What We Know About Cesar Sayoc, the Mail Bombing Suspect



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AVENTURA, Fla. – A South Florida man with a history of criminal convictions was arrested on Friday morning in the United States of America.

Here is what is known about the suspect:

• The authorities identified the suspect as Cesar Sayoc Jr., 56, of Aventura, Fla, just north of Miami.

• Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the suspect had been arrested for five years, and faces up to 58 years in prison if convicted.

• Mr. Sayoc, has registered Republican, has a lengthy criminal history in Florida dating back to 1991 that includes felony theft, drug and fraud charges, as well as being accused of threatening to use a bomb, public records show.

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Cesar Sayoc Jr.CreditBroward County Sheriff's Office

• His criminal record of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement indicates that at the time of his last arrest in 2015, he was 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds. He has brown eyes, a black hair and a broken neck, the records said, and was born in New York. The records listed Mr. Sayoc's occupation as "manager."

• Broward County court records show that Mr. Sayoc was asked to provide DNA in 2014 and again in 2015 as a condition of probation for two different grand theft charges that are searchable by the FBI

• According to a 2012 bankruptcy petition filed in Miami, Mr. Sayoc resided at the time at his mother's home. "Lives w / mom," a handwritten note on the petition said. "Has no furniture."

• The suspect was arrested at about 11 am in the parking lot of a shopping center in Plantation, Fla., West of Fort Lauderdale.

• Patrol cars shut down surrounding streets, leaving rows of businesses inaccessible for part of the morning. A white van that was covered in stickers was towed away from the scene in the late morning.

• Two more of the explosive devices were found on Friday: one addressed to Senator Cory Booker and the other to James R. Clapper Jr., the former director of national intelligence. Read more about who has been targeted here.

• Mr. Sayoc once worked as a manager for "male magazine shows," according to Sayoc's business partners.

• According to a spokesman for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a man with the same name attended the university for one academic year, 1983-1984. The spokesman, Buffie Stephens, said the university was looking for any records associated with his behavior.

Mr. Sayoc appears to have been active on social media, where he shared conservative news stories and condemnations of liberal politicians.

On Facebook, Mr. Sayoc appeared to post frequently in right-wing circles. One profile, listed under the name "Cesar Altieri Randazzo," belonged to Facebook groups including "The Trump American Party" and "Vote Trump 2020." The account, which was suspended on Friday afternoon. bombing case, shared photos of Mr. Sayoc attending political events and working out at the gym.

Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, the account shared news stories from Breitbart, video clips from Fox News, and posts from "Handcuffs for Hillary." That year, the account included posted photos of Mr. Sayoc at a Trump campaign rally, wearing a red "Make American Great Again" hat.

A Twitter account, which shares much of the same imagery and language as it has been found by Mr. Sayoc's other social media accounts, has posted more than 1,200 times since April 2016. The account posted attacks on immigrants, gun-control advocates and prominent Democrats. In the day after, the account posted a photo of Mr. Sayoc holding a "CNN Sucks" sign.

In another message, sent to the Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., along with an aerial photo of what appeared to be Mr. Biden's house.

A Twitter spokesperson declined to comment on the account's activity.

Rachel Humberger, Mr. Sayoc's business partners, said Mr. Sayoc used to be a manager for traveling "male magazine shows."

"It was a traveling show, but I do not know what his role was, whether he booked the gigs or what," Ms. Humberger said.

Ms. Humberger described the show as being "Magic Mike," a reference to a 2012 movie about male strippers.

More recently, she said Mr. Sayoc was talking to her husband about starting a new business: Fish farms.

"Cesar had opened a bank account" for the new business, she said. "But that's as far as it got."

Ms. Humberger also said that she was very good at it. "He was always sweet and a nice guy in general," she said.

Ms. Humber said she never said politics with Mr. Sayoc, but had been told he played college soccer.

The suspect's white van reminded David Cypkin and his girlfriend, who until recently lived in Aventura, Fla., Of a van parked in the parking lot of a local strip mall, the Shoppes at the Waterways. Mr. Cypkin shared photographs with the New York Times that showed signs of bearing the image of President Trump and at least one anti-CNN sticker.

Mr. Cypkin, 39, said he lived near the mall and would see him in the early morning when he walked his dog.

"It struck me because of the crazy conspiratorial stickers covering the windows," said Mr. Cypkin, a documentary film producer and editor. "It was unsettling, and also it seemed to be occupied. Sometimes the door would be open, which indicated to me that somebody was living in the van. "

"I never wanted to get too close," he added, "but he saw the owner at least once. He described him as an older white man.

Mr. Cypkin shared a picture of him in the early morning of Dec. 31. The photo shows a picture of the day. He said he called the F.B.I. after learning of the arrest.

On Friday, his girlfriend saw the TV on the screen of the TV: "Is this the van from the Waterways?"

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