Mail Bomb Suspect Has Long Criminal History

Florida's Cesar Sayoc, 56, is in custody
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 26, 2018 1:59 PM CDT
The Mail Bomb Suspect: What We Know
In this undated photo released by the Broward County Sheriff's office, Cesar Sayoc is seen in a booking photo.   (Broward County Sheriff's Office via AP)

His name is Cesar Sayoc, he is 56, and he lives in Aventura, Florida. Those were among the first basic facts to emerge Friday after the FBI arrested Sayoc in connection with the string of mail bombs mailed to prominent Democrats earlier in the week. Details and developments:

  • Big supporter: Sayoc appears to be an ardent supporter of the president. The Miami Herald reports that his confiscated white van had pro-Trump stickers and right-wing stickers covering the windows, along with rifle scopes over the faces of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Another sticker said, "CNN Sucks."
  • 'Confused': An attorney familiar with Sayoc calls him "a confused man who had trouble controlling his emotions," per the AP. "His mind doesn't seem to operate like most peoples,'" says Miami attorney Ronald Lowy. "It shows in his anger, his emotion and his behavior."
  • 58 years: Sayoc faces five federal charges: transporting explosives across state lines, illegally mailing explosives, threatening former presidents and others, threatening interstate communications, and assaulting federal officials, reports the Washington Post. He faces up to 58 years in prison, according to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Read the complaint against him here.

  • Another name: Sayoc, a native of Brooklyn, went online as Cesar Alteri, reports Heavy.com, which says he was a prolific poster of anti-Democratic memes, like so.
  • Strip clubs: Sayoc was apparently something of a business entrepreneur, and one area of interest was strip clubs. The Albany Times-Union reports that he worked as everything from a stripper to a manager at clubs in New York and Florida. However, Sayoc declared bankruptcy in 2012, reports USA Today.
  • Criminal history: It's lengthy. Sayoc has previously been arrested on charges making of a bomb threat in 2002 and served a year of probation. In that case, the AP reports that he threatened to make and lob a bomb at his local utility company in a dispute over service. He was also convicted in 2013 of battery and in 2014 of theft. He also faced charges for illegally possessing a muscle-building steroid (he billed himself as an amateur bodybuilder), along with several more theft charges in the 1990s.
  • The arrest: The FBI made it at an AutoZone store in Plantation, near the suspect's home in Aventura, because they wanted to avoid a potentially dangerous confrontation at his residence, per the Herald. FBI chief Christopher Wray say DNA evidence and fingerprints from the devices led them to Sayoc.
  • No. 13: Authorities found a suspicious package addressed to Democratic Rep. Kamala Harris at a mail facility in Sacramento on Friday, bringing the total so far to 13.
(More mail bomb stories.)

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