TMZ boss says FBI ‘exposed’ his bid to seek ransom in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance | Today’s news

TMZ founder Harvey Levin has revealed he was prepared to pay a bitcoin ransom from a person who claimed to have critical information about the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC Today co-founder Savannah Guthrie, but says the FBI initially “freaked out” his attempts to coordinate with investigators.

In interviews with CBS producer Anna Schecter and CNN anchor Michael Smerconish, Levin detailed a series of communications between TMZ and an anonymous individual who has repeatedly contacted the media since Guthrie’s disappearance in late January. According to Levin, the individual kept demanding one bitcoin – currently worth around $60,000 (£44,000) – in exchange for information that could allegedly identify those responsible for Guthrie’s disappearance.