PITTSBURGH, Ohio — A 23-year-old Cleveland man is facing up to 75 years in prison and more than a million-dollar fine for burglarizing a gun store and robbing a gas station in Pennsylvania.
According to the Western District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney's Office, Reginald Patterson, 23, has been 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.
Patterson and his brother, who pleaded guilty to the same charges last month, left Cleveland in December 2017 and drove to Western Pennsylvania, attorneys said.
On Dec. 22, the brothers robbed a convenience store and assaulted an employee. The next evening, the brothers went back to the same area, and with the help of a third person, used a sledgehammer to smash their way through the front door of a gun shop in Brookville, Pennsylvania. Once inside, the trio stole two assault-style rifles and 14 handguns, according to the attorney's office.
Following the burglary, the brothers returned to Cleveland. They were later arrested and charged in federal court.
Patterson is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on March 3, 2020.
