That's a new one on me, too. Nice that they were recovered. If I were helping a client through this, I'd end up doing just what you're doing... ask a bunch of questions and be patient. One thing you may want to keep in mind is that if the thief has been caught and found guilty of the theft, you can probably work through a victim advocate and essentially "file a claim" for restitution against the criminal. I haven't heard of many cases where the victim is compensated for time spent restoring his life to normal, but if the ATF charges you anything to relicense the item(s) you may be eligible to recover.

Best regards,

Rod