The Justice Department on Tuesday said Robin Patrick Martin, 67, of Oklahoma City, has been charged with conveying false or misleading information and hoaxes and mailing threatening communications in connection with threatening letters mailed to state and federal officials.

The department said the case involves hundreds of letters sent across the country, many of which contained white powder that was later determined to be non-hazardous. Recipients included state election officials, members of Congress, the FBI, election pollsters, media organizations, and others. Officials said the mailings created fear, diverted resources, and attempted to disrupt the democratic process.

The FBI said agents conducted an operation and arrested Martin early Monday morning. FBI Director Kash Patel said the letters went to well over 100 locations, including multiple state secretary offices and election offices, and were sent before the 2024 and 2026 elections. The FBI Oklahoma City Field Office said the arrest shows those who seek to spread panic and intimidation cannot expect to remain anonymous.

According to public records cited in the release, the Oklahoma State Election Board notified the FBI on Oct. 13, 2026, that it had received a threatening letter containing white powder. The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service had been investigating similar letters sent to multiple state election officials since 2024 and determined the Oklahoma letter was part of a larger set of threatening mailings.

Martin made an initial appearance Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shon Erwin in Oklahoma City. The investigation involves the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, 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.

The department said the case is part of the nationwide National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 initiative, a White House-directed, interagency effort to integrate federal, state, and local partners in protecting First Amendment rights while targeting individuals and organizations engaged in political violence.

“A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”