Federal authorities charged an Oklahoma man with sending hundreds of letters containing nonhazardous white powder to public officials ahead of the 2024 and 2026 elections.
The powders turned out to be 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. Martin 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 to comment on his behalf.
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.”
Aurora Democratic Congressperson Jason Crow said on Oct. 20 his Aurora office received what federal investigators call a “suspicious letter,” as a wave of such incidents were reported in Washington and across the country.
The day before, Boulder Democratic Congressperson Joe Neguse and Democratic Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper also reported that their offices received similar letters.
“Earlier today, my congressional office in Aurora received a letter with a suspicious substance,” Crow said in a statement. “This appears to be one of many unfortunate instances across the country where congressional offices have received mail containing unknown, suspicious substances.”
“My staff is safe, and our district office remains open for those who need assistance,” Crow said. “Attempts to intimidate me or my team will not stop our work on behalf of Coloradans.”
Neguse’s staff reported that the letter contained a “powdery white substance,” according to reporting by National Public Radio.
“I take seriously the safety of my staff and the community I represent,” Neguse said in a statement. He told NPR the work of his staff and office will not be disrupted.
Hickenlooper’s staff said his office, too, remains undaunted by the threats.
“Our office has been notified that postal investigators intercepted a suspicious letter addressed to our Denver office,” a spokesperson for Hickenlooper’s office said in a statement. “We’re grateful to federal authorities for their work to protect our staff and others who have been targeted. Violence and intimidation have no place in our politics. Not now, not ever.”
The packages led to the evacuation in October of election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma. Numerous states, from Idaho to Florida, said their election offices either received letters or had them intercepted by the Postal Service.
Investigators believe more than 700 mailings appeared to be associated with the same sender. They were addressed to election officials, members of Congress, pollsters, news media and federal law enforcement, FBI agent David Cole said in an affidavit.
The investigation stretched back to 2024 when multiple election officials in every state reported mail with a white substance and a three-page letter declaring war, the FBI said.
The sender wrote a return address as “U.S.T.E.A., United States Traitor Elimination Army, Takoma Park, MD.”
A common message in the 2024 and 2026 mailings was a warning to recipients about upcoming arrests for treason “or worse!!”
Associated Press journalist Alanna Durkin Richer contributed reporting.