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Massachusetts man pleads guilty to importing plutonium from Russia and selling it to 67 customers
En breve
Jacob D. Miller, 44, of South Hadley, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to charges including importing nuclear material without lawful authority and mailing hazardous materials, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts said. Prosecutors said he imported plutonium from Russia, had it mailed to his home and sold it to about 67 customers in the U.S. and abroad between December 2020 and March 2025 through his business, Collect The Periodic Table. He also pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material and to firearms and explosives counts, and has been in federal custody since his arrest in April 2025.
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Jacob D. Miller, 44, pleaded guilty to illegally importing plutonium from Russia and selling the radioactive material, along with other hazardous substances, to customers in the United States and abroad, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts said. The office said he pleaded guilty to one count of importing nuclear material without lawful authority, one count of mailing hazardous materials, one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition, one count of being a felon in possession of explosive materials and one count of possession of child pornography. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Prosecutors said Miller, who lived in South Hadley, Massachusetts, started a business called Collect The Periodic Table after his release from an earlier sentence and sold samples of elements including plutonium and the highly toxic element thallium. In addition to selling through the business, he used the online third-party retailer Bonanza, according to prosecutors. They said he imported plutonium from Russia, had it mailed to his Massachusetts residence, and sold plutonium to about 67 customers across the U.S. and abroad between Dec. 30, 2020, and March 31, 2025, shipping it through a U.S. mail service. The New York Post reported that prosecutors said he also sold thallium to about 71 customers in the U.S. [ 1 , 2 ]
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Miller had previously been convicted on Feb. 9, 2004, in Massachusetts state court of possessing child pornography and possessing an explosive device. Prosecutors said he received seven years of probation in the child pornography case and, in a separate case involving two counts of possessing an explosive device, was sentenced to 2½ years in jail and 10 years of probation. [ 1 , 2 ]
The New York Post reported that during an April 2025 search of Miller's home, investigators found a box containing bottles of explosive powder, numerous rounds of ammunition and six firearms he illegally owned, and that more child sexual abuse material was found on his laptop and cell phone, which prosecutors said he had accessed as recently as the day before the search. The New York Times summary said authorities found various suspected hazardous substances in the South Hadley home and, apparently, a cat. [ 2 , 3 ]
Miller was arrested on April 9, 2025, and indicted by a grand jury on April 17, according to prosecutors. He has remained in federal custody since his arrest. The available accounts do not state the sentence he faces or when he will be sentenced. [ 1 , 2 ]
Por qué importa
The case is a federal prosecution over the import and mail shipment of radioactive and highly toxic material inside the United States, with prosecutors saying the material reached customers both in the U.S. and abroad. It also puts attention on how such substances are sold and shipped, and on enforcement against a seller with prior felony convictions.
Datos clave
- Jacob D. Miller, 44, pleaded guilty in federal court in Massachusetts to one count of importing nuclear material without lawful authority, one count of mailing hazardous materials, one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition, one count of being a felon in possession of explosive materials and one count of possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Prosecutors said Miller imported plutonium from Russia and arranged for it to be mailed to his Massachusetts residence. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He sold plutonium to about 67 customers across the U.S. and abroad between Dec. 30, 2020, and March 31, 2025, according to prosecutors. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Miller ran a business called Collect The Periodic Table, selling samples of elements including plutonium and the toxic element thallium, and also sold through the online retailer Bonanza. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He sold thallium to about 71 customers in the U.S., according to federal prosecutors. [ 2 ]
- Miller was convicted in Massachusetts state court on Feb. 9, 2004, of possessing child pornography and of possessing an explosive device, and was sentenced to 2½ years in jail and 10 years of probation in the explosives case, prosecutors said. [ 1 , 2 ]
- During an April 2025 search of his home, investigators found a box with bottles of explosive powder, ammunition and six firearms, and found child sexual abuse material on his laptop and cell phone, prosecutors said. [ 2 ]
- Miller was arrested on April 9, 2025, indicted by a grand jury on April 17, and has remained in federal custody, according to prosecutors and court filings. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmado por varias fuentes
- Jacob D. Miller, 44, pleaded guilty to illegally importing plutonium from Russia and selling the material to dozens of customers through a business he ran from his home in South Hadley, Massachusetts, prosecutors said. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Prosecutors said he sold plutonium to about 67 customers in the U.S. and abroad between Dec. 30, 2020, and March 31, 2025. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Miller was convicted in 2004 of possessing child pornography and an explosive device, and later started the business Collect The Periodic Table. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He was arrested in April 2025 and indicted by a grand jury on April 17, 2025, and has been in custody since. [ 1 , 2 ]
Aún sin aclarar
- The sentence Miller faces and the date of his sentencing. The available article texts from documents 1 and 2 are truncated and do not state a sentencing date or possible penalty.
- The quantity and form of the plutonium, and how it passed through mail screening. Neither document gives amounts or describes how the shipments cleared the mail.
- The relevance of a cat that authorities apparently found during the search of Miller's home. Only the New York Times summary mentions this, and it does not explain why it matters to the case.
Qué dicen los medios locales
Cronología, hora local
- Miller is convicted in Massachusetts state court of possessing child pornography and of possessing an explosive device. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Start of the period in which prosecutors say Miller sold plutonium to about 67 customers. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Miller is arrested; prosecutors say a search of his home that month turned up explosive powder, ammunition and six firearms. [ 1 , 2 ]
- A grand jury indicts Miller, according to prosecutors and court filings. [ 1 , 2 ]
- End of the period in which prosecutors say the plutonium sales took place. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Fox News publishes its report on the guilty plea. [ 1 ]
- The New York Post publishes its report on the guilty plea. [ 2 ]
- The New York Times publishes its report on the guilty plea. [ 3 ]