Cesar A. Sayoc, mugshot photo.

A Manhattan federal judge Monday sentenced convicted mail bomber Cesar Sayoc to 20 years in prison for sending 16 explosive devices to more than a dozen persons, including Democrats, journalists and critics of President Donald Trump.

Among those who were set to receive Sayoc’s devices were former President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the former presidential candidate and U.S. Secretary of State.

U.S. Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the Southern District of New York declined to impose the life sentence that prosecutors sought in the case. Reading his sentence from the bench, Rakoff said it was the “lowest sentence I could reasonably give him.

“In the court’s view, it is no more and no less than he deserves,” Rakoff said.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman, who attended Monday’s sentencing, in a statement that Sayoc had demonstrated “wanton disregard” for the safety of others and said his actions amounted to “domestic terrorism.”

“Cesar Sayoc assembled and mailed explosive devices to high-ranking officials and former elected leaders to incite fear and to terrorize his victims,” Berman said. “Though thankfully no one was hurt by his actions, Sayoc’s domestic terrorism challenged our nation’s cherished tradition of peaceful political discourse.”

Sayoc, who sat quietly at the defense table throughout the proceeding, expressed regret for his actions and began to weep out of relief as the sentence was handed down.

“I am beyond so very sorry for what I did,” he said earlier in the hearing.

Sayoc, 57, was arrested in October, just days after the first of the unexploded mail bombs was discovered at the New York home of George Soros, a hedge fund billionaire and prominent supporter of liberal causes. The following day a package intended for former Secretary of State Clinton in New York was intercepted. Packages sent to actor Robert De Niro; U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California; and former Vice President Joe Biden, among a number of other individuals, would be discovered.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the bombs were packed inside of PVC pipes, along with shards of glass and pool chemicals to inflict maximal damage on anyone in their vicinity. However, the agency said the devices were incorrectly constructed and “would not have functioned as a result of their design.”

Still, an FBI report concluded, the bombs were “capable” of exploding, given the volatile mix of chemicals inside each device.

Sayoc pleaded guilty in March to 65 felony charges, including 16 counts of use of a weapon of mass destruction, which carries with it a maximum sentence of life in prison. As a part of his plea, Sayoc admitted in court that the packages were meant to do substantial harm to whoever opened them.

But just two days later, Sayoc told Rakoff in a letter that he had misspoke while giving his guilty plea and said that he had only intended to intimidate or scare his victims, not to actually harm anyone.

Arguing for a life sentence, prosecutors have rejected that claim and dismissed Sayoc’s statements that the devices were merely hoaxes. According to the government, the fact that the devices were flawed carried “little legal or practical import” when it came to sentencing.

“The defendant’s offenses are exceedingly serious,” prosecutors said last month in a 43-page sentencing memorandum.

“Put simply, the defendant intended to silence, through harm and fear, those with whom he disagreed, and now he must be incapacitated to protect the public and promote respect for the law.”

Sayoc’s lawyers, meanwhile, argued that their client came from a traumatic background, and suffered from “mental health and cognitive limitations,” which were exacerbated by excessive steroid use and his “infatuation” with Trump.

“In Mr. Sayoc’s mind, he was sending a hoax device, and he had no true grasp of the severity of his crimes or the potential ramifications of his actions. Now, nearly a year later, he understands how deeply wrong his actions were, and he is truly sorry for sending these packages,” wrote Ian Marcus Amelkin, an assistant federal defender in the Southern District.

Rakoff, however, dismissed Trump’s impact as a “side issue” and instead focused on Sayoc’s intent and background. in his sentencing decision, Rakoff said the crimes were “by any measure horrendous” but said it was a “conscious choice” not to inflict deadly force on his victims.

Sayoc would be almost 75 years old when he is eligible to be released based on good behavior, Rakoff said. His prison term would be followed by five years of probation.

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