Suspect in bomb mailings charged with 'federal crimes' in US

October 27, 2018:

On Friday, a Florida registered Republican with a history of financial problems, petty arrests & flamboyant political criticism mailed at least 14 explosive packages through the mail, targeting Democratic leaders & multimillionaires in a plot that struck a chord of fear throughout the United States.

People who know the suspect, Cesar Sayoc, 56, said they were shocked at the charges, though their description describe him as a hard to handle man.

Sayoc attended the Little Flower Church in Fort Lauderdale, but he also told acquaintances he had a working relationship with male strip clubs in South Florida.

None of the explosive packages detonated & no one was injured in the mailings.

Sayoc told at least one neighbor he was a "flash dancer" at strip clubs & needed to keep his body in prime shape through weight training. But in Court depositions, Sayoc is depicted as occasionally bankrupt & living with his mother.

Daniel Lurvey, a Miami-Dade defense attorney who represented Sayoc in 2 theft cases in 2013 & 2014 said, “He was always cordial, courteous & professional. We talked a little bit about his work, & I remember him referring to an association with the Chippendale dancers."

The group is a nationally renowned touring troupe of male strippers, but Lurvey said he did not know exactly what Sayoc’s association was, and it remains unclear if Sayoc actually had any connection with the troupe.

On Friday, Chippendales spokesman Michael Caprio said Sayoc “has never been affiliated in any way with Chippendales.”

In 2001, Chippendales sued & won a Judgment to prevent Gold Productions Inc. from using the Chippendales name in their productions. Sayoc claims on his LinkedIn professional page to have been a promoter and booking agent for Gold Productions.

A former neighbor, Robert Blake, said Sayoc told him he made a living as a flash dancer and needed to work out to stay in shape. Sayoc lost his home to foreclosure during the nationwide real estate crash and disappeared from their suburban Fort Lauderdale neighborhood, a community of older single-family homes near Pompano Beach in Broward County.

He said Sayoc was unmarried & did not have any kids and lived next door to him for about 3 years.

Sayoc was born in Brooklyn, New York. Records show he has a Criminal History dating back nearly 3 decades, including a 2015 arrest in Broward County for petty theft & probation violation.

Federal authorities charged Sayoc with 5 federal crimes, including interstate transportation of an explosive, illegal mailing of an explosive & threats against former presidents.

Sayoc was arrested near an auto store in Plantation, Florida. Police examined a white van shrouded in stickers with political and anti-media messages.

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