received this information after the home raids took place.
Both teens face felony charges including burglary, aggravated assault and kidnapping. Although it was reported that they had a 3D printed gun in their possession, the police said that there was no ammunition inside and its functionality was unknown.
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Savannah Guthrie and her mother, Nancy Guthrie, Thursday, June 15, 2023. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
The home invasion occurred in Scottsdale, about two hours north of Tucson; Here, investigators are trying to piece together what happened to Nancy Guthrie, the mother of ‘Today’ co-anchor Savannah Guthrie.
According to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home on Jan. 31 around 9:30 p.m. Investigators believed Gutherie had been abducted or kidnapped. His blood was found on his porch during the investigation, authorities said Thursday.
TMZ He reported receiving a possible ransom note demanding that millions of dollars of cryptocurrency be sent to a specific bitcoin address. The memo allegedly included a deadline. The memo, obtained by TMZ, reportedly contained “an ‘or else’ element.”
The memo lists two deadlines, and TMZ says the last of them is “much more serious.” The initial deadline was Thursday at 5 p.m., the FBI confirmed. The second deadline is Monday.
Australian-born host Savannah Guthrie poses with her mother, Nancy Guthrie, during a break from production while hosting NBC’s “Today” show live from Australia at the Sydney Opera House on May 4, 2015 in Sydney. (Don Arnold/WireImage; Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)
“TMZ Live” hosts Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere said the alleged ransom note was sent to newsrooms and listed demands that changed with each delivery date. The hosts noted that something was always “triggered” at the time limit.
Although TMZ did not specify what was in the letter, the news outlet reported that the second deadline was “much more serious.” The Guthrie family posted a video on social media Wednesday afternoon, about 24 hours before the original deadline, pleading with her kidnappers to contact them and ensure the safe return of Nancy Guthrie.
Additionally, a California man is facing criminal charges for allegedly demanding Bitcoin payments from the Guthrie family. Derrick Callella, 42, of the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne, is accused of transmitting a ransom demand for a kidnapped person and anonymous interstate communications intended to harass or threaten.
Court documents allege that a Tucson TV station received a ransom demand through its online tip portal on Monday demanding payment in bitcoin. After the family released a public plea video on Wednesday, Guthrie’s daughter and son-in-law received messages requesting confirmation of the payment, according to the criminal complaint.
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Authorities claim the messages were traced to an email account belonging to Callella, and IP address records show the messages were sent from Callella’s home. He allegedly admitted to investigators that he sent the messages and urged the family to follow, prompting authorities to obtain an arrest warrant.
According to court documents, the ransom note previously sent to the TV channel has no direct connection to the texts. Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI and Scottsdale Police Department.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
