Illinois Man Charged Over Letters to Congressional Offices

Matthew G. Unglesbee, a 37-year-old Illinois man, was charged Monday with mailing threatening communications and sending false information or hoaxes after four letters containing salt were sent to congressional offices in the state, according to federal court records. The criminal complaint says the letters went to three House offices and one senator’s office in northern Illinois. One note read, “HAH enjoy the gift,” while three other letters contained handwritten messages reading “HA HA,” investigators said. The recipients were not named in the complaint. The FBI said Unglesbee told agents he mailed the letters after hearing about similar suspicious mailings. According to the complaint, he said he used salt because it resembled anthrax, described the mailings as a joke and acknowledged recipients might treat them as a threat. Those statements are recounted in the federal complaint. The four letters tested negative for chemical and biological agents, the complaint says. Congressional staff did not open them. After one staff member noticed an envelope felt as if it contained powder, the office called 911 and hazardous-materials personnel responded, according to court records....