Federal prosecutors have charged an Oklahoma man with mailing more than 700 envelopes stuffed with white powder to public officials and media outlets across the country, in a scare campaign that authorities say stretched across both the 2024 and 2026 elections.
The charges against Robin Patrick Martin were unsealed on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. He faces one count of conveying false or misleading information and hoaxes and one count of mailing threatening communications.
What was inside the envelopes
According to an FBI court filing made public Tuesday, the powder turned out to be yeast or flour, though not every letter has been fully tested, the Associated Press reported. Authorities described the substance as nontoxic.
The envelopes also carried hidden messages. Investigators say they were written in UV-reactive “invisible ink” that is not easily seen by the naked eye, according to CBS News.
Who was targeted
The letters went to public officials of both parties nationwide. Dozens of members of Congress and election officials reported being targeted, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service confirmed in October that “suspicious mailings” had gone to addresses including secretary of state offices and other election offices.
At the time, federal authorities urged recipients to treat the mailings as “potentially hazardous.” A message from the Senate Sergeant at Arms obtained by the AP warned that while law enforcement was working to intercept additional letters, “it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations.”
The messages
According to the FBI affidavit cited by CBS News, Martin “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.”
In one envelope addressed to the Oklahoma State Election Board before the 2024 election, he allegedly wrote: “stay on the right side of history your life might depend on it!” Prosecutors say handwriting analysis matched that message to the new batch of letters.
The 2026 letters “all pertained to the upcoming 2026 national elections,” the affidavit says. Martin allegedly referenced a group called the “United States Traitor Elimination Army” and threatened recipients with arrest for treason “OR WORSE!!” Investigators also intercepted a message allegedly from Martin to FBI Director Kash Patel.
Some envelopes bore return addresses tied to former headquarters of the Green Party of the United States and the Democratic Socialists of America. The DSA cooperated with the FBI’s investigation, according to the affidavit.
How investigators say they tracked him
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Martin dropping off envelopes at a U.S. Postal Service facility in both 2024 and 2026. Federal investigators say records show he bought items used for the mailings in August of this year, along with the ingredients for the invisible ink.
The AP reported that Martin was arrested Monday and was expected to make his first appearance in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Online records did not list an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
The charges are accusations, and Martin is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.