US Man Charged After FBI Says He Mailed Over 700 Threatening Letters to Officials

A 67-year-old man from Oklahoma City is facing federal charges after authorities say he mailed more than 700 letters containing white powder and menacing warnings to state and federal officials ahead of the US midterm elections.

Robin Patrick Martin made his first appearance in a US district court on Tuesday, one day after his arrest. The charges against him include conveying false or misleading information or hoaxes, as well as mailing threatening communications.

Prosecutors allege the letters were sent to hundreds of recipients, including members of the US Congress and election pollsters. Initial testing determined that the white powder was nonhazardous and consisted of yeast or flour, though not all of the letters have been fully tested.

In an affidavit, Federal Bureau of Investigation agent David Cole said the letters expressed grievances about election integrity. "The writer of the letter described perceived issues with the 2020 election, claimed that President Donald Trump won the 2020 election, and voiced concerns regarding some of the same issues recurring in the then-upcoming 2024 election," Cole said.

According to investigators, the letters warned recipients that they could face arrest for treason "or worse". One letter, written in ink visible only under ultraviolet light, read: "Stay on the right side of history! Your life may depend on it," the FBI said.

Trump, a Republican, has repeatedly cited false claims of election rigging to argue that he, rather than Democrat Joe Biden, won the 2020 presidential election. Those false claims helped spur his supporters to storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an effort to disrupt the certification of the voting results. Since being re-elected in 2024, Trump has continued to use his platform to spread fears of election fraud, which is considered exceedingly rare in the US.

The investigation that led to Martin's arrest dates back to 2024, when election officials in multiple states reported receiving mail containing a white substance. The letters carried a return address for a fictional group called the "United States Traitor Elimination Army" in Takoma Park, Maryland.

The FBI said it gathered video footage of Martin visiting US Postal Service locations in Oklahoma City and in Dallas and San Antonio, Texas, to send the mailings. The bureau also claims it found his fingerprints on a letter addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel.

The Democratic Socialists of America reportedly participated in the investigation after a suspect the FBI believes to be Martin sent messages to the group's mailing list. Those messages echoed the mailed letters, calling the group's members traitors and accusing them of treason for voting in Tuesday's midterm election.