Stephen D. Nicholas, 31, of Beckley, pleaded guilty on June 4 to distribution of a quantity of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Nicholas sold a substance containing 20.94 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant in Oak Hill, West Virginia, on April 24, 2024, for $1,200. As part of his plea agreement, Nicholas admitted to this transaction as well as selling a 27.91-gram mixture of fentanyl and heroin for $1,200 in Oak Hill on April 29; 10.87 grams of fentanyl for $600 in Fayetteville on May 2; and another sale involving 10.93 grams of fentanyl for $600 in Fayetteville on May 7. All transactions involved the same confidential informant.
Nicholas further admitted that he intended to distribute an additional 24.544 grams of fentanyl and 97.04 grams of cocaine seized by law enforcement during the execution of a search warrant at an associated residence in Oak Hill on May 9. Officers also recovered four firearms, assorted ammunition including three loaded AR-15 magazines, and $2,484—including $600 identified as prerecorded buy money from controlled purchases—during the search.
Nicholas is scheduled for sentencing on September 17 and faces up to twenty years in prison with at least three years supervised release and a fine up to one million dollars.
United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the plea and commended the investigative work conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) along with the Central Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing, while Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.