The person who sent prominent Democrats explosive devices in the mail could spend the rest of their life in prison.

Federal law states that anyone who "transports or receives, or attempts to transport or receive, in interstate or foreign commerce any explosive with the knowledge or intent that it will be used to kill, injure, or intimidate any individual or unlawfully to damage or destroy any building, vehicle, or other real or personal property" can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

With 10 suspicious packages currently being investigated, that's a potential 100-year sentence. Injuring someone as part of a bomb threat can lead to a maximum 20 years in prison, and killing someone can lead to a life sentence or even the death penalty.

In the cases seen so far, which involve packages sent to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama, billionaire philanthropist George Soros, former Vice President Joe Biden, former CIA Director John Brennan, and actor Robert De Niro, no one has been hurt and none of the devices detonated at the scene.

Federal law also provides for sentences of between five and 20 years for damaging or attempting to damage buildings or other property. That could tack on even more time.

In 2014, a man was sentenced to seven years in federal prison after he was found guilty of making a threat by means of explosive material, transportation of explosive material, mailing an injurious item and possession of explosive materials by a felon. The mail bomb, which never exploded, was sent to then-Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio by Gregor Lynn Shrader, who was seeking revenge on his former business partner.

That case could provide a rough guideline for the sentence facing the perpetrator of this week's mail bombs. As of late Thursday, there was no publicly announced suspect in the case. However, investigators indicated they had a lead: They said some of the packages that went through the mail were handled by a post office in Florida, just north of Miami.

Law enforcement officials believe the culprit will probably be apprehended swiftly because none of the bombs went off, leaving a wealth of evidence preserved.