Illinois Man Charged Over Powder Letters to Congress

Matthew Unglesbee, 37, of Quincy, Illinois, faces federal charges of mailing threatening communications and false information or hoaxes after four Chicago-area members of Congress received envelopes containing a white granular substance. The envelopes were postmarked in Springfield, Illinois, on Oct. 19 and bore his handwritten name and home address. Handwritten notes included "HA HA" and "HAH enjoy the gift." Testing identified the substance in at least one letter as salt. An anonymous tip reached the FBI on October 16. Agents responded to three congressional offices in the Northern District of Illinois. In a Sunday interview, Unglesbee admitted sending the four letters after hearing about similar mailings, said he knew recipients could perceive them as dangerous and trigger emergency responses, described the substance as salt that "kind of looks like" anthrax, and said he was joking. He denied involvement in separate suspicious mailings the FBI is still investigating. A search of his home found a fifth envelope addressed to a member of Congress; the criminal complaint describes it as empty and unmailed, while The Gateway Pundit reported it contained a white substance. The complaint was unsealed Monday, and he made an initial court appearance that afternoon by video.