US: Pro-Trump pipe bomber sentenced to 20 years

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - A fervent supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump who admitted to sending pipe bombs to some of the president's most prominent critics and some media outlets was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison.

In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff ordered Cesar Sayoc, 57, to serve five years of supervised release.

Sayoc earlier pled guilty to a 65-count indictment related to his mailing of 16 improvised explosive devices to his intended victims, which included former President Barack Obama, his vice president, Joe Biden, former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, CNN and former Attorney General Eric Holder.

All of the bombs Sayoc mailed were recovered by the FBI and the U.S. Postal Service between Oct. 22 and Nov. 2, 2018 in the runup to last year's midterm elections.

The bombs included explosive powder, glass shards and pool chemicals, according to the Justice Department.

"Though thankfully no one was hurt by his actions, Sayoc’s domestic terrorism challenged our nation’s cherished tradition of peaceful political discourse," Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement.

Prosecutors had reportedly sought a life sentence for Sayoc, who wept when Rakoff handed down the relatively lenient sentence that will nonetheless likely keep him behind bars for most if not the rest of his life.

Sayoc blamed his crimes on excessive steroid use, mental illness and a sexual assault he suffered as a child.