Sayoc Allegedly Mailed 16 IEDs to 13 Victims Across the
United States and Now Faces Charges Including Use of Weapons of Mass
Destruction, Interstate Mailing of Explosives, and Use of Destructive Devices
During Crimes of Violence
Cesar Altieri Sayoc, aka Cesar Randazzo, aka Cesar Altieri,
and aka Cesar Altieri Randazzo, 56, was charged today in a 30-count Indictment
for offenses relating to his alleged execution of a domestic terrorist attack
in October 2018, which involved the mailing of 16 improvised explosive devices
(IEDs) to 13 victims throughout the country.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C.
Demers, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman for the Southern District of New York,
Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. of the FBI’s New York
Office, and Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill of the NYPD made the
announcement. The case is assigned to
U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff.
“According to court filings, Cesar Sayoc mailed 16 IEDs to
more than a dozen victims throughout the country, including current and former
elected leaders. Less than five days
after the first IED was discovered, he was tracked down and arrested, thanks to
the outstanding work of the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and other
law enforcement partners,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers.
“Cesar Sayoc allegedly targeted former high-ranking
officials such as President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, Vice
President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and others, as well as
CNN, by sending explosive packages to them through the U.S. Postal Service,”
said U.S. Attorney Berman. “Sayoc’s
alleged conduct put numerous lives at risk.
It was also an assault on a nation that values the rule of law, a free
press, and tolerance of differences without rancor or resort to violence. Thanks to the diligent and determined work of
our law enforcement partners here and across the country, it took just five
days to identify and apprehend Sayoc and end his reign of terror. He now faces justice from a nation of laws.”
“As alleged, Cesar
Sayoc deliberately targeted 13 individuals with 16 improvised explosive
devices, attempting to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation from
California to the eastern seaboard,” said Assistant Director in Charge
Sweeney. “Thanks to the seamless
integration of FBI JTTFs across the country, working side-by-side with many
other law enforcement agencies and first responders, his campaign of terror was
brought to a rapid conclusion just five days after the discovery of the first
device. The FBI remains steadfast in our
mission to protect the American public, and we will move with speed to bring
justice to anyone seeking to harm our communities.”
“I commend everyone involved in investigating and
prosecuting this case, particularly the agents and detectives on the FBI’s Joint
Terrorism Task Force in New York, which includes 56 agencies and 300
individuals – 113 of them NYPD cops,” said Commissioner O’Neill. “Standing shoulder to shoulder with the FBI,
the ATF, the U.S. Marshals, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the New York
State Police, and others, we said from the outset that we would identify and
bring to justice the person allegedly responsible for these acts. We could make that promise because of our
proven history of effective partnership.
The public’s vigilance also greatly assisted this investigation and
helped lead to today’s 30-count indictment.
What is clear is that New Yorkers are always resilient in the face of
threats – we refuse to back down, and we will never be deterred.”
According to the Indictment, Complaint, other court filings,
and statements made during court proceedings[1]:
Between Oct. 22 and Nov. 2, the FBI and the U.S. Postal
Service recovered 16 padded manila envelopes containing IEDs allegedly mailed
by Sayoc from Florida to addresses in New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C.,
Delaware, Atlanta and California.
Sayoc’s alleged victims, listed alphabetically, 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.
Each of the 16 envelopes allegedly mailed by Sayoc had
similar features, including the return addressee “Debbie Wasserman Shultz” at
an address in “Florids,” six self-adhesive postage stamps bearing the American
flag, and address labels printed on white paper with blank ink in similar
typeface and font size. Each of the 16
envelopes also contained an IED. The 16
IEDs also had similar features, including approximately six inches of PVC pipe
packed with explosive material, a small clock, and wiring. Some of the IEDs also contained shards of
glass.
Preliminary analysis by the FBI has revealed forensic
evidence linking 11 of the 16 mailings to Sayoc. Specifically, latent fingerprints on two of
the envelopes have been identified to Sayoc, and there are possible DNA associations
between a DNA sample collected from Sayoc prior to his arrest in this case and
DNA found on components from 10 of the IEDs (including one of the IEDs that was
mailed in an envelope from which a latent fingerprint identified to Sayoc was
recovered).
The FBI arrested Sayoc in Plantation, Florida, on Oct. 26 –
less than five days after the Oct. 22 recovery of the first IED, which Sayoc
allegedly mailed to Soros in New York.
The FBI seized a laptop from Sayoc’s van in connection with the arrest
that contained lists of physical addresses that match many of the labels on the
envelopes that Sayoc allegedly mailed.
The lists were saved at a file path on the laptop that includes a
variant of Sayoc’s first name: “Users/Ceasar/Documents.” A document from that path, titled “Debbie
W.docx” and bearing a creation date of July 26, contained repeated copies of an
address for “Debbie W. Schultz” in Sunrise, Florida, that is nearly identical,
except for typographical errors, to the return address that Sayoc allegedly
used on the packages. Similar documents
bearing file titles that include the name “Debbie,” and creation dates of Sept.
22, contain exact matches of the return address allegedly used by Sayoc on the
16 envelopes.
Sayoc possessed a cellphone at the time of his arrest, and
the FBI’s ongoing forensic analysis of the device has revealed additional
evidence. For example, Sayoc allegedly
used the phone to conduct the following Internet searches, among others, on the
dates indicated:
July 15: “hilary
Clinton hime address”
July 26: “address
Debbie wauserman Shultz”
Sept. 19: “address
kamila harrias”
Sept. 26: “address
for barack Obama”
Sept. 26:
“michelle obama mailing address”
Sept. 26: “joseph
biden jr”
Oct. 1: “address
cory booker new jersey”
Oct. 20: “tom
steyers mailing address”
Oct. 23: “address
kamala harris”
Sayoc’s phone also contained photographs of some of the
victims.
*
* *
Sayoc, a U.S. citizen, is charged in the Indictment with 30
counts: one count of six different
offenses for each of the five IEDs that he allegedly mailed to Clinton,
Brennan, Clapper, Soros and De Niro in the Southern District of New York. In aggregate, the 30 counts in the Indictment
carry a potential maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and a mandatory minimum
penalty of life imprisonment. A chart
providing more information regarding the charges and potential penalties is set
forth below. The statutory penalties are
prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only,
as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.
Counts
Charge
Penalties Per Count
1 – 5
Using a weapon of mass destruction
Maximum per count: life
6 – 10
Interstate transportation of an explosive
Maximum per count: 20 years
11 – 15
Conveying a threat in interstate commerce
Maximum per count: 5 years
16 – 20
Unlawful use of mails
Maximum per count: 10 years
21 – 25
Carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony
Minimum for first conviction: 10 years
Minimum for additional convictions: 20 years
26 – 30
Using and carrying a destructive device in furtherance of a
crime of violence
Maximum per count: life
Minimum for first conviction: 30 years
Minimum for additional convictions:
life
Mr. Demers and Mr. Berman praised the outstanding efforts of
the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of
agents from the FBI and detectives from the NYPD, and the U.S. Postal
Inspection Service. Mr. Demers and Mr.
Berman also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of
Florida for its assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg, Emil J. Bove III,
Jane Kim, and Jason A. Richman of the Southern District of New York are in
charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorneys David Cora and
Kiersten Korczynski of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism
Section.
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