IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Mail bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc to plead guilty in spree targeting Obama, De Niro, CNN

Sayoc, described by relatives as a down-on-his-luck former stripper, was living in a white van plastered with pro-Trump stickers when he was arrested.

Cesar Sayoc, the Florida man charged with sending more than a dozen pipe bombs to prominent critics of President Donald Trump, is expected to plead guilty next week, court records show.

Sayoc, 56, has been locked up since Oct. 26 when he was arrested for allegedly sending 16 mail bombs to a series of high-profile Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, actor Robert De Niro and philanthropist George Soros, as well as to the CNN headquarters in New York.

Image: Cesar Sayoc
Cesar Sayoc is seen in a booking photo, in Miami on Aug. 30, 2015.Broward County Sheriff's Office via AP

None of the bombs detonated and no one was injured, but the explosives were loaded with shards of glass intended to "maximize harm to the defendant's victims," prosecutors said in court papers.

Sayoc, described by relatives as a down-on-his-luck former stripper, was hit with a 30-count indictment charging him with using a weapon of mass destruction, interstate transportation and receipt of explosives and illegal mailing of explosives.

If convicted on the top counts, he faces life in prison. It was not clear which charges he will plead guilty to when he appears in federal court in Manhattan next Thursday.

Sayoc's lawyer, Ian H. Marcus Amelkin, declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan also declined comment.

Image: Cesar Sayoc's van is seen in Boca Raton, Florida
Cesar Sayoc's van is seen in Boca Raton, Florida, on Oct. 18, 2018 in this picture obtained from social media.Ed Kennedy / via Reuters

Prosecutors said his long list of targets also included: former Vice President Joe Biden; former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; former Attorney General Eric Holder; one-time CIA Director John Brennan; Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Kamala Harris, D-Calif.; Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.; activist Tom Steyer; and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

When he was arrested, Sayoc was living out of a white van plastered with stickers praising Trump and attacking the media.