An Illinois man faces two felony charges after allegedly mailing envelopes containing an unidentified white powder to members of Congress, according to a federal criminal complaint filed Monday.
Matthew G. Unglesbee was charged with conveying false information and making hoaxes, as well as mailing threatening communications. Four congressional offices received letters bearing Unglesbee’s name and return address, the complaint said.
During an interview with the FBI, Unglesbee allegedly said the substance was salt and claimed he sent the letters as a joke.
The FBI was alerted on Oct. 16 after a tipster reportedly overheard Unglesbee at a restaurant discussing letters containing suspicious substances that he had mailed to lawmakers.
The tipster allegedly gave investigators Unglesbee’s full name, home address and date of birth.
After receiving the tip and a 911 call from one of the congressional offices, FBI agents from the Chicago field office went to the offices of three members of Congress in northern Illinois.
“A staff member at Congressperson A’s office, the first office to receive a letter, noticed that the letter felt like it contained a powder and the staffer could hear something inside the letter,” the complaint stated.
The staff member then called 911.
According to the complaint, the office was already operating under heightened security after receiving a similar letter several weeks earlier.
Each of the three letters contained what authorities described as “a white granular substance,” along with a handwritten message reading “HA HA.”
On Friday, FBI Chicago agents visited the office of a fourth lawmaker—a senator representing the Northern District of Illinois—after the senator received an envelope containing a similar white granular substance. The accompanying note read, “HAH enjoy the gift.”
All four envelopes listed Unglesbee’s name and return address, the complaint said.
FBI Task Force Officer Chris Hobbs, who authored the criminal complaint, described the letters as a familiar intimidation tactic. Preliminary laboratory testing, he wrote, “did not detect the presence of chemical or biological toxins in the white granular substance.”
Agents interviewed Unglesbee at his home Saturday. He allegedly admitted sending the envelopes and said he had heard someone at a restaurant talking about similar letters sent to members of Congress.
Unglesbee allegedly told investigators he understood the powder could be mistaken for anthrax and expected the recipients to respond by wearing hazardous-materials protection suits.
He said the substance was salt, explaining that he selected it because he believed it resembled anthrax.
“Unglesbee claimed he was joking but recognized that the recipients would not know he was joking and could perceive it as a threat,” the complaint stated.
A search of Unglesbee’s home uncovered a fifth envelope addressed to the Washington, D.C., office of one of the lawmakers, according to the complaint.
Investigators also concluded that Unglesbee mailed the letters on Oct. 19.
Fox News Digital contacted the FBI seeking additional information.
