Matthew Unglesbee of Quincy, Illinois, Charged Over White-Powder Letters Sent to Congress

Matthew Unglesbee, 37, of Quincy, Illinois, faces charges of mailing threatening communications and mailing false information and hoaxes.

Court documents unsealed Monday, October 26, allege he sent four letters containing white powder to congressional offices in northern Illinois, including a U.S. senator’s office.

At one House member’s office, a staffer felt a substance inside an envelope, called 911 and alerted other congressional offices. The powder was identified as salt. A note inside read “HA HA.”

Investigators linked the return address on the envelopes to Unglesbee, according to the court records.

During an interview at his home, he allegedly admitted mailing four letters after overhearing someone in a restaurant discuss reports of similar mailings earlier this month.

According to the complaint, Unglesbee knew about previous anthrax mailings and understood that white-powder letters could trigger hazardous-materials responses. He allegedly described his actions as a joke but acknowledged that recipients could interpret the letters as threats.

A search of his home uncovered a fifth envelope addressed to a member’s Washington, D.C., office.

Investigators have not identified the sender responsible for the separate white-powder letters sent to senators and secretaries of state nationwide.