DOJ Charges Oklahoma Man: Allegedly Mailed Hundreds of White-Powder Threat Letters to Officials Nationwide
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on November 3 that Robin Patrick Martin, 67, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 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.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said that, as alleged, Martin mailed letters containing white powder to hundreds of state and federal officials in a calculated attempt to terrorize public servants, leaving them to open the letters not knowing whether the powder inside could sicken or even kill them. He said intimidation like this has no place in a nation governed by the rule of law, and that the National Security Division will investigate and prosecute these cases to the fullest extent appropriate.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI conducted an operation early Monday morning and arrested Martin, the subject who allegedly sent hundreds of letters containing suspicious white powder to public officials around the country before both the 2024 and 2026 elections, reaching well over 100 locations including multiple state secretary of state offices and election offices. Patel thanked the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office and the FBI Criminal Division, as well as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the U.S. Capitol Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department.
U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma said threatening election officials and attempting to intimidate public servants is a serious federal offense that will not be tolerated. Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office said the letters created unnecessary fear, diverted resources and attempted to disrupt the nation's democratic process. Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale of USPIS said postal inspectors and their partners identified the related mailings and recovered the majority of them before they reached their intended recipients. U.S. Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan said his team worked around the clock with law enforcement partners to put the defendant behind bars.
According to public records, on October 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 similar letters sent to multiple state election officials since 2024 and determined this letter was part of hundreds of threatening letters 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.
Martin appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shon Erwin for his initial appearance in Oklahoma City. The case is being investigated by the FBI, USPIS, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Oklahoma City Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety, including the Texas Rangers, with 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, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 司法部总部大楼（四级固定图库·联邦核心包）。图：GSM 固定图库 / The U.S. Department of Justice headquarters building (GSM fixed federal asset pack). Photo: GSM asset library
