Fil-Am mail bomber Sayoc to face new charges filed by US prosecutors

NEW YORK - New York federal prosecutors on Friday brought new charges against Cesar Sayoc, the Florida man accused of mailing bombs to prominent Democrats and other critics of US President Donald Trump.

In an indictment filed in Manhattan federal court, prosecutors charged Sayoc with 30 criminal counts, including multiple counts of using a weapon of mass destruction and interstate transport of explosives.

If convicted, he faces a sentence of life in prison. He had previously faced five counts carrying a maximum prison sentence of 48 years.

Sayoc's attorney, federal defender Sarah Baumgartel, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sayoc, a 56-year-old former stripper and pizza delivery driver who lived in a white van festooned with right-wing political images supporting Trump and attacking his critics, was arrested in Florida on Oct. 26 following an intense manhunt. He is being held without bail.

Prosecutors have accused Sayoc of mailing more than a dozen improvised explosive devices to targets including billionaire investor George Soros, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Joe Biden. — Reuters