A 14-year-old boy from Wimauma is now facing 30 felony charges in adult court, accused of threatening a mass shooting against a nearby church, possessing child sexual abuse material, and plotting arson. Hillsborough County officials announced the arrest of Jose Pagan earlier this year, but new charging documents filed by Florida prosecutors reveal the case has escalated dramatically since his initial arrest.
Pagan was first taken into custody on juvenile charges after Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputies executed a search warrant at his Wimauma home on January 31, according to the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center. That search followed dual tips: one from the Joint Terrorism Task Force about online threats of a mass shooting targeting a local church, and another from a child exploitation hotline flagging downloads of child abuse material. Deputies increased patrols around two nearby Wimauma churches after the threat was discovered, per the same account.
By April, prosecutors had filed a pretrial detention motion in Hillsborough County's 13th Judicial Circuit Court formalizing 30 adult charges against Pagan, according to court documents obtained by the Washington Examiner. Those charges include 29 counts of child pornography possession, attempted second-degree arson, written threats to conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism, unlawful transmission of child sexual abuse material, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. Charging documents describe a suspected arson plot as part of the broader case against the teenager, per the Examiner's reporting.
Firearms Found During the Search, But Access Was Limited
During the January search of Pagan's residence, deputies recovered one firearm from a nightstand, while an assault rifle and two other firearms were locked inside a safe belonging to the teen's father, a safe Pagan could not access, according to the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center. Initial tips to investigators had indicated the minor had access to weapons in the home.
Digital Footprint Tied to Extremist Online Networks
Court affidavits reviewed by the Denver Gazette show Pagan's digital footprint included activity in online violent extremist networks known as “764,” “No Lives Matter,” and “Tempel ov Love,” alongside self-reported participation in online “True Crime Community” forums since age 12. Court records reviewed by the outlet note Pagan used anti-Christian slurs online and researched high-profile mass murderers.
These groups sit within a broader landscape of what federal authorities term “Nihilistic Violent Extremism.” The Order of Nine Angles and its U.S. branch, Tempel ov Blood, are occult neo-Nazi networks that promote lone-actor terrorism, ritualistic violence, and youth recruitment across online platforms to trigger societal breakdown, according to a September 2023 analysis from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. The institute's research notes that O9A materials explicitly encourage severe societal transgressions, including sexual violence and arson.
No Lives Matter, meanwhile, formally severed its alliance with 764 in April 2024 over 764's ties to Satanism and child exploitation, reorienting instead toward real-world arson, vandalism, and physical attacks against non-members, according to a 2024 threat assessment from the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. The agency's report states that NLM publishes tactical manuals encouraging real-world violence to destabilize society.
Family Pushes Back on the Prosecution
Pagan's mother told the Washington Examiner in September that her son is autistic, earned good grades, had no history of violence, and never left home unaccompanied. She argued that prosecutors were ruining his life and maintained that his online behavior did not reflect real-world intent, according to the Denver Gazette's review of the same interview. Court records cited by the Gazette also show that Pagan's parents attempted to obtain a passport for him in February 2026 while he was already in custody.
A National Pattern of Prosecuting Minors
Pagan's case reflects a widening federal effort against 764-linked networks. In an April 2026 public advisory, FBI Dallas reported the bureau was actively investigating more than 450 subjects nationwide connected to 764 and related networks, noting that these groups use social media and gaming platforms to blackmail and groom minors, according to the FBI.
In September 2026, the Justice Department announced that a 17-year-old in Maine became the first juvenile in federal history to be charged and adjudicated under the Juvenile Delinquency Act for 764-related crimes, including CSAM distribution, cyberstalking, and interstate terroristic threats. Federal law enforcement emphasized that age will not shield minors committing online violent crimes, per the FBI's Boston field office.
Pagan's transfer into adult court also lands squarely within Florida's controversial legal framework. The state leads the nation in prosecuting juvenile defendants as adults, driven primarily by its direct-file statute, which gives prosecutors sole discretion to move minors accused of qualifying felonies into adult circuit court without mandatory judicial review, according to a December 2025 analysis by The Sentencing Project. The organization's analysis found that more than 98% of Florida minors tried as adults enter the system through prosecutorial direct file, rather than judicial waiver.
