Oct. 26 (UPI) — An Illinois man has been charged with mailing four letters containinga white substance to members of Congress in the Chicago area. The envelopes of all four letters allegedly contained his name and home address.
Matthew Unglesbee of Quincy, Ill., 37, faces two charges of false information and hoaxes and mailing threatening communications. Three letters allegedly contained a granular white substance and a note that read, “HAHA.” A fourth letter allegedly contained the substance and a note with “HAH enjoy the gift.”
According to court documents filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, the FBI received an anonymous tip from someone who allegedly heard Unglesbee say he mailed letters to Congress members.
Each letter allegedly had a handwritten address and return address that listed the sender as “Matthew Unglesbee.” The return address matched Unglesbee’s address in government records, law enforcement officials said.
Unglesbee has allegedly admitted sending the letters after he heard about similar letters earlier in the month. The FBI is also investigating other letters sent to election officials and lawmakers throughout the country.
Unglesbee told officials that the substance was salt, which he said “kind of looks like” anthrax, court documents said. He denied involvement with any letters sent outside Illinois. A search of his home allegedly found a fifth unmailed and empty envelope addressed to a member of Congress.
Lawmakers in the state who received such letters at their district offices include U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky, Mike Quigley and Bran Schneider, CBS News reported.
“The use of the mail to threaten others, including the mailing of threatening substances, will not be tolerated,” said Gregory M. Gilmore, U.S. attorney for central Illinois. “These threats will be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. My office appreciates the resources dedicated by the FBI and our law enforcement partners to keep our citizens safe.”
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office said Unglesbee was held in the county jail to face state charges of harassment through electronic communication when federal charges were filed against him. He is also listed as a registered sex offender in Adams County in the Illinois State Police database, CBS News reported
Unglesbee made an initial appearance on the federal charges Monday and is scheduled for a detention hearing Wednesday.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.