An Illinois man is facing federal charges after allegedly sending four envelopes filled with a white granular substance to members of Congress in what authorities are calling a deliberate hoax designed to cause fear.
Matthew Unglesbee has been charged with mailing threatening communications and providing false information through a hoax. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Monday afternoon.
According to the FBI, three of the letters contained handwritten notes reading “HA HA” while a fourth included the message “HAH enjoy the gift.” All four envelopes were sent with Unglesbee’s own name and home address printed on them.
During an FBI interview conducted Sunday, Unglesbee allegedly admitted to sending the letters after learning about a separate wave of suspicious mailings targeting congressional offices and election officials earlier in October. He acknowledged knowing that recipients would likely perceive the substance as dangerous.
Unglesbee told investigators the white granular material was actually salt, which he described as something that “kind of looks like” anthrax. He denied any connection to the earlier round of suspicious letters being investigated separately by federal authorities.
The case was cracked open through an anonymous tip. An online informant contacted the FBI on October 16 after reportedly overhearing Unglesbee discuss his plans to mail suspicious substances to members of Congress. Three days later, the letters began arriving at congressional offices.
Agents executed a search of Unglesbee’s home and discovered a fifth envelope addressed to a member of Congress that had not yet been mailed. The envelope was empty.
The FBI is continuing a broader parallel investigation into suspicious mailings sent to congressional offices and election officials across the country in recent weeks. Unglesbee denied involvement in those incidents during his interview with agents.