Florida church deacon sentenced to 22 years in federal prison

FLORIDA – A Florida church deacon has been sentenced to 22 years in prison following his conviction for the production of child pornography.

Jonathan High, 31, of Steinhatchee, was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after having been found guilty at a bench trial on October 4, 2022, of two counts of use of a child to produce child pornography. Prior to the trial, High pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, Unites States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“Child predators seek to prey upon our children in any setting imaginable – in this instance from inside a house of worship,” said Coody.

“As such, we must remain vigilant. This sentence is yet another example of the unwavering commitment to the protection of our most vulnerable and should serve as a significant deterrent to those who would attempt to harm them. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who engage in such heinous conduct.”

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in August 2021, law enforcement officers received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a user of a cloud storage account uploaded files constituting child pornography.

An investigation reportedly revealed the account belonged to High.

Law enforcement officers obtained a search warrant for High’s cell phones and desktop computer, and after an examination of their contents, alleged that High was in possession of multiple child pornography images and videos that depicted prepubescent boys engaged in sex acts or exposing their genitals in a lascivious manner.

Further investigation revealed that some of these images and videos were produced by High personally; High produced separate video recordings of two young boys using the bathroom in a Perry, Florida church where High served as a deacon, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

“This sentence is yet another example of the unwavering dedication and commitment of HSI special agents, who work tirelessly to protect our most vulnerable,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips.

“Our clear-cut message is HSI will work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office to bring to justice those who prey upon our children.”

High’s prison sentence will be followed by lifetime supervised release, and he will be required to register as a sex offender and be subject to all sex offender conditions. The court ordered restitution to provide for counseling to victims in the case and forfeiture of electronic devices used in the commission of the offenses, including two cellular phones and one computer.

“Our law enforcement partnerships are critical in helping to identify and stop the abuse and exploitation of our most vulnerable population,” said Mark Perez, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent in Charge,

“These crimes will not be tolerated, and it’s my hope that the guilty verdict will help the victims begin the healing process.”

The conviction was the result of a joint investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Justin M. Keen and Kaitlin Weiss prosecuted the case.