Cesar Sayoc gets 20 years in prison for mailing pipe-bombs to Democrats critical of Donald Trump
On August 5 in a Manhattan federal courtroom, Cesar Altieri Sayoc, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in connection with his mailing of 16 improvised explosive devices to victims across the country. Sayoc, previously a bodybuilder and nightclub bouncer in Florida, mailed those inoperative pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and media figures seen as critical of President Trump. In March, Sayoc pled guilty to a 65-count Superseding Information regarding the mailing of those explosive devices to his prime targets, which included “11 current or former U.S. government officials, in the weeks prior to the 2018 congressional elections,” according to NPR.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Cesar Sayoc assembled and mailed explosive devices to high-ranking officials and former elected leaders to incite fear and to terrorize his victims. Though thankfully no one was hurt by his actions, Sayoc’s domestic terrorism challenged our nation’s cherished tradition of peaceful political discourse. For his wanton disregard of the safety of so many people, Sayoc will now spend 20 years in prison.”
According to the Superseding Information, court filings, and statements made during court proceedings:
In October 2018, Sayoc mailed from Florida 16 padded envelopes, each containing an improvised explosive device (“IED”), to addresses in New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Georgia, and California. In alphabetical order, SAYOC’S intended victims (the “Victims”) were former Vice President Joseph Biden, Senator Cory Booker, former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, CNN, Robert De Niro, Senator Kamala Harris, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former President Barack Obama, George Soros, Thomas Steyer, and Representative Maxine Walters. Between October 22 and November 2, 2018, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and the U.S. Postal Service recovered all of the 16 IEDs mailed by SAYOC.
See Ace News Today’s original story on this subject:
Cesar Sayoc arrested for sending pipe-bombs to U.S. politicians and celebrities
Each of the IEDs mailed by Sayoc contained a mix of explosive powder from fireworks, shards of glass, and pool chemicals, designed to maximize potential injuries, damage, and the burning of his intended Victims’ skin. On the outside of each IED, Sayoc placed photographs of each of the Victims, and sometimes their families and others, with a red “X” over their faces. Sayoc also affixed black flags, similar in appearance to banners used by ISIS and other foreign terrorist organizations, to the outside of the IEDs.
SAYOC had posted incendiary comments about liberal political figures online since at least 2011. In the months prior to mailing the IEDs, Sayoc incited violence against the Victims, conveyed direct threats against them, and researched where and how to carry out his attack.
For example, in April 2016, he wrote that former President Barack Obama’s “head need[ed] to be chopped off” and he wished “death” to George Soros and former Attorney General Eric Holder. In April 2017, Sayoc wished “Death” to “all Clintons” and in November 2017 posted “Your days are number[ed] Steyer[].”
Beginning in December 2017, Sayoc researched the Victims and their addresses. For example, on December 23, 2017, Sayoc searched for the address of Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and, over the course of the ensuing months, Sayoc repeatedly searched for the “home address” or “address” of several of the Victims, and Sayoc intensified these searches in the days before his attack. Finally, Sayoc researched online how to make a “letter bomb” and watched videos depicting explosions.
The FBI arrested Sayoc in Plantation, Florida, on October 26, 2018 – less than five days after the October 22 recovery of the first IED, which Sayoc mailed to Soros in New York.
In addition to his prison sentence, the 57-year-old Sayoc was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
A sobbing Sayoc thanked the judge when he announced the 20-year sentence. Prosecutors had sought a life sentence. ~ NPR
ABC News quoted the judge delivering the sentence as saying that Sayoc “hated his victims, but did not wish them dead.”
For more on the story, see the video accompanying this article.
(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York)
~ Written by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
