A man in Illinois has been charged in connection with four letters containing a white granular substance that were mailed to members of Congress. According to the source of the charges, each envelope carried his own name and home address.
Matthew Unglesbee faces two counts: false information and hoaxes, and mailing threatening communications. Three of the letters were sent to members of Congress along with a handwritten note reading "HA HA." A fourth letter with the same type of substance contained the message "HAH enjoy the gift." He is scheduled to make an initial court appearance Monday afternoon.
The FBI says Unglesbee admitted during an interview with agents on Sunday that he sent the four letters to four members of Congress. He reportedly acted after hearing about other letters mailed earlier in the month. Authorities said he acknowledged that he knew people would see the letters as dangerous.
Unglesbee told investigators the substance was salt, which he said "kind of looks like" anthrax. He denied any role in the earlier mailings, according to authorities. The FBI is separately investigating letters with suspicious substances sent in recent weeks to members of Congress and to elections officials.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat from Illinois, received a second suspicious letter on Oct. 21 at her district office in Skokie. On Monday she said she was aware of reports that a suspect had been taken into custody in connection with the most recent letter. In a statement thanking law enforcement, she said she would not let threats stand in the way of serving the people of the 9th District. "My community relies on the services our office provides, and my team and I will continue doing the work I was elected to do," she said.
A search of Unglesbee's home turned up a fifth envelope that was empty, unmailed and addressed to a member of Congress, the FBI said.
The investigation began with a tip. An anonymous person contacted the FBI on Oct. 16 to report overhearing Unglesbee talk about mailing a suspicious substance to members of Congress. The letters arrived at congressional offices three days later, and the FBI responded.
