Illinois Man Charged With Mailing White Powder Letters to Members of Congress

Federal authorities charged Matthew Unglesbee, a 37-year-old Illinois man, with mailing four letters containing a white granular substance to four members of Congress, according to the FBI. Each letter came in an envelope bearing his name and home address. Three contained a handwritten note reading "HA HA," and the fourth said "HAH enjoy the gift." He faces two charges, false information and hoaxes, and mailing threatening communications, and was due to make an initial court appearance on Monday afternoon.

The FBI said that in an interview on Sunday, Unglesbee admitted sending the letters after hearing about other letters mailed earlier in the month. He allegedly acknowledged that people would see the letters as dangerous, said the substance was salt that "kind of looks like" anthrax, and denied involvement in the earlier mailings. A search of his home turned up a fifth, empty, unmailed envelope addressed to a member of Congress. The case began when an anonymous online tipster told the FBI they overheard him talking. The FBI is separately investigating suspicious-substance letters sent to members of Congress and elections officials in recent weeks.

Left-leaning outlets differ mainly in depth. NBC News gives the fullest account, leading with the charges and the name-and-address detail and then laying out the FBI interview, the salt claim, the denial of the earlier mailings, the search and the tipster. The Washington Post's headline and excerpt stress that the man is accused of sending threatening letters to four members of Congress, using "allegedly." Right-leaning Newsmax, in a shorter excerpt, leads with the man's age, the charge and the "HAH enjoy the gift" note, attributing the account to federal authorities, and its excerpt does not include the salt claim or the separate investigation. Both sides agree on the core facts: an Illinois man, white substance, members of Congress. NewsNation largely matches them, focusing on the notes.