Man accused of sending hundreds of letters containing white powder to officials

Federal authorities have charged an Oklahoma City man with sending hundreds of letters containing white powder and dire warnings of treason to public officials before the 2024 and 2026 elections.

The powders were found to be harmless — yeast or flour — although not all of the letters were fully tested, the FBI said in a court filing released Tuesday.

Robin Martin is accused of spreading a hoax and sending threatening communications. He was arrested Monday and was scheduled to appear Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City.

Online records do not list an attorney who could comment on his behalf, and several relatives did not immediately respond to social media messages seeking comment.

The investigation dated back to 2024, when election officials in several states reported a mailer containing a white substance and a three-page letter declaring war, the FBI said. Some carried warnings that could only be read by ultraviolet light, such as: “Stay on the right side of history! Your life may depend on it!!”

The sender wrote a return address as “USTEA, United States Traitor Elimination Army, Takoma Park, MD.”

Investigators estimate that more than 700 shipments this fall appeared to be associated with the same sender but with a different return address. They were addressed to election officials, members of Congress, pollsters, the media and federal law enforcement, FBI agent David Cole said in an affidavit.

A common message in the 2024 and 2026 mailings was a warning to recipients about upcoming arrests for treason “or worse!! »

“The author of the letter described perceived problems with the 2020 election, claimed that President Donald Trump won the 2020 election, and expressed concerns about some of the same recurring issues in the upcoming 2024 election,” Cole said.

Federal authorities announcement Last month, they were investigating letters containing “suspicious substances” that had been sent to congressional and election offices across the country and urged recipients to consider such mailings as potentially dangerous.

These packages led to the evacuation of election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma. Many states, from Idaho to Florida, reported receiving letters or having them intercepted by the Postal Service.

The FBI said it has video evidence of Martin’s car stopping in October at mailboxes at Postal Service locations in Oklahoma City, Dallas and San Antonio. Investigators also gleaned his fingerprints from a letter addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel, whose first name was written “Kashyap.”

Walmart records show Martin purchased common household items, such as turmeric and vinegar, to create invisible ink that could be read with ultraviolet light, the FBI said.

The Democratic Socialists of America apparently assisted in the investigation. The FBI said it believes Martin, posing as someone using the name George Livingston, posted a message to a DSA mailing list in October warning that members were traitors and could be arrested for treason if they voted in the Nov. 3 election.

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Associated Press reporter Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report.