An Illinois man was charged Monday with mailing letters containing a white granular substance to four members of Congress, telling investigators he used salt because it looked like anthrax, according to a federal criminal complaint.
The complaint says the letters were postmarked Oct. 19 in Springfield, Illinois, and arrived at district offices between Oct. 21 and Oct. 23.
Three contained the handwritten note “HA HA”, while one to a senator’s office read “HAH enjoy the gift,” according to the filing. Preliminary testing found no chemical or biological toxins in the letters.
An anonymous tip reached the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center on Oct. 16, with the tipster saying he overheard Matthew G. Unglesbee in a restaurant discussing the mailings. The tipster provided Unglesbee’s name, address, and date of birth, the filing said.
According to the complaint, the envelopes also included Unglesbee’s name and his return home address.
FBI agents interviewed Unglesbee at his Quincy home on Oct. 25, and he admitted mailing the four letters.
Unglesbee told agents the substance in the letters was salt because it “kind of looks like” anthrax. He acknowledged he knew recipients “took it serious” and would have “hazmat come in white suits” because “anthrax is dangerous,” according to the complaint.
He said he was joking but recognized the recipients would not know that and could perceive it as a threat, the filing said.
A search of his residence turned up a fifth, unmailed envelope addressed to one congressperson’s Washington office.
Unglesbee said he sent the letters after hearing someone mention a news story about other suspicious white powder mailed to officials. He denied any role in those mailings.
Unglesbee was charged with mailing threatening communications, false information, and hoaxes to at least four members of Congress, and with claiming that those letters contained a white granular substance. An attorney for Unglesbee could not be identified.
Unglesbee’s case comes amid similar incidents in October, ahead of the November midterm elections.
On Oct. 15, the FBI confirmed to The Epoch Times that “a series of suspicious mailings” had been sent to election offices across the country. As part of this, four Republican election officials reported they were the intended recipients of the suspicious mail. A spokesperson said the agency was not confirming the number of mailings intercepted at the time.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose confirmed that his office was an intended recipient of one of the mailings, but federal investigators intercepted the letter. Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson’s office was also an intended target, according to his spokeswoman, Liz Jonson. The Wisconsin Elections Commission said it received an envelope with white powder, according to a statement, and that tests concluded it was not hazardous.
In an alert on Oct. 23, the FBI also said it found suspicious substances in mail sent to media organizations, public and private polling companies, secretaries of state and related election offices, and other election-related entities. No hazardous material had been identified.
In a similar incident before the 2024 general elections, election officials in six states reported receiving envelopes with powdery substances. Investigators tested the substances and found no hazardous materials.
Jill McLaughlin contributed to this report.
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