A California resident appeared in federal court in Tucson after being charged with transmitting a demand for ransom, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine.
Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, California, faces charges of sending a ransom demand across state lines without revealing his identity and using telecommunications to abuse, threaten or harass another person.
Court documents allege that on February 4, 2026, Callella sent two text messages demanding ransom to the family of a missing person. He is also accused of making a brief phone call lasting nine seconds to one of the family members.
Investigators determined that Callella was impersonating someone else and attempting to exploit the situation involving the missing person’s family.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI will continue to hold this defendant accountable and any other individuals who seek to interfere with federal investigations or profit from the victim family’s grief,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine.
Authorities emphasized that a criminal complaint is only an accusation and does not indicate guilt. Individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
More information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
