Federal authorities charged an Oklahoma City man with sending hundreds of letters containing white powder and ominous warnings about treason to public officials ahead of the 2024 and 2026 elections.
The powders turned out to be nonhazardous — yeast or flour — though not all letters have been fully tested, the FBI said in a court filing made public Tuesday.
Robin Martin is charged with conveying a hoax and mailing threatening communications. He was arrested Monday and was expected to make an appearance 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 didn't immediately respond to social media messages seeking comment.
The investigation stretched back to 2024 when election officials in multiple states reported mail with a white substance and a three-page letter declaring war, the FBI said. Some bore warnings that could only be read under ultraviolet light, such as, “Stay on the right side of history! Your life may depend on it!!”
The sender wrote a return address as “U.S.T.E.A., United States Traitor Elimination Army, Takoma Park, MD.”
Investigators believe more than 700 mailings 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, news 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 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.
Federal authorities announced last month that they were investigating letters with "suspicious substances" that had been mailed to congressional and election offices nationwide and urged recipients to treat the mailings as potentially hazardous.
The packages led to the evacuation of election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma. Numerous states, from Idaho to Florida, said they either received letters or had 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 sites 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 as “Kashyap.”
Walmart records show Martin purchased common household goods, 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 the investigation. The FBI said it believes Martin, posing as someone using the name George Livingston, posted a message to a DSA email list in October, warning that members were traitors and eligible for arrest for treason if they vote in the Nov. 3 election.
___
Associated Press journalist Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed reporting.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
