Florida Man Cesar Sayoc Pleads Guilty In Mail Bomb Case

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Cesar Sayoc, the South Florida man charged with sending mail bombs to prominent Democrats, pleads guilty to criminal charges at a change of plea hearing Thursday afternoon.

Sayoc sobbed as he entered the plea before a federal judge in New York.

"I'm truly sorry," he said.

He faces the possibility of a life sentence on 65 criminal counts, including using weapons of mass destruction and illegal mailing of explosives with intent to kill.

READ LEGAL DOCUMENT: CESAR SAYOC PLEADS GUILTY TO 65 FELONIES

Without a plea deal, Sayoc faced charges carrying a potential penalty of mandatory life in prison.

None of the devices exploded.

Prosecutors said the evidence against Sayoc includes DNA linking him to 10 of the explosive devices and fingerprints on two of them.

Sayoc was arrested on October 26 in Plantation outside an auto parts store. He had been living in a van covered with stickers of President Donald Trump and showing images of some of the president's opponents with crosshairs over their faces.

Authorities said he sent improvised explosive devices to numerous Democrats, critics of President Trump and CNN — a scare that heightened tensions before the crucial midterm elections.

An improvised explosive mailed to former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in suburban Chappaqua, New York, contained a picture of Clinton and members of her family marked with a red "X," prosecutors say.

Others targeted by the mailings included former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, California Sen. Kamala Harris, and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. Packages were also mailed to CNN's offices in New York and Atlanta and actor Robert DeNiro.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)