Robin Patrick Martin, 67, of Oklahoma City, has been charged with conveying false or misleading information and hoaxes and mailing threatening communications in connection with threatening letters mailed to state election officials, members of Congress, the FBI and others.
“As alleged, Martin mailed letters containing white powder to hundreds of state and federal officials, a calculated attempt to terrorize public servants,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “These officials were left to open those letters not knowing if the powder inside could sicken or even kill them, and that was the evident intent. Intimidation like this has no place in a Nation governed by the rule of law, and the National Security Division will investigate and prosecute these cases to the fullest extent appropriate.”
“Threatening election officials and attempting to intimidate public servants is a serious federal offense and will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma. “Working alongside our federal law enforcement partners, we are committed to investigating these threats and holding accountable those who seek to spread fear and intimidation in our communities.”
“Early Monday morning, the FBI conducted an operation and arrested Robin Patrick Martin – the subject who allegedly sent hundreds of letters containing suspicious white powder substances to public officials around the country both before the 2024 and 2026 election,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The letters went to well over 100 locations including multiple state secretary offices, election offices, and more. The alleged subject had avoided authorities until now – as the Biden administration failed to catch him – but this FBI got it done. I want to thank our Oklahoma City Field Office and the FBI Criminal Division, as well as our USPIS, Capitol Police, and OKC PD partners who responded to the threat quickly and did outstanding work executing in this case. Every American citizen deserves a free and fair election – and anyone who attempts to undermine that process by breaking our laws and threatening public officials will be brought to justice.”
“The mailing of letters containing an unknown powdery substance across the country created unnecessary fear, diverted resources, and attempted to disrupt our nation’s democratic process,” said Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. “No one should have to wonder whether a letter in the mail poses a danger, and the arrest of Robin Martin demonstrates that those who seek to spread panic and intimidation cannot expect to remain anonymous. I would like to express my gratitude to the dedicated team at FBI Oklahoma City and our partners at the US Attorney’s Offices, USPIS, USPS, U.S. Capitol Police, FBI Laboratory Division, and Oklahoma City Department for all their work in this matter.”
“The Postal Inspection Service has a long, proud, and successful history of ensuring the sanctity of election mail, safeguarding the integrity of elections, and protecting election officials from threatening and dangerous mail,” said Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). “Utilizing our expertise in the Postal Service and mail flow, postal inspectors and our partners identified related mailings and recovered the majority of these mailings before they reached their intended recipients, keeping Postal Service customers — the American public — safe. This arrest reflects the perseverance of the Postal Inspection Service, FBI, U.S. Capitol Police, and all of our law enforcement partners to keep criminals from interfering with two trusted traditions — the election process, and the U.S. Mail.”
“Our team has been working around the clock with our law enforcement partners to put this defendant behind bars,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan. “We will not tolerate anyone who attempts to use fear as a weapon.”
According to public records, on Oct. 13, 2026, the Oklahoma State Election Board notified the FBI that it had received a threatening letter containing white powder. The FBI and USPIS had been investigating threatening letters containing white powder sent to multiple state election officials — including the Oklahoma State Election Board — since 2024. The FBI and USPIS determined that this letter was part of hundreds of threatening letters, many of which had white powder, that had been sent across the country to state election boards, members of Congress, election pollsters, media organizations, and others. The white powder was later determined to be non-hazardous.
Today, Martin appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shon Erwin for his initial appearance in Oklahoma City.
This case is part of the nationwide National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 initiative, which is a White House-directed, interagency effort to integrate federal, state, and local partners in protecting First Amendment rights while targeting individuals and organizations engaged in political violence.
This case is being investigated by the FBI, USPIS, United States Capitol Police, Oklahoma City Police Department, and Texas Department of Public Safety, including the Texas Rangers, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma is prosecuting the case with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.