Hundreds of Threatening Letters with White Powder Sent to Election Officials
An Oklahoma City man faces federal charges for mailing hundreds of letters containing harmless powder to state election offices, lawmakers, and media organizations in October.
By Megan Ivanov ·
Federal authorities have charged an Oklahoma City resident with sending hundreds of threatening letters containing white powder to election officials, lawmakers, pollsters, and media outlets across the United States. The mailings were sent in the weeks leading up to the midterm congressional elections.
Robin Martin was charged in US District Court in Oklahoma with conveying false or misleading information and hoaxes. He also faces charges for mailing threatening communications. According to the FBI affidavit, laboratory testing determined the white powder found inside the letters was either harmless yeast or flour.
The timeline of the incident began in early October, when Martin mailed threats to state election officials in all 50 states. Investigators believe he engaged in similar behavior in 2024, sending threatening letters to election and postal officials at that time. The October letters featured an outdated return address for the Democratic Socialists of America in New York.
In August, Martin contacted the Democratic Socialists of America and obtained the email addresses of its members. He added these members to a mailing list that sent them threatening messages warning they could be arrested if they voted. The FBI also linked Martin to a 2024 letter that claimed President Donald Trump won the 2020 election and expressed concern about recurring issues in the 2024 race.
Investigators connected Martin to the mailings through surveillance video from postal facilities and a Walmart store where a phone believed to be used in the scheme was purchased. The government noted that Martin also wrote a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, which bore his fingerprints. That letter contained a message in ultraviolet-reactive ink reading "FBI SAVE THE USA," a hidden marking also found on the other threatening letters.
The evidence described by investigators links Martin to threatening mail sent over at least the past two years. The recent wave of letters directed at election offices in every state represents the latest phase of this activity. The FBI has not yet announced a specific trial date for the proceedings in Oklahoma.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
