‘Worse than Sept. 11': Cesar Sayoc was given probation for bomb threat in 2002

In a 2002 case, Cesar Sayoc was accused of making terroristic threats but was given probation.

Sayoc pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay about $500 in court costs. He was also given one year of probation because he "was not likely to engage in a criminal course of conduct,” according to court records.

In that case, Sayoc was recorded contacting a Florida Power and Light Co. representative and threatening to blow up an FPL building in South Florida, saying, "It would be worse than Sept. 11."

He said he was upset about his bill.

Sayoc was arrested less than a year after his probation for that case on charges of fraud, drug and evidence tampering. He went on to rack up four more arrests for battery, drugs and theft before his arrest by federal authorities on Friday.

SunBiz shows Sayoc owned two businesses: VER Tech LLC and Native American Catering and Vending.