Man charged with mailing threatening letters with white substance to members of Congress

A man in Illinois, Matthew Unglesbee, faces federal charges after four envelopes holding a white granular substance reached members of Congress. Each was posted with his own name and home address on it. NBC News reports he is charged with false information and hoaxes and with mailing threatening communications, and he was due to make an initial appearance in court Monday afternoon.

Three of the lawmakers received a letter with a handwritten "HA HA." The fourth got a note reading "HAH enjoy the gift." According to the FBI, Unglesbee told interviewers on Sunday that he sent the mail after learning of other suspicious letters earlier in the month, that he understood recipients would see the contents as dangerous, and that the powder was salt resembling anthrax. He denied any part in the earlier mailings, which the FBI is investigating separately along with letters sent to elections officials.

An anonymous online tipster alerted the FBI on Oct. 16 after overhearing him discuss mailing such a substance. The letters surfaced at congressional offices three days later. A search of his home also yielded an unsent, empty envelope addressed to another member of Congress.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NBC News’s reporting. Read the full story at NBC News →