Illinois man accused of threatening Congress with white substances in letters marked with his return address
By
asserted
man → accuse → address
An Illinois man was charged with two felonies Monday after allegedly sending letters containing an unknown white powder substance to members of Congress, according to a criminal complaint.
uncertain
man → charge → complaint
Matthew G. Unglesbee was charged with false information and hoaxes and mailing threatening communications after four members of Congress received the letters, which were marked with his return address, according to the complaint.
uncertain
which → charge → complaint
Unglesbee told the FBI the substance in the letters was salt and that he mailed them as a joke, the complaint read.
asserted
complaint → tell → joke
The FBI received a tip that Unglesbee had sent the letters on Oct. 16.
asserted
Unglesbee → receive → Oct.
The tipster had overheard Unglesbee at a restaurant saying he had mailed suspicious substances to members of Congress, the complaint stated.
asserted
complaint → overhear → Congress
The tipster allegedly provided authorities with Unglesbee’s full name, address and date of birth.
uncertain
tipster → provide → birth
Members of the FBI’s field office in Chicago responded to the offices of three members of Congress in the northern Illinois area after receiving the tip and a 911 call from one of the congressional offices.
“A staff member at Congressperson A’s office, the first office to receive a letter, noticed that the letter felt like it contained a powder and the staffer could hear something inside the letter,” the complaint read.
uncertain
complaint → respond → letter
This staff member called 911.
asserted
member → call → 911
The office had already been on high alert, having received a similar letter within the previous few weeks, according to the complaint.
uncertain
office → receive → complaint
All three letters contained “a white granular substance” and a handwritten letter which read “HA HA,” the complaint stated.
asserted
complaint → contain → substance
On Friday, FBI Chicago responded to the office of a fourth member of Congress, a senator in the Northern District of Illinois.
asserted
Chicago → respond → Illinois
The senator had also received an envelope with a white granular substance, also with a letter which also read, “HAH enjoy the gift.”
asserted
which → receive → gift
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
asserted
Report → start → news
All four letters were marked with Unglesbee’s name and return address, according to the complaint.
uncertain
letters → mark → complaint
FBI Task Force Officer Chris Hobbs, who wrote the criminal complaint, characterized the letters as a common intimidation tactic, pointing out that preliminary lab testing “did not detect the presence of chemical or biological toxins in the white granular substance.”
asserted
testing → write → substance
The FBI interviewed Unglesbee at his home Saturday when he allegedly confessed to sending the letters, telling law enforcement that he heard someone in a restaurant talking about similar letters Congress members had received.
uncertain
members → interview → letters
He told the FBI he knew his powder would be perceived as potentially being anthrax and anticipated people responding with hazmat suits.
asserted
people → tell → suits
He also told the FBI that the powder was salt, claiming he used salt specifically because it looked like anthrax.
asserted
it → tell → anthrax
“Unglesbee claimed he was joking but recognized that the recipients would not know he was joking and could perceive it as a threat,” the complaint read.
uncertain
complaint → claim → threat
The FBI searched Unglesbee’s home and found a fifth letter marked with one of the congresspeople’s Washington, DC, office’s address.
asserted
FBI → search → address
The FBI also determined that Unglesbee sent the letters on Oct. 19.
asserted
Unglesbee → determine → Oct.
Fox News Digital contacted the FBI for further information.
asserted
Digital → contact → information
The Aporia
