Matthew Unglesbee

Introduction

Matthew G. Unglesbee, 36, of Quincy, Illinois, was arrested on October 25, 2026, and charged in a federal criminal complaint with false information and hoaxes (18 U.S.C. § 1038) and mailing threatening communications (18 U.S.C. § 876), after letters containing a white powder substance were sent to members of Congress — each marked with his own name and return address. The complaint, unsealed October 26, alleges he mailed at least four envelopes with a white granular substance and handwritten notes reading “HA HA” and “HAH enjoy the gift” to congressional offices in the Chicago area. According to the FBI’s account, he told agents the powder was table salt, chosen because it looked like anthrax, and said he was joking — while acknowledging recipients could perceive the letters as a threat. He has not been reported as entering a plea, and the charges are accusations; the Justice Department states a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Background Information

Court records reported by the Chicago Tribune show Unglesbee has been an Illinois registered sex offender since 2010, stemming from a conviction in Saline County involving a 15-year-old victim; his record also includes convictions for drunken driving and assault. CBS Chicago reported he is listed in the Illinois State Police database as a registered sex offender in Adams County. His case arose amid a separate wave of suspicious letters to congressional offices — some bearing “DSA” and a return address once tied to the Democratic Socialists of America, which denied sending them — and Rep. Mike Quigley reported his offices receiving two such letters; the letters Unglesbee is charged with did not use that return address, and the Associated Press reported he denied involvement in those mailings.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not adjudicated. Unglesbee faces two federal counts — false information and hoaxes, and mailing threatening communications — carrying maximum prison terms of five and ten years respectively. He has not been reported as entering a plea. He admitted to FBI agents that he mailed the letters but said the substance was salt and the mailings were a joke, and he denied involvement in letters sent to members of Congress outside Illinois. The charges are accusations; he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The FBI’s break in the case was a tip. On October 16, an anonymous tipster reported having overheard Unglesbee at a restaurant talking about mailing a suspicious substance to members of Congress, providing his full name, address, and date of birth. FBI Chicago field office members responded to the offices of three members of Congress in the northern Illinois area after the tip and a 911 call from one congressional office, where a staffer noticed a letter felt like it contained powder. All three letters contained “a white granular substance” and a handwritten note reading “HA HA”; two days later, a fourth letter to an Illinois senator’s office was recovered with a note reading “HAH enjoy the gift.” The envelopes were plain white, postmarked in Springfield, Illinois, on October 19, with handwritten addresses — and the return address listed the sender as “Matthew Unglesbee,” matching his address in government records, law enforcement said.

When FBI agents interviewed Unglesbee at his home on October 25, he admitted mailing the letters, telling agents he had heard someone at a restaurant mention news coverage of other lawmakers — including Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — receiving white-powder envelopes. He said the substance was table salt, chosen because it resembles anthrax as a white powder, and that he knew the recipients would “take it serious” and that hazmat teams might respond because “anthrax is dangerous.” The complaint states: “Unglesbee claimed he was joking but recognized that the recipients would not know he was joking and could perceive it as a threat.” FBI Task Force Officer Chris Hobbs, who wrote the complaint, characterized the letters as a common intimidation tactic, noting preliminary lab testing did not detect chemical or biological toxins in the substance. A search of his home the same day surfaced a fifth, unsent letter addressed to a member of Congress’s Washington, D.C., office, and local reporters photographed agents in Tyvek suits removing envelopes and a computer from the residence. He was taken into custody that Sunday morning under a warrant still under seal at the time.

Public Reaction and Consequences

U.S. Attorney Gregory M. Gilmore said, “The use of the mail to threaten others, including the mailing of threatening substances, will not be tolerated. These threats will be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Ryan Presley said mailing unknown substances to congressional offices “creates fear and disrupts the public institutions vital to our democracy.” Rep. Brad Schneider’s office thanked the Quincy police, FBI, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service “for treating this investigation with the seriousness it deserves and for their swift action”; the Tribune reported one mailing went to the Highland Park Democrat’s office. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, whose Skokie office was linked to the arrest in her statement, said, “I will not let threats stand in the way of serving the people of the 9th District.” Quigley, whose offices received two letters, called them direct threats “just weeks before the midterm election.” The Adams County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Unglesbee was being held in the county jail facing a state charge of harassment through electronic communications when the federal charges were filed. The story drew wider attention when the New York Post covered the complaint on October 28, 2026, highlighting that the letters were marked with his own return address.

Current Status

Unglesbee made an initial appearance on October 26, 2026, by video conference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas J. Quivey, who ordered him held pending a detention hearing scheduled for October 28, 2026, at the federal courthouse in Springfield; federal prosecutors are seeking to have him detained pending trial. The two counts carry maximum prison terms of five and ten years, respectively. No plea has been reported, and a court-appointed attorney could not immediately be reached for comment when the Tribune went to press. The investigation is run by the FBI Springfield Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois, with assistance from the FBI Chicago office, the Postal Inspection Service, Quincy police, and Illinois state police agencies.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Unglesbee faces up to fifteen years combined across the two counts if convicted, on top of the pending state harassment charge, and remains in custody pending the detention hearing. No occupation or employer has been reported in the coverage; his public record now consists of the 2010 sex-offender registration, prior DUI and assault convictions, and the federal complaint. The case unfolded against a broader backdrop: dozens of threatening letters have reached congressional offices in recent weeks, and lawmakers including Reps. Quigley, Schneider, and Schakowsky and Sens. Duckworth and Kelly confirmed receiving suspicious mailings, most of which remain unclaimed by any charged suspect.

Sources

U.S. Department of Justice (USAO Central District of Illinois), “Quincy Man Arrested and Charged with Mailing Hoax Letters Containing an Unknown Substance to Illinois Congressional Offices,” Oct. 2026 — source
New York Post, “Illinois man Matthew Unglesbee accused of mailing white substances to Congress members,” Oct. 28, 2026 — source
Roll Call, “Four hoax letters to Congress draw federal charges,” Oct. 26, 2026 — source
Chicago Tribune, “Man charged with sending threatening letters to Congress members,” Oct. 26, 2026 — source
Associated Press (via Baltimore Sun), “Illinois man charged with mailing white powder to members of Congress,” Oct. 26, 2026 — source
CBS Chicago, “Quincy, Illinois, man charged with sending white powder to Chicago area members of Congress,” Oct. 2026 — source
Quincy Herald-Whig, “Quincy man’s arrest appears to be connected with suspicious letters sent to congressmen,” Oct. 25, 2026 — source
@nypost on X, “Illinois man accused of threatening Congress with white substances in letters marked with his return address,” Oct. 28, 2026 — source