Man charged with mailing salt to four congressmen after online tip

Matthew Unglesbee is accused of mailing four threatening letters to members of Congress, each containing a white granular substance that he described to the FBI as salt. The letters arrived in envelopes that displayed Unglesbee's name and home address, making the sender easily identifiable upon receipt.

The case began on Oct. 16 when an anonymous online tipster told the FBI they had overheard Unglesbee discussing plans to mail a suspicious substance to lawmakers. Three days later, on Oct. 19, the first letters arrived at congressional offices. By the time authorities acted, four letters had been delivered.

Unglesbee was charged with false information and hoaxes and mailing threatening communications. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Monday afternoon. In an interview with FBI personnel on Sunday, Unglesbee allegedly admitted to sending the letters after hearing about other suspicious mailings earlier in the month.

During that interview, Unglesbee stated that the granular substance was salt because it 'kind of looks like' anthrax. He also told agents he knew people would perceive the letters as dangerous. He denied involvement in any prior mailings, though the FBI is separately investigating other letters sent to members of Congress and elections officials in recent weeks.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., confirmed she received a second suspicious letter on Oct. 21. In a statement, she said she was aware of reports that a suspect was taken into custody in connection with the most recent letter sent to her Skokie office. She noted that her team would continue serving the people of the 9th District despite the threats.

Authorities searched Unglesbee's residence and found a fifth, empty envelope that was unmailed. The envelope was addressed to another member of Congress. The search added to the evidence that Unglesbee had planned to send more letters beyond the four that were already delivered.