Erie Felon Charged with Illegally Possessing A Firearm while Subject to a PFA

ERIE, Pa. - A former resident of Erie, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on charge of violating federal firearms laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

The two-count Indictment named Dustin Robert Patterson, 29, as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment presented to the court, in and around February 2022, Patterson possessed a firearm while being a convicted felon. Federal law prohibits an individual who has been convicted of a felony from possessing a firearm. In addition, the firearm was possessed while Patterson was subject to a Protection From Abuse order.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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 prevent and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

The law provides for a maximum total of 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The United States Marshal’s Service conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.