Illinois man charged with mailing powder-filled letters to Congress members

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 09:57 · Archive

An Illinois man has been charged with mailing letters containing white powder to members of Congress in the Chicago area.

Matthew Unglesbee, 37, of Quincy, Illinois, has been charged with mailing four letters containing a white granular substance to members of Congress in the Chicago area. The envelopes were postmarked in Springfield on 19 October and included Unglesbee's handwritten name and home address as the return address. Three letters contained notes reading 'HAHA' and a fourth contained a note saying 'HAH enjoy the gift'.

The letters were sent to U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Mike Quigley and Brad Schneider, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth. The FBI received an anonymous tip from someone who said they heard Unglesbee mention mailing letters to Congress members. When interviewed, Unglesbee allegedly admitted sending the letters after hearing about similar letters sent earlier in the month.

Unglesbee told investigators the substance was salt. A search of his home found a fifth unmailed empty envelope addressed to a member of Congress. He denied involvement with any letters sent outside Illinois. Unglesbee faces two charges of false information and hoaxes and mailing threatening communications. He has previous convictions including sexual assault of a minor and threatening a public official, according to NBC Chicago.

How it is being reported

• Convicted sex offender accused of sending Democrats mystery white powder with chilling 'enjoy the gift' noteCourt records show a 37-year-old Illinois man is charged with sending threatening letters to members of Congress containing a white powder, including one with a note reading “HAH enjoy the gift.”Independent World · 27 Oct, 09:33
• Man charged with mailing threatening letters to Illinois lawmakersAn Illinois man has been charged with mailing four letters containing a white granular substance to members of Congress in the Chicago area.UPI · 27 Oct, 00:44

In this story: Matthew Unglesbee · Illinois · Quincy · Jan Schakowsky · Mike Quigley · Brad Schneider · Tammy Duckworth

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