Career Offender Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison For Conspiring To Distribute Cocaine And Illegally Possessing A Firearm (DOJ)

Jacksonville, Florida - Senior U.S. District Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger has sentenced Nicholas High (38, Jacksonville) to 12 years in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony. High pleaded guilty on June 18, 2025.

According to court documents and records, during 2022 and 2023, High and others working with High sold a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) confidential informant ounce quantities of cocaine. High, a convicted felon, also sold the ATF confidential informant a Bushmaster .223 caliber rifle. High had both prior state and federal drug distribution convictions that qualified him for enhanced sentencing as a career offender. As a prior convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Talbot.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.