Illinois man charged with sending 'threatening notes' and mailing 'white powder letters' to Congress members
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Illinois man charged with sending 'threatening notes' and mailing 'white powder letters' to Congress members")
The J. Edgar Hoover Federal Bureau of Investigation building in Washington Photograph: (AFP)
An Illinois man faces charges for allegedly mailing four letters containing a white granular substance and threatening notes to members of Congress
An Illinois man has been charged with allegedly mailing four letters containing a white granular substance to members of Congress. All four envelopes reportedly carried his name and home address. Matthew Unglesbee faces charges related to sending threatening letters containing the substance to three members of Congress. One letter included a handwritten note reading ‘HA HA’, while a fourth letter containing the substance carried the message ‘HAH enjoy the gift’.
Unglesbee faces two charges: false information and hoaxes, and mailing threatening communications. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Monday afternoon. According to the FBI, Unglesbee allegedly admitted during an interview with investigators on Sunday that he had mailed four letters to four members of Congress after learning about other letters sent earlier in the month.
The FBI is separately investigating letters containing suspicious substances that have been sent to members of Congress and elections officials in recent weeks. Investigators said Unglesbee acknowledged that he knew recipients would perceive the letters as dangerous. During the interview, he claimed the granular substance was salt and said it ‘kind of looks like’ anthrax. He denied any involvement in the earlier mailings.
A search of Unglesbee's residence uncovered a fifth, empty envelope that had not been mailed and was addressed to a member of Congress, according to the FBI. The investigation started after an anonymous online tipster informed the FBI that they had overheard Unglesbee discussing plans to mail a suspicious substance to members of Congress. The FBI received the tip on October 16. Investigators responded after the letters arrived at congressional offices three days later. The FBI said the letters were sent to multiple locations, including secretaries of state offices and other election-related offices. Secretaries of state are generally responsible for overseeing elections at the state level.
