A Massachusetts man with a prior criminal record has pleaded guilty to illegally importing plutonium from Russia and mailing it, along with another toxic element, to dozens of customers in the United States and abroad, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Jacob D. Miller, 44, entered guilty pleas to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition, one count of being a felon in possession of explosive materials, one count of importing nuclear material without lawful authority, one count of mailing hazardous materials, and one count of possession of child pornography.
Miller was arrested on April 9, 2025, and a federal grand jury indicted him on April 17. He has been held in federal custody since his arrest and is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 21.
Federal prosecutors say Miller had a previous conviction in Massachusetts state court on Feb. 9, 2004, for possessing child pornography and an explosive device. 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.
After his release, Miller launched a business called Collect The Periodic Table, or CTPT, selling samples of elements including plutonium, which is highly radioactive, and thallium, which is highly toxic. He also sold the materials through a third-party online retailer called Bonanza, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors say Miller imported plutonium from Russia and had it mailed to his Massachusetts residence. Between Dec. 30, 2020, and March 31, 2025, he sold plutonium to roughly 67 customers across the U.S. and abroad, shipping it through the U.S. mail despite its status as a hazardous substance barred from mail shipment.
Separately, between Oct. 12, 2017, and April 5, 2025, Miller sold thallium to about 71 customers through CTPT and Bonanza, again shipping it through the mail even though it, too, was prohibited from being mailed, according to prosecutors.
When investigators searched Miller’s residence in April 2025, they recovered a box of explosive powder, numerous rounds of ammunition and six firearms. Prosecutors said Miller was barred from possessing any of these items because of his earlier felony convictions.
Investigators also found child sexual abuse material on Miller’s laptop and cell phone, which prosecutors said he had accessed as recently as the day before the search warrant was executed.
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