TMZ founder Harvey Levin has claimed he was prepared to pay the Bitcoin ransom to obtain alleged evidence linked to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC’s Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie.
Levin said he contacted the FBI after receiving messages from the same person throughout the course of Nancy’s disappearance. However, he alleged the bureau later “ghosted” him after initially expressing interest in the proposal.
Levin made the remarks while discussing a fresh series of emails sent to TMZ by the anonymous individual demanding one Bitcoin in exchange for the information, and he has spoken with TMZ using the same IP address throughout.
Nancy Guthrie has been missing since late January after authorities said she was abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona. The investigation remains active, with the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department continuing to seek leads.
Read more: Nancy Guthrie case update: ‘Major break’ on the horizon? Former FBI agent makes big claim
Levin’s proposal
In an interview with CBS producer Anna Schecter on Saturday, Levin explained that the sender has consistently demanded one bitcoin, worth about $60,000, in exchange for information identifying the alleged kidnappers and the location of evidence.
He said, “A month ago, I called the FBI and I said, ‘Look, I just have this sense this guy might be real.’”
He proposed making a documentary in which TMZ would transfer the Bitcoin while tracking its destination, but only with law enforcement’s knowledge and cooperation. Levin said federal agents initially promised a quick response but later stopped communicating.
He told the FBI, “We’d obviously not do anything without you, but just because we have this sense it’s real, what if we do this?”
Read more: New twist in Nancy Guthrie case: Demand letter claims two kidnappers identified
FBI rejects proposal, saying they are making progress
Levin said during the interview that he had tried to reach the FBI by calling them six times. “I felt they were ghosting us,” he said.
According to Levin, the FBI contacted him again this week and asked TMZ to “stand down” and not move forward with the documentary. “I did get a call back this week and they asked us to stand down, to not do the documentary.”
Levin said investigators told him they believed they were making progress toward identifying the individual behind the messages. He said, “I was told that they feel like they’re making progress in terms of identifying this person, and they think they can do that.”
The FBI has not publicly confirmed Levin’s account. Both the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on the investigation, according to the New York Post.
Read more: Nancy Guthrie update: Expert gives troubling insights as case hits 5th month; ransom theory raises alarming questions
Emails claimed to contain evidence in Nancy Guthrie disappearance
Levin said the sender claimed to possess a phone containing a short video showing Nancy Guthrie with one of her alleged abductors on the day she disappeared.
According to Levin, the individual said the phone had been hidden in a secure location and promised to reveal its location, password and the identities of two alleged kidnappers in exchange for one Bitcoin.
“In return for the bitcoin, he will lead them to the phone, give them the password that will then let them look at the video, as well as the addresses of the two people he says are the kidnappers,” Levin said while recounting the email.
Earlier this week, TMZ reported that it had requested a screenshot of the alleged video to verify the claim before notifying the FBI.
Levin questions the FBI
During the interview, Levin also questioned why authorities appeared interested in identifying the sender if they believed the messages were merely a scam.
“If you’re asking me, how do I make sense of all of it? I’m having trouble. On the one hand, if they think this guy is just a jerk trying to scam money, why are they spending all this time…trying to figure out who this guy is?” he said.
He said he found the investigation’s response difficult to reconcile with the government’s refusal to authorize payment. He said, “On the other hand, if he’s legit, why didn’t they pay the one Bitcoin he’s asking, which is around $60,000 to lead them to the kidnappers – and possibly Nancy Guthrie?”
