TMZ boss says he was prepared to pay Bitcoin ransom for evidence in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance

CATALINA FOOTHILLS, ARIZONA: TMZ founder Harvey Levin has claimed he was prepared to pay the Bitcoin ransom to obtain evidence linked to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, but the FBI “ghosted” him.

The journalist insisted that TMZ had been receiving emails from the same person in the months following Nancy's alleged abduction on February 1.

The 86-year-old mother of host Savannah Guthrie was last seen on the evening of January 31 after being dropped off at her home following a family game night at her daughter Annie's residence.

Since then, both TMZ and the Guthrie family have received multiple ransom demands, including one in which the sender apologized for Nancy's accidental death and demanded $4 million in exchange for returning her body.

Harvey Levin details Bitcoin ransom demand

During a Saturday interview, Levin told CBS producer Anna Schecter that the sender used the same IP address in all communications with TMZ and demanded one bitcoin (about $60,000) in exchange for the information.

“A month ago, I called the FBI, and I said, ‘Look, I just have this sense this guy might be real,’” he said, adding, “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?’”

The TMZ boss said the FBI initially promised a quick response but later stopped communicating. “We’d obviously not do anything without you, but just because we have this sense it’s real, what if we do this?” he told the FBI.

Levin claimed he tried contacting the FBI at least six times but “felt they were ghosting us.” The FBI eventually contacted TMZ but only asked the outlet to "stand down" and not move forward with the documentary.

He recalled investigators telling him they believed they were making progress toward identifying the individual behind the messages. “I was told that they feel like they’re making progress in terms of identifying this person, and they think they can do that,” he said.

Harvey Levin questions FBI's handling

The celebrity journalist claimed that the FBI's response raised questions about whether authorities believe the potential informant is credible.

“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?” Levin wondered aloud during a separate interview with CNN host Michael Smerconish.

“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?” he added.

Levin then reiterated the chilling “evidence” the author claims he can deliver “on a silver platter” in exchange for the bitcoin, as outlined in the latest note sent to TMZ this week.

“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.