Jury Convicts Cleveland Man of Stealing Firearms, Robbery
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Cleveland, Ohio, was found guilty after a two-day jury trial of offenses related to the burglary of the store of a federally licensed gun dealer and the robbery of a gas station, in Clarion County, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Reginald Patterson, 23, of Cleveland Ohio., was convicted of conspiracy to commit theft of firearms from a licensed firearms dealer, theft of firearms from a licensed firearms dealer, possession of stolen firearms, interstate transportation of stolen firearms, conspiracy to commit robbery, and robbery.
Reginald Patterson’s brother, Rayshawn Patterson, pleaded guilty to the same offenses in September 2019. According to information provided to the court, the brothers traveled from Cleveland to rural areas of western Pennsylvania in December 2017 to commit these crimes. On December 22, 2017, they robbed a Fastway gas station convenience store, physically assaulting the lone employee working at the time in the process. The following night, they returned to the area and, with a third coconspirator, used a sledgehammer to smash the front door and glass display cases of DSD Sports in Brookville, PA. They stole 16 firearms from the store, including 14 handguns and two assault rifles, which they transported back to Cleveland.
U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab scheduled sentencing for Reginald Patterson on March 3, 2020. The law provides for a maximum sentence of 75 years in prison and a fine of $1,500,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and prior criminal history of the defendant.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Lanni, Brendan Conway, and Doug Maloney.
U.S. Attorney Brady commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Brooksville Police Department, and the City of Cleveland Division of Police for the investigation leading to the prosecution of Reginald Patterson.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad
spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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