[motorest]

> (...) as if people in these situations are even aware they're doing anything wrong.

Does this excuse even fly? I mean, do you actually believe that a guy who is a self-described "science nerd" with enough interest in chemistry to sought to get a sample of each element of the periodic table would somehow skip any and all references on how the element is subjected to nuclear proliferation restrictions?

[lenkite]

Yes, it is possible. Have seen a few nerds who could solve Math Olympiad problems in a jiffy but had extreme trouble navigating government bureaucracy.

[piokoch]

I would say that "nuclear proliferation" is about not letting North Korea or Israel getting nuclear weapons [1], not chasing random guy who tried to purchase infinitesimal amount of plutonium.

[1] As we know, both efforts failed.

[GoblinSlayer]

>investigators were aware he had obtained this material and it was in a very small quantity.

It was a small quantity. For comparison Trinity had 6 kg of plutonium.