Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JAMIE PATTERSON, also known as “Diddy,” 25, of Hartford, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 54 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for fentanyl distribution and firearm possession offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 4, 2021, New Britain Police responded to Devens Street on reports of shots fired. At the scene, officers found numerous empty shell casings near a disabled vehicle containing an abandoned firearm. Patterson was located hiding underneath a nearby car, and an officer found a loaded 9mm handgun in the spare tire well of car. Forensic analysis of the handgun revealed the presence of Patterson’s DNA.

On July 13, 2021, Hartford Police arrested Patterson after they observed him placing items into a parked car on Hazel Street, and a subsequent search of the car revealed 170 sleeves (doses) of fentanyl and a loaded .380 pistol.

Patterson’s criminal history includes state convictions for felony drug and firearm offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

On February 27, 2023, Patterson pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Patterson has been detained in state custody since his arrest on July 13, 2021. He will not receive credit on his federal sentence for his time served to date in state custody.

This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the New Britain Police Department, and the Hartford Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ruff through the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: Fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.