A Massachusetts man, Jacob D. Miller, has been indicted for illegally possessing ammunition and explosives, as well as selling plutonium and depleted uranium through an online business.
Miller, a 43-year-old resident of Hadley, faces serious charges due to his extensive criminal history involving explosives and hazardous materials.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley announced the indictment on Tuesday, revealing that Miller was charged with one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition and one count of being a felon in possession of explosive materials.
The indictment follows a search warrant executed at Miller’s home, where law enforcement discovered a variety of dangerous materials, including explosive substances and radioactive items, such as plutonium.
On April 8, authorities found approximately 50 rounds of Federal brand .45 auto ammunition in a bedside table, as well as six firearms stored in a hallway safe during the search of Miller’s Hadley residence.
Prosecutors noted that Miller has displayed an ongoing and unlawful fascination with explosives and hazardous chemicals since at least 2002.
Evidence presented during a detention hearing highlighted Miller’s troubling past, including a previous incident in which blasting caps, bomb-making instructions, military equipment, and even a homemade pipe bomb were discovered at his former residence.
In 2002, Miller was convicted in state court for possessing these dangerous devices, but troubling activities did not stop there.
While on probation in 2014, he was issued a cease-and-desist letter by the Massachusetts Radiation Control Program after it was discovered that he was selling depleted uranium on eBay.
Despite his claims of ceasing these activities, Miller allegedly established an online business named “Collect the Periodic Table” in 2017, where he marketed and sold radioactive materials, including Plutonium-239 sourced from Cold War-era Soviet smoke detectors.
From June to October 2023, Miller reportedly conducted at least five PayPal transactions selling plutonium, with more evidence of such sales uncovered at his home during a subsequent search.
In a particularly alarming allegation, Miller directed an associate to purchase five pounds of hazardous black powder, which was shipped to his Hadley home.
Witnesses stated that he used the black powder to ignite fireballs and detonate a dishwasher during gatherings in his backyard, showcasing a blatant disregard for safety.
During the April 2025 search, remnants of this shipment were recovered, including several bottles of the explosive powder.
Additional hazardous substances were also cataloged at Miller’s residence, including various fuels, alkali metals, oxidizers, acids, and toxic elements such as arsenic.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has warned that these materials pose serious risks to public safety, particularly in the event of an accident or natural disaster.
As a precautionary measure, the court has mandated that MassDEP conduct a thorough safety evaluation and oversee the removal of these materials from Miller’s home to ensure the safety of the community.
Jacob D. Miller’s criminal background is extensive. In February 2004, he was convicted of possession of child pornography, resulting in a seven-year probation sentence.
Furthermore, he was convicted of two counts of possession of an explosive device, leading to a two-and-a-half-year jail sentence and 10 years of probation in a separate case.
Due to these convictions, Miller is legally prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms, ammunition, or explosives.
Should he be convicted of the current charges of being a felon in possession of ammunition and explosives, Miller faces a potential sentence of 15 years in prison, along with three years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
Hadley, where Miller resides, is a small town located in western Massachusetts, just west of Amherst, with a population of 5,325 according to the 2020 census.
This developing story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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