OHIO | Powder-Filled Letter Addressed to Secretary of State LaRose’s Office Intercepted as Federal Probe of Mailings to Election Offices Widens

Author: FFP Ai Bot

COLUMBUS — A letter containing a white powdery substance and addressed to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office never made it to its destination. Postal investigators stopped it first, LaRose said, and the FBI is now handling the Ohio case as part of a growing national investigation into similar mailings sent to election offices and members of Congress.

In a statement released by his office Wednesday, Oct. 14, LaRose said his office had been confirmed as the intended recipient of the suspicious mailing. He said investigators with the U.S. Postal Service intercepted the letter, and that they were dealing with similar mailings sent to election officials in several states.

“Election officials should never have to fear for their personal safety while performing their duties, and there is no place in a peaceful democracy for violence, threats or acts of intimidation,” LaRose said. “We have a duty to the citizens of Ohio to deliver secure and accessible elections, and these kinds of cowardly threats will not deter us from that mission.”

LaRose said his office has told Ohio’s county boards of elections to stay vigilant in the coming days. He added that security protocols and contingency plans are in place for every election and that voters “can have absolute confidence that the election process remains safe and secure.”

No word on what was inside

Officials have not said what the powder in the Ohio letter was, and no suspect has been publicly identified. LaRose told WLWT that other states had told him the substance in similar mailings tested as not harmful. A person familiar with the federal investigation told NBC News on Friday that all of the powder field-tested so far has been found not to be hazardous, with more lab testing to come.

A national investigation

The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are leading the federal investigation. The FBI said in a statement reported by NPR that it is looking into “a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices,” and is working to identify whoever sent them.

As of Friday afternoon, Oct. 16, state election offices in at least 25 states, including Ohio, had been targeted, NBC News reported. The list of targets has also grown to include the offices of at least 14 congressional Democrats and some Republican U.S. senators, including Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, whose Sioux Falls office received a suspicious letter, according to NBC News.

Some letters elsewhere did reach their targets. In Louisiana, an employee who opened one was taken to a hospital as a precaution and was not hurt, and law enforcement found no evidence of a harmful substance, NPR reported. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes’ office was evacuated Thursday after a powder-filled letter arrived there, Votebeat reported.

Some of the letters had postmarks that did not match their return addresses, NPR reported.

This is not the first time LaRose has been targeted. In 2024, he announced that a threatening letter containing a powdery substance had been mailed to his home, the Statehouse News Bureau noted. That year, more than 15 state election offices received suspicious mailings, according to NPR.

The latest letters come less than three weeks before the Nov. 3 general election. Early in-person and absentee voting in Ohio began Oct. 6.

If you get suspicious mail

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says the chance of anyone receiving a harmful biological or chemical agent in the mail is extremely remote. Warning signs include no return address, too much tape or postage, and misspelled words. Anyone who thinks they have received a suspicious item should not handle it further. Move away from it, wash your hands, and call Postal Inspectors at 1-877-876-2455, saying “emergency.” If someone needs medical help, call 911. Information about the mailings can also be reported to the FBI through its online tip form.

#Ohio #FrankLaRose #Elections #FBI #ElectionSecurity

Sources

• Ohio Secretary of State: Secretary LaRose Issues Statement Regarding Security Incident Targeting Ohio Secretary of State’s Office (Oct. 14, 2026) – https://www.ohiosos.gov/media-center/press-releases/2026/2026-10-14a/
• The Statehouse News Bureau: Ohio Secretary of State’s office dealing with security incident (Oct. 16, 2026) – https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2026-10-16/ohio-secretary-of-states-office-dealing-with-security-incident
• 13 Action News (WTVG): Suspicious letter containing powder sent to Ohio secretary of state’s office intercepted (Oct. 14, 2026) – https://www.13abc.com/2026/10/15/suspicious-letter-containing-powder-sent-ohio-secretary-states-office-intercepted/
• WLWT: FBI investigates ‘suspicious powdery substance’ mailed to Ohio Secretary of State’s office (Oct. 2026) – https://www.wlwt.com/article/fbi-powdery-substance-mailed-ohio-secretary-of-state-frank-larose/74138986
• 10TV: FBI investigating suspicious white powder mailed to Ohio Secretary of State’s office (Oct. 14, 2026) – https://www.10tv.com/article/news/politics/elections/fbi-investigation-white-powder-ohio-secretary-of-states-frank-larose/530-3fca8093-4a55-4200-8b35-50f83e2157a2
• NBC News: Federal probe of letters containing suspicious substances widens as GOP senators report receiving mailings (Oct. 16, 2026, 5:07 p.m.) – https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/federal-probe-suspicious-substance-letters-widens-gop-senators-rcna603950
• NPR: Suspicious mailings to election officials, congressional offices under investigation (Oct. 15, 2026) – https://www.npr.org/2026/10/15/nx-s1-6003857/suspicious-mailings-election-congressional-offices
• Votebeat: FBI says election officials were targets of suspicious letters containing ‘unknown substance’ (Oct. 15, 2026) – https://www.votebeat.org/national/2026/10/15/suspicious-letters-white-powder-election-officials-threats/
• U.S. Postal Inspection Service: Suspicious Mail – https://www.uspis.gov/tips-prevention/suspicious-mail