Story perspectives

Man Charged After Mailing Threatening White-Powder Letters to Congress

By Drooid · Oct 27, 2026, 2:28 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Matthew G. Unglesbee mailed threatening letters containing white powder to four members of Congress.
He was federally charged with mailing threatening communications and false hoaxes.
The handwritten envelopes, postmarked Springfield Oct. 19, were mailed from Quincy Oct. 16-17 and held salt, not anthrax.
FBI recovered four letters by Oct. 23 and found a fifth unopened envelope for a D.C. office in his home.

History

Historical Context

In September 2001, a week after the September 11 attacks, the United States faced the Amerithrax mailings that infected 22 people and killed five, targeting media outlets and Senators Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy. The FBI, CDC and Postal Service traced the spores to a Princeton mailbox and a Florida lab, launching a large bioterror response. That investigation now shapes how authorities handle Unglesbee’s recent white-powder letters to legislators.

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Story summary

Matthew G. Unglesbee mailed threatening letters containing white powder to four members of Congress.
He was federally charged with mailing threatening communications and false hoaxes.
The handwritten envelopes, postmarked Springfield Oct. 19, were mailed from Quincy Oct. 16-17 and held salt, not anthrax.
FBI recovered four letters by Oct. 23 and found a fifth unopened envelope for a D.C. office in his home.

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