Cesar Sayoc, Accused Mail Bomber, To Plead Guilty

NEW YORK — The Florida man accused of mailing explosive devices to high-profile figures in New York City and elsewhere is expected to plead guilty in federal court next week, according to the court docket.

Brooklyn-born Cesar Sayoc is scheduled for a plea on March 21, the Manhattan federal corut docket shows. The docket does not indicate what charges the plea will involve.

Authorities arrested Sayoc in October and accused him of mailing makeshift bombs to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, CNN's Columbus Circle bureau and Robert De Niro's Tribeca office and restaurant, among others. Investigators matched fingerprints Sayoc apparently left on some of the devices to those taken from him in a prior arrest in Florida.

Sayoc, a registered Republican supporter of President Donald Trump, was indicted on 30 charges including five counts of use of a weapon of mass destruction, which could come with a lifetime prison sentence. He pleaded not guilty in November, court records show.

Sayoc allegedly targeted wealthy and famous critics of the president such as the billionaire investor George Soros and Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters. Time Warner Center was evacuated when a device meant for CNN was found there, and another was found at a Hell's Kitchen post office the day of Sayoc's arrest.

Sayoc had slammed some of his targets on Twitter, and he appeared to remain active on the site as the improvised devices he allegedly mailed stoked fear across the nation. He also reportedly owned a white van covered in stickers supporting Trump.