Election Threats: Oklahoma Man Charged Over Mailings

Federal prosecutors have charged an Oklahoma City man with sending threatening mail to election leaders nationwide.

Robin Martin faces two counts in US District Court in Oklahoma. The charges cover conveying false information and hoaxes, as well as mailing threatening communications, according to the FBI.

Investigators recovered white powder from the letters. Laboratory testing identified the substance as either harmless yeast or flour, the bureau stated in an affidavit. Reuters attempted to reach a legal representative for Martin but did not receive a response.

The mailings targeted state election officials in all 50 states. These letters arrived in early October, shortly before the midterm congressional elections. The FBI believes Martin also sent similar threats to election and postal officials in 2024.

Martin used an outdated return address for the Democratic Socialists of America in New York on the October letters. The bureau said he contacted the group in August and obtained email addresses for its members. Those members received threatening messages warning that they could be arrested if they voted.

Authorities linked Martin to the campaign through surveillance video from postal facilities and a Walmart store. Investigators identified a phone purchased at that store as a device used in the threats. The evidence also included a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel that bore Martin's fingerprints.

That letter contained a message written in ultraviolet-reactive ink. The hidden text read "FBI SAVE THE USA." Investigators noted that this specific marking appeared on the other threatening letters sent over the past two years.