A Quincy man accused of sending suspicious letters to members of Congress will remain in custody while awaiting trial after waiving his right to fight prosecutors' bid to keep him detained.
Matthew Unglesbee, 36, faces charges of mailing threatening communications, false information and hoaxes, according to the complaint filed in the Central District of Illinois. A jury trial is set to begin Dec. 7.
Unglesbee told a judge he understood the decision and had not been threatened or offered anything in exchange for the decision.
“We will concede to detention,” federal public defender Roxanne Mendez Johnson said at a hearing Monday. Johnson has been appointed to represent Unglesbee.
The charges follow several Illinois lawmakers reporting receiving suspicious mail in recent weeks, including Democratic U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley, Brad Schneider and Jan Schakowsky.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s Chicago office also confirmed receiving two suspicious letters in recent weeks.
During an interview with law enforcement, Unglesbee allegedly admitted in writing that he sent letters containing a white, granular substance and handwritten messages, including “HA HA” and “HAH enjoy the gift,” according to an FBI affidavit. Preliminary testing found no toxins in the substance.
During an interview with FBI agents, Unglesbee allegedly said the substance was salt and that he used it because it resembled anthrax, according to the affidavit. Unglesbee claimed he was joking but also said he knew the powder would be taken seriously and would have “hazmat come in white suits.”
The letters were postmarked in Springfield on Oct. 19. While searching Unglesbee’s home, investigators also found an empty, unmailed envelope addressed to a congressional office in Washington, D.C.
The complaint against Unglesbee does not identify the four congressional recipients by name, though Quigley and Schakowsky, whose offices each received a second round of letters, issued separate statements indicating the arrest was in connection with the letters their offices had received.
