Four hoax letters to Congress draw federal charges

Michael Macagnone and Nina Heller, CQ-Roll Call on Oct 26, 2026

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WASHINGTON — An Illinois man has been charged with sending letters with substances inside to four congressional offices, apparently separate from dozens of other suspicious letters addressed to members of Congress this month.

Officials unsealed the case against the man, Matthew G. Unglesbee, 37, in an Illinois federal court Monday. Unglesbee was charged with sending false information or hoaxes and mailing threatening communications.

FBI agents interviewed Unglesbee on Sunday, according to the complaint, and he said he mailed the letters after hearing in the news that other congressional offices had received letters with a suspicious substance. Unglesbee said he put salt in the envelopes because it would resemble anthrax as a white powder.

During the interview, Unglesbee “said that he knew that people could perceive the letters as dangerous, people might think the substance was anthrax, and the recipients would be concerned for their safety,” the complaint says.

The charges against Unglesbee carry five-year and 10-year maximum prison terms, respectively. Unglesbee was arrested and made his initial appearance in court Monday, according to court records.

According to the complaint, federal officials received an anonymous tip on Oct. 16 saying that the tipster had overheard Unglesbee talking about the mailings in a restaurant.

After that tip, on Oct. 21, federal agents recovered three letters sent to House offices in northern Illinois. The complaint says the recovered letters all contained a white substance and handwritten “HA HA.”

Two days later, officials recovered a letter sent to an Illinois senator’s office that had a powder and a note reading “HAH enjoy the gift,” according to the complaint. The letters all had handwritten addresses, and included Unglesbee’s name on the return address, the complaint says.

No staff at any of the offices opened the letters, and they tested negative for biological and chemical agents, the complaint says.

The conduct Unglesbee was charged with does not cover the dozens of letters sent to the offices of members of Congress and state officials in recent days. Last week, Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., wrote on X that his office had received a second suspicious letter after first receiving one on Oct. 16.

As of Monday, more than six dozen lawmakers had announced they were targets of the initial and larger wave of suspicious letters. Most of those letters targeted House Democrats, but some were also sent to senators, including a handful of Republicans. No charges have been announced so far in that wave of mailings.

Last week, House Sergeant-at-Arms William McFarland wrote in a memo to lawmakers and staff that they should expect to receive more letters “in the coming days.”

Photos shared by lawmakers show those initial letters had “DSA” in the upper left hand corner alongside a return address once tied to the Democratic Socialists of America, which was not used in the ones allegedly sent by Unglesbee. The group has denied involvement, with a spokesperson telling The New York Times, “D.S.A. did not send these letters.”

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