Illinois man accused of mailing letters with suspicious substance to Chicago-area congressional offices
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A Quincy man has been arrested on federal charges accusing him of mailing letters containing a suspicious white substance to members of Congress, including letters recovered from congressional offices in Chicago, officials said.
The backstory:
Matthew Unglesbee, 36, appeared in federal court Monday after being taken into custody on a criminal complaint charging him with false information and hoaxes and mailing threatening communications, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The complaint alleges Unglesbee mailed letters containing an unknown substance to several congressional offices.
(From left) Pictured is Matthew Unglesbee and one of the letters that was sent out. (US DOJ)
What the letters contained
According to the complaint, the FBI National Threat Operations Center received an anonymous online tip Oct. 16 reporting that Unglesbee had mailed suspicious substances to members of Congress.
The tipster told authorities that while at a restaurant, they overheard Unglesbee say he had mailed suspicious substances to members of Congress across the country, according to the complaint. The tipster also provided Unglesbee's full name, address and date of birth.
On Oct. 21, personnel from the FBI's Chicago Field Office responded to the offices of three members of Congress and recovered three letters.
Local hazardous materials teams were dispatched to at least two of the offices in response to the letters, according to the complaint.
A staff member at the first office to receive a letter told investigators the envelope felt as though it contained a powder or other substance. The staff member called 911, and the office alerted others in the area.
The office had already been on alert after receiving another letter in the previous few weeks, according to the complaint.
Each of the three letters contained a white granular substance and a handwritten message that read, "HA HA," according to the complaint.
On Oct. 23, FBI personnel responded to the office of a fourth member of Congress and recovered another envelope containing a white granular substance. That letter included a handwritten message that read, "HAH enjoy the gift," according to the complaint.
All four mailings were sent in plain, white, letter-sized envelopes with handwritten addresses and return addresses. They were postmarked in Springfield on Oct. 19 and listed Unglesbee's name and return address, according to the complaint.
FBI personnel also interviewed a staff member at the Chicago office of another member of Congress on Oct. 21. That office had been alerted by other congressional offices about suspicious letters containing potentially hazardous material.
Investigators said none of the letters were opened by the recipients.
What was the white substance?
The white granular substance was similar in appearance to certain chemical or biological toxins, according to the complaint.
Preliminary testing, however, did not detect chemical or biological toxins, officials said.
Where did the letters come from?
After reviewing postal records, authorities determined the letters appeared to have been mailed from Quincy on Oct. 16 or 17 before being postmarked in Springfield on Oct. 19.
FBI agents interviewed Unglesbee at his home Oct. 25. During the interview, Unglesbee admitted mailing the four letters to members of Congress after hearing someone at a restaurant discuss news reports about other suspicious letters that had been mailed earlier in the month, according to the complaint.
Unglesbee told investigators he put salt in the letters because it "kind of looks like" anthrax, the complaint states.
During a search of Unglesbee's home, FBI personnel found a fifth, unmailed empty envelope addressed to a member of Congress in Washington, D.C., according to the complaint.
What's next:
Unglesbee is scheduled to return to court for a detention hearing at 3 p.m. Oct. 28 at the federal courthouse in Springfield.
The Source: The information in this article was provided by The U.S. Department of Justice and a criminal complaint filed in Sangamon County.