An Oklahoma man was arrested and charged with mailing hundreds of election-related threat letters across the country, some containing white powder, after investigators linked him to more than 700 mailings warning of treason arrests and civil war ahead of the November 3, 2026, midterm elections.
Robin Patrick Martin, 67, of Oklahoma City, was arrested Monday following an FBI investigation that stretched back to the 2024 presidential election. The letters targeted election officials, members of Congress, polling organizations, news outlets and federal law enforcement agencies, prompting hazardous-material responses and evacuations in multiple states. Laboratory testing identified the powder examined so far as harmless flour or yeast.
Federal prosecutors charged Martin with conveying false or misleading information and hoaxes and mailing threatening communications. He appeared Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shon Erwin in the Western District of Oklahoma, the same day voters headed to the polls nationwide.
According to a 33-page FBI affidavit, the October mailings warned recipients they could be arrested for treason or face worse consequences. Some predicted civil war on Election Day, while others carried threatening messages written in ultraviolet-reactive ink that became visible under special lighting.
Martin also allegedly sent an email to chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America warning members they could be arrested if they voted on November 3. The sender claimed to be an undercover agent and accused members of treason, according to court documents.
The envelopes used an outdated return address associated with the organization, which cooperated with federal investigators. Authorities traced the email and related digital activity as they worked to identify the sender.
The investigation intensified after the Oklahoma State Election Board reported receiving a threatening letter containing white powder on October 13. Postal inspectors identified hundreds of related mailings, many addressed to election offices and lawmakers from both major parties. Authorities intercepted numerous envelopes before they reached their intended recipients.
An envelope addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel, intercepted at a Maryland postal facility on October 21, carried fingerprints investigators attributed to Martin.
Postal records traced the October mailings to facilities in Oklahoma City, Dallas and San Antonio. Surveillance footage, license plate records and cellphone data allegedly placed Martin near those locations when the envelopes entered the mail system. Investigators also identified purchases of mailing supplies and materials associated with producing invisible ink.
The suspicious letters triggered emergency responses as election offices and law enforcement agencies investigated the unidentified substances. Authorities evacuated election facilities in Oklahoma and Louisiana, while FBI field offices and postal inspectors worked to recover additional envelopes.
Investigators had been pursuing similar threats since 2024, when election officials in all 50 states received letters containing white powder and a document titled "Declaration of War." The writings repeated false claims that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election and warned that future envelopes could contain something more dangerous than flour.
Handwriting comparisons, threatening language and similarities in mailing materials helped investigators connect the two election cycles. The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service had been investigating the earlier letters when the new mailings surfaced in October.
Prosecutors charged Martin under federal laws addressing certain criminal hoaxes and threatening communications sent through the mail. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1038, knowingly conveying false information suggesting certain dangerous federal crimes may constitute a criminal offense. A separate statute, 18 U.S.C. § 876(c), covers qualifying threats to injure another person sent through the postal system. The charges can apply even when the substance involved is harmless, provided prosecutors establish the required elements of the offenses.
Martin was temporarily detained following his initial court appearance. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 9, when the court will consider the next steps in the federal prosecution.
