Pipe bomb suspect: Cesar Sayoc, Jr. in custody for allegedly sending suspicious packages

Mail bomb suspect has a criminal history and had worked as a bouncer in strip clubs, according to his cousin. 
By Pete Williams,    Rich Schapiro,    Adiel Kaplan and
 Corky Siemaszko        Oct. 26, 2018 
A Florida man with a right wing bent and a troubled past was identified Friday as the suspect who sent more than a dozen pipe bomb packages to prominent critics of President Donald Trump, officials said.

DNA evidence played a role in the arrest of 56-year-old Cesar Sayoc Jr., whose past criminal history includes an arrest for making a bomb threat — and who, according to a cousin, worked as both an exotic dancer and bouncer in a number of strip clubs."In line with our policies, as our community standards explain, we do not allow praise or support for horrendous acts like these. We also do not allow the suspect to maintain a presence on our site, so we’ve removed his account," the spokesperson said.

Sayoc has a criminal record in Florida and was arrested in 2002 for making a bomb threat, according to Miami-Dade County court records. He pleaded guilty. There were also two arrests, one in 1992 and the other in 2014, for petit theft.
In the latter theft case, Sayoc tried to walk out of a Walmart with a shopping cart filled with $239 worth of merchandise, according to an arrest affidavit.

A year later, Sayoc was convicted in 2015 of stealing a heavy rolling briefcase and a garment bag from Walmart worth $58.
Sayoc also had a misdemeanor arrest on his record in North Carolina, where he was charged in 1999 for possession of stolen car, records show. And in 1995, he was charged in Minnesota with theft and possession of crack cocaine.

The 2002 mug shot of Cesar Sayoc when he made a bomb threat in Miami.Miami-Dade Police Department 
The suspect also appeared to have money troubles. Records revealed he had a property foreclosed on in 2009 and filed for bankruptcy in 2012. At the time, he was living with his mother and employed as a store manager, records show. But of late, Sayoc had been living in his van and showering at the gym where he works out, a Florida-based cousin who asked not to be identified told NBC News.
In addition to North Carolina, where Sayoc played soccer for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1983, records show that he also lived for a time in New Jersey, Michigan, and Brooklyn, New York.

On Facebook, Sayoc also claimed to be a booking agent with Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. A spokesperson for the tribe told NBC News that Sayoc was not a member and had never been employed at the casino.
On his LinkedIn page, Sayoc listed himself as Cesar Altieri and claimed to have worked for Chippendales. After word of this leaked out, the male striptease dance troupe quickly issued a statement declaring that Sayoc "has never been affiliated in any way with Chippendale USA, LLC."
Sayoc grew up in North Miami Beach with his two sisters and was thrown out of his house as a teenager, his cousin said. The cousin described him as a "loose cannon" and a "lost soul" who was estranged from his family and had been abusing steroids.

Cesar Sayoc at a Donald Trump rally.via Facebook 
"He's been in the strip clubs since he was 22, that was his life," the cousin said. "He was a male dancer and he wanted to be a wrestler. He was taking steroids. He was all buffed up....He was built like a rock."
Another cousin, who lives in another state, told NBC News she was stunned by Sayoc's arrest.
"Oh my God," the woman, who also asked not to be identified, said. "He's always been a very nice, thoughtful person. I don't know anything about this. It's shocking."
The cousin said she hadn't seen Sayoc for two decades but that he called her recently after her father died.
"It was mostly just small talk," she said. "How's your family, that kind of thing. I don't really know that much about him. We have a very big family."
The dramatic development came on the same day that four new suspicious packages were found, according to law enforcement. One was addressed to Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). Another was sent to James Clapper, former director of national intelligence. The others were addressed to Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and California billionaire, philanthropist and liberal activist Tom Steyer.
Brandy Zadrozny, Donna Mendell, Courtney McGee, Ken Dilanian and Hannah Rappleye contributed.