TMZ founder Harvey Levin has revealed that he was prepared to pay a bitcoin ransom demand from a person claiming to have critical information about the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC’s Today co-anchor , but says the FBI initially “ghosted” his attempts to coordinate with investigators.
TMZ head Harvey Levin says FBI ‘ghosted’ TMZ over Nancy Guthrie lead
Speaking in interviews with CBS producer Anna Schecter and CNN host Michael Smerconish, Levin detailed a series of communications between TMZ and an anonymous individual who has repeatedly contacted the media outlet since Guthrie’s disappearance in late January. According to Levin, the individual has consistently demanded one bitcoin — currently worth approximately $60,000 (£44,000) — in exchange for information that could allegedly identify those responsible for Guthrie’s disappearance.
“A month ago, I called the FBI, and I said, ‘Look, I just have this sense this guy might be real,'” Levin said, explaining that the sender had used the same IP address across multiple communications with TMZ.
Levin said he proposed collaborating with federal authorities on a documentary project that would allow investigators to trace the bitcoin payment.
“And I said, ‘What if we do a documentary, and we put that money in the bitcoin address and follow the path and where it goes?’ And we’d obviously not do anything without you, but just because we have this sense it’s real, what if we do this?” he continued.
According to Levin, investigators initially indicated they would respond promptly. However, he said repeated attempts to follow up went unanswered.
“I had made six calls and I felt they were ghosting us,” Levin said.
The TMZ founder said federal agents eventually contacted him again, this time requesting that the outlet cease its own efforts.
“I did get a call back this week and they asked us to stand down, to not do the documentary.
“I was told that they feel like they’re making progress in terms of identifying this person, and they think they can do that,” Levin claimed.
The response, Levin said, left him questioning whether investigators consider the anonymous source credible.
“If you’re asking me, how do I make sense of all of it? I’m having trouble,” he said.
“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?” Levin wondered aloud during a separate interview with host Michael Smerconish.
“On the other hand, if he’s legit, why didn’t they pay the one he’s asking, which is around $60,000 to lead them to the kidnappers – and possibly Nancy Guthrie?” he added.
Levin further disclosed details of what he described as the sender’s most recent communication, which allegedly offered evidence “on a silver platter” in exchange for .
“He specifically says he has a ‘short video of the main guy with Nancy on the day that was probably her last,'” Levin told Smerconish.
“He goes on to say he had the phone with that video in a safe location. The phone is turned off.
“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.
TMZ has previously reported that it asked the anonymous sender to provide a screenshot of Nancy Guthrie as proof that the claims were genuine and subsequently informed the FBI of the . The media outlet has said the latest messages originated from the same IP address used in earlier correspondence.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, disappeared from her home in Catalina Foothills near , Arizona, on the night of 31 January. Authorities have treated the case as an abduction after discovering evidence of a struggle, including blood confirmed to belong to Guthrie and surveillance footage showing a masked individual near her residence. No arrests have been made, and investigators have not publicly identified any suspects.
The and the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, which is leading the investigation, declined to comment on Levin’s claims. Guthrie remains missing nearly five months after her disappearance, despite an extensive investigation and repeated public appeals from her family.
