The California man facing federal charges for allegedly texting Nancy Guthrie‘s family about the bitcoin ransom payment has been granted bond by a judge — and may be outta federal custody in no time.

Derrick Callella, a 42-year-old man from Hawthorne, made his first court appearance Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen E. Scott ordered Callella to be released on $20,000 bond … and he’s been ordered to not to contact the alleged victims or witnesses.

Federal prosecutors claim Callella texted Nancy’s daughter Annie and her son-in-law Tommaso Cioni, “Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction.”

The alleged texts were sent Wednesday … after ‘TODAY’ host Savannah Guthrie posted a video acknowledging the ransom letters that were sent to TMZ and two local outlets in Tucson, AZ.

To be clear … in the criminal complaint against Callella, the feds say the text messages he allegedly sent Nancy’s family have NOT been linked to the ransom demand.