Federal authorities have charged an Oklahoma City man with mailing hundreds of letters containing white powder and warnings about treason to public officials ahead of the 2024 and 2026 elections, the Associated Press reported through PBS News.
Robin Martin is charged with conveying a hoax and mailing threatening communications. He was arrested Monday and was expected in federal court in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. The FBI said the powders tested so far were harmless, either yeast or flour, though not every letter has been fully tested.
The investigation began in 2024, when election officials in several states reported mail containing a white substance and a three-page letter declaring war. Some letters carried messages that could only be read under ultraviolet light, including "Stay on the right side of history! Your life may depend on it!!" The sender claimed to represent a "United States Traitor Elimination Army."
This fall, investigators linked more than 700 more mailings to the same sender. They went to election officials, members of Congress, pollsters, news outlets and federal law enforcement. An FBI affidavit said the letters warned of coming arrests for treason "or worse!!" and repeated claims that President Donald Trump won the 2020 election.
The letters led to evacuations of election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma. States from Idaho to Florida reported receiving them or having them intercepted by the Postal Service.
The FBI said video showed Martin's car stopping at mailboxes at postal sites in Oklahoma City, Dallas and San Antonio in October. Investigators also found his fingerprints on a letter sent to FBI Director Kash Patel. Store records showed he bought household items such as turmeric and vinegar, which the FBI said he used to make invisible ink.
Online records did not list an attorney for Martin.
Sources: PBS News, The Associated Press