Adams County Sheriff’s Office said Unglesbee faced state charges in county jail
Matthew Unglesbee, 37, of Quincy, Illinois, made an initial appearance Monday on federal charges and is scheduled for a detention hearing Wednesday. The case is in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, where court documents say he faces two charges: false information and hoaxes, and mailing threatening communications. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office said Unglesbee was held in the county jail to face state charges of harassment through electronic communication when the federal charges were filed against him.
The federal allegations concern four letters Unglesbee allegedly mailed to members of Congress in the Chicago area. The envelopes of all four allegedly contained his name and home address.
Three of the letters allegedly contained a granular white substance and a note that read, “HAHA.” The fourth allegedly contained the substance and a note that read, “HAH enjoy the gift.”
According to the court documents, the FBI received an anonymous tip from someone who allegedly heard Unglesbee say he mailed letters to Congress members. The documents also say Unglesbee allegedly admitted sending the letters after he heard about similar letters earlier in the month.
Each letter allegedly had a handwritten address and return address that listed the sender as “Matthew Unglesbee.” Law enforcement officials said the return address matched Unglesbee’s address in government records. A search of Unglesbee’s home allegedly found a fifth unmailed and empty envelope addressed to a member of Congress.
Unglesbee told officials that the substance was salt, which he said “kind of looks like” anthrax, the court documents said. He denied involvement with any letters sent outside Illinois.
CBS News reported that state lawmakers who received such letters at their district offices include U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky, Mike Quigley and Bran Schneider. The FBI is also investigating other letters sent to election officials and lawmakers throughout the country.
CBS News also reported that Unglesbee is listed as a registered sex offender in Adams County in the Illinois State Police database.
“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.”