Federal authorities have charged Robin Patrick Martin of Oklahoma City with sending more than 700 letters containing white powder to election officials, members of Congress, pollsters, media outlets and police ahead of both the 2024 and 2026 elections. He was arrested Monday and was due in federal court in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, AP and CBS News report. He is charged with conveying a hoax and mailing threatening communications.
The powder tested so far turned out to be yeast or flour, though not every letter has been tested, the FBI says. The letters still caused evacuations and hazmat responses in Louisiana and Oklahoma, and Idaho and Florida said the Postal Service intercepted others. According to the FBI affidavit cited by CBS, the 2026 letters were written partly in UV ink that's hard to see with the naked eye, invoked a "United States Traitor Elimination Army," and warned recipients of arrest for treason "OR WORSE!!" Some carried return addresses tied to the Green Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, which cooperated with the FBI. The affidavit says Martin has claimed Trump won the 2020 election.
Investigators say surveillance video shows him dropping off envelopes at a USPS facility in both 2024 and 2026, and that handwriting on a 2024 letter to the Oklahoma State Election Board matches the new batch. Fox News reports the letters went to more than 100 locations, including several secretary of state offices.
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