GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids man has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for illegally possessing and selling guns. He is 29-year-old Anthony Darnell Patterson.
According to the Department of Justice, Patterson is a convicted felon with a history of drug and firearm convictions. Between October-December 2021, Patterson sold or coordinated the sale of guns to a confidential informant working for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms on four occasions. Several of those firearms had been reported stolen.
Ballistics analyses also determined that two of the guns that Patterson sold were involved in shootings in Grand Rapids in October 2020 and July 2021.
In addition to being sentenced to ten years in prison, Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou ordered Patterson to spend three years on supervised release following his confinement.
“My office is committed to improving the safety of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “We will continue to get guns off our streets by prosecuting the unlawful possession of firearms and disrupting networks of illegal gun sales.”
“Today’s sentencing is an important component to the reduction in violent firearms related crimes,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai. “We are proud of the collaborative effort with the U.S. Attorney’s office, our federal, state of Michigan, and local partners ultimately protecting our communities from violent threats.”
