Oklahoma man charged with mailing 700 letters containing white powder

Robin Martin, an Oklahoma resident, faces federal charges for sending hundreds of letters with white powder to public officials. The mailings arrived just before the 2024 and 2026 elections. Authorities confirmed the powders were mostly yeast or flour, though some samples remain untested.

Martin was arrested Monday and appeared in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. He is charged with conveying a hoax and mailing threatening communications. Online records show no attorney has been appointed to speak for him yet.

The investigation began last month when agencies warned recipients to treat the mail as potentially hazardous. The fear triggered evacuations in October at election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma. States from Idaho to Florida reported receiving or intercepting similar packages.

FBI agent David Cole stated in an affidavit that more than 700 mailings likely came from the same sender. The recipients included election officials, members of Congress, pollsters, news media, and federal law enforcement. The letters contained a three-page declaration of war and a warning about upcoming arrests for treason.

The sender used a return address listed as U.S.T.E.A., or the United States Traitor Elimination Army, located in Takoma Park, Maryland. Investigators traced the activity back to 2024, when officials in every state reported the white substance. The common message in both election cycles warned recipients of treason or worse.