Cesar Sayoc pleads guilty to mailing bombs to prominent Democrats and CNN
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Nicole Chavez and Erica Orden, CNN
(CNN) — The Florida man accused of sending mail bombs to CNN offices and prominent Democrats pleaded guilty Thursday in a New York federal court.
Cesar Sayoc pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including using weapons of mass destruction.
RELATED: Mail bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc hit with 30-count indictment
He was initially indicted on federal charges in November after more than a dozen mail bombs were sent to CNN, former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other Democratic politicians like Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. None of the devices detonated, and no one was injured.
CNN’s New York bureau was evacuated in October after the discovery of a package with an explosive device addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, officials said.
Sayoc had been facing 30 charges, including five counts of use of a weapon of mass destruction and five counts of interstate transportation and receipt of explosives.
Sayoc was initially expected to appear in court for a pretrial hearing, but it was changed to a plea hearing last week, prosecutors said. The trial was expected to begin in July.
His attorney had entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf in November.
After a four-day nationwide hunt, FBI agents found and arrested Sayoc in Plantation, Florida.
Sayoc, of Aventura, Florida, is a bodybuilder who worked as a dancer for several years and most recently as a pizza delivery driver.
He apparently lived in a white van plastered with stickers and posters that praised President Donald Trump and criticized Democrats and media figures, including some of the people who were targets of the bombs.
The-CNN-Wire
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