Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Mail bomb suspect looks at ease in court
MIAMI – Mail bombing suspect Cesar Sayoc Jr. looked calm, almost relaxed, during a brief appearance in federal court in Miami on Monday afternoon, just hours after another explosive device was found in Atlanta.
But he teared up and mouthed “I love you” when he spotted one of his sisters in the crowded public gallery. The woman ignored a request for comment in the courtroom.
Shackled and handcuffed to a chain around his waist, Sayoc sounded hoarse when he said his name out loud in response to U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres’ question. He uttered only a
few words during the hearing, which lasted less than five minutes.
The zealous Trump supporter faces five preliminary federal charges that he mailed more than a dozen pipe bombs to prominent Democrats, public figures and CNN earlier this month. He has not yet been formally indicted and more charges are likely to be added in the coming days or weeks.
One of his attorneys said the fact that another mail bomb was found in Atlanta, three days after Sayoc’s arrest, could raise questions about whether Sayoc acted alone or whether he is responsible for creating and mailing any of the devices.
Investigators and bomb squads were called to a post office in Atlanta on Monday about a suspicious package sent to CNN. The FBI said via its Twitter account that the recovered package was “similar in appearance to others,” but no charges have been filed yet.
Separately, a U.S. official told The Associated Press that Sayoc kept a list of elected officials and others who investigators believe were intended targets. The official also said authorities recovered soldering equipment, a printe, and stamps
similar to those used on the package bombs.
The official wasn’t authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity to the AP.
In court on Monday, federal prosecutors asked for Sayoc to remain locked up without bond until he goes to trial. He is due back in court on Friday morning in Miami for hearings to decide if he should remain detained and to allow prosecutors to transfer him to New York. Those hearings are usually little more than a formality.
Prosecutors would have to prove only that Sayoc is the individual facing prosecution in New York and provide enough evidence to convince a judge that he is a danger to the community or at risk of fleeing justice if he was released on bond.\
Attorneys Jamie Benjamin and Daniel Aaronson said they have been able to visit with Sayoc only through glass and wire partitions in the solitary housing unit of the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami. The judge recommended, but did not order, prison officials to let
Sayoc have less restrictive visits with his defense team.
Sayoc, dressed in khaki scrubs and sitting alone in the back of the jury box, chatted with his attorneys before the hearing. His hair was pulled back in a scraggly ponytail, and he wore a bright orange shirt under his jail scrubs.
Though Sayoc was arrested in Broward County and is accused of mailing the bombs in South Florida, he will be prosecuted in the Southern District of New York, where several of the potentially explosive packages ended up.
The judge explained the charges to Sayoc and informed him of his rights in the courtroom. It was standing room only, which is usually not allowed.
Security was tighter than usual, with additional deputy marshals and courthouse security officers on hand. Several other defendants in the first row looked bemused by the unusual media interest in magistrate court.
The Federal Public Defender’s Office in New York has already been appointed to represent Sayoc, 56, who was living in his white van, plastered with pro-Trump stickers and anti-liberal messages.
Fort Lauderdale-based private attorneys Benjamin, Aaronson and Peter Patanzo are representing Sayoc at the South Florida hearings. All three declined to say what Sayoc has told them about the allegations. They also refused to say what he told investigators.
FBI officials said they have strong evidence linking Sayoc to some of the packages. His fingerprint was found on one of the padded envelopes and possible DNA matches were made to material found on two of the explosive devices, investigators said.
After the hearing, Benjamin said the evidence, so far, is thin and that the fingerprint and DNA have not been conclusively linked to Sayoc.
“There’s no evidence that he is responsible at this point,” Benjamin said. “Would you like to go to jail based on maybes?”
Sayoc is charged with interstate transportation of an explosive, illegal mailing of explosives, making threats against former presidents and others, making threatening interstate communications and assaulting federal officers. He has not been formally indicted yet and defendants in federal cases generally don’t indicate if they plan to fight the charges — or even enter a preliminary “not guilty” plea — until later in the proceedings.
The defense said they will decide before Friday if they will go ahead with the hearings after they get an opportunity to have a more in-depth discussion with Sayoc.
Given the serious nature of the charges against Sayoc and his extensive criminal history, he is expected to remain locked up pending trial. He has been locked up in the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami since Friday evening.