IL Man Sent Threats, White Powder To Members Of Congress: DOJ

QUINCY, IL—A western Illinois man has been federally charged in connection to suspicious letters and packages sent to U.S. Congress members in the Chicago area, federal authorities announced.

Matthew Unglesbee, 37, of Quincy, who is an Illinois registered sex offender, is facing federal felonies of false information and hoaxes and mailing threatening communications.

According to the criminal complaint, on Oct. 16, the FBI National Threat Operations Area received an online tip submitted by an anonymous tipster reporting a man named Unglesbee who was sending unknown substances to members of Congress.

FBI agents, along with the assistance of law enforcement agents with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Quincy Police Department arrived at the Quincy residence of Matthew Unglesbee, 37, to execute a search warrant. Unglesbee and his mother were each placed into separate vehicles as law enforcement searched the home, the Herald-Whig reported.

The offices of U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley (IL-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Brad Schneider (IL-10) and Robin Kelly (IL-02) each received one or more threatening mailings this month. All the targeted congresspersons are Democrats.

“This is clearly another effort to scare and intimidate elected officials, public servants, and voters in the lead-up to the coming midterm elections,” Quigley said in a statement, whose office received a second package on Oct. 21. “I am again calling on my colleagues and political leaders on both sides of the aisle to condemn political violence in the strongest of terms and turn down the temperature of political discourse.”

Quigley said the package contained a handwritten letter with “nasty, vulgar and threatening” language. Quigley’s Chicago district office had been evacuated five days prior, when the first package arrived on Oct. 16.

Schakowsky’s district office in Skokie also reported receiving a second suspicious envelope on Oct. 21. Authorities were alerted when her staff noticed something unusual about the envelope.

Schneider reported receiving a threatening letter Friday, prompting a response from police, firefighters and a hazardous materials team.

“When our team saw a similar letter in our mailbox, we immediately closed the mailbox and alerted Lincolnshire Police and the U.S. Capitol Police,” Schneider said in a statement.

Kelly told WBEZ that one of her district offices received an envelope containing a suspicious substance and that staff immediately contacted local law enforcement and U.S. Capitol Police.

Two Cook County buildings in downtown Chicago also drew emergency responses when Cook County Treasurer Marie Pappas said her office received a letter with a powdery substance that turned out to be baking powder, ABC-7 Chicago reported.

Around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, FBI agents, local police and U.S. postal inspectors arrived at an address near 13th and Washington Street.

Unglesbee’s mother said she was awoken by a knock at the door and asked to wake up her son. She told Muddy River News that she was asked by federal agents about whether her son had “problems with the government.”

According to Muddy River News, Unglesbee’s mother said FBI agents seized her computer, her son’s computer, his phone and a container of Morton Salt.

A few days before Sunday’s raid, Muddy River News took photos of Unglesbee at a campaign stop for Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, a Democrat, who is running for the U.S. Senate.

He gave a rambling video on his mother's Facebook page, calling President Donald Trump "the worst president we ever had" and urged voters to vote for Stratton and other Democrats to flip the House and Senate. Unglesbee also reminded viewers to turn their clocks back one hour on Nov. 1 so they wouldn't be late for church or work the next morning.

Schneider told ABC 7 Chicago that the most recent threatening mailings to his office had a Quincy postmark.

Unglesbee is currently being held at the Adams County Jail on charges of harassment through electronic communications—threatening injury to person (family or household) or property, according to the jail intake sheet. Federal charges are forthcoming.

According to the complaint, some of the envelopes came with messages saying "haha" or "hah enjoy the gift."