The FBI arrested an Oklahoma City man early Monday on suspicion of mailing hundreds of letters containing a suspicious white powder to public officials around the country during the 2024 and 2026 election cycles, a federal law enforcement source said.
The man is expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon. The letters reportedly went to more than 100 locations, including state election offices and offices of secretaries of state.
The investigation involved the FBI’s Oklahoma City field office and Criminal Division, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Capitol Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department.
The arrest comes as federal authorities investigate suspicious mail sent to congressional and election offices ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The FBI has been working with postal inspectors to investigate a series of mailings sent to addresses nationwide, including election offices.
Authorities advised recipients to treat the letters as potentially hazardous while they tried to intercept others in transit. In an Oct. 23 advisory, the FBI said tests had not identified hazardous material in the substances examined so far, though laboratory work was continuing.
Several Senate offices also reported suspicious mail. Capitol Police intercepted a letter addressed to Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester’s office in Delaware, while postal authorities intercepted mail sent to the offices of Sens. Alex Padilla of California and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
During the 2024 election cycle, similar letters were sent to election offices in more than 15 states, leading to evacuations and hazardous-materials responses. Some of the substances were later found to be harmless.
