A Washington state man has been arrested on federal charges accusing him of threatening to kill a Massachusetts minor and distributing violent and abusive material, according to the Department of Justice.
Federal prosecutors said 23-year-old Joseph Pacheco of Everett, was taken into custody Wednesday morning and will first appear in federal court in the Western District of Washington.
A later hearing will take place in Boston, where a grand jury returned an indictment outlining multiple charges.
According to the DOJ, Pacheco is charged with knowingly distributing child sexual abuse material to a minor, five counts of transmitting threatening communications across state lines, and possession and distribution of animal-crushing videos.
Prosecutors allege the conduct spanned several months in 2025 and involved a Massachusetts minor.
The indictment also states that Pacheco’s online communications and social media content aligned with themes associated with Nihilistic Violent Extremists, or NVEs.
According to the filing, individuals tied to NVE ideology aim to destabilize society through violent acts and often attempt to influence minors online by exposing them to graphic content and breaking down social boundaries around violence.
Federal investigators say Pacheco’s messages included threats made on five separate days in June and July:
- June 1, 2025: “I will kill you if you ever leave me. I cannot live without you. You’re mine forever.”
- June 6, 2025: “I have your address and I’ll commit a murder suicide.”
- July 11, 2025: “Just self-harm or hit yourself to make yourself useful. I’ll ******* rape and kill you. I know where you live.”
- July 12, 2025: A series of messages warning the victim about talking to another person, including: “If I caught you one more time I’ll swear I’ll ******* kill you.”
- July 13, 2025: “If you don’t add me back I promise you I’ll ******* kill you. Kill your whole family.”
Prosecutors allege Pacheco also sent the victim child sexual abuse material and shared videos depicting animals being crushed.
If convicted, the distribution of child pornography to a minor carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison, along with a possible lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
The charges related to threatening communications carry up to five years in prison each, and the distribution of animal-crushing videos carries a maximum of seven years.
Federal officials said the case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide DOJ initiative launched in 2006 to combat the exploitation and abuse of children.
The DOJ emphasized that the details in the indictment are allegations and that Pacheco is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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