Member of Multi-State 'Smash-and-Grab' Crew Sentenced for Luxury Retail Burglary Spree

BOSTON - A Washington, D.C. man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for his involvement in a string of smash and grab burglaries.

Ronald Patterson, Jr., 35, was sentenced on April 1, 2026 by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani to 37 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Patterson was also ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution. In September 2021, Patterson, Jr. pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce and one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. Patterson was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2023 along with two co-conspirators.

Patterson was a member of a group of individuals who conducted "smash and grab" burglaries of luxury stores from Florida to Massachusetts. Patterson admitted his participation in 14 such burglaries with a total of $506,532 worth of merchandise stolen. Many of the burglaries were recorded by store surveillance cameras. The videos show a group of men breaking into a store by smashing the glass doors. After entering the closed stores, the men grabbed and stole armfuls of high-end merchandise. The investigation revealed that Patterson listed for sale stolen merchandise on his social media account.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and the Wrentham Police Chief William R. McGrath made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Woodbury Police Department (N.Y.), Pocono Township Police Department (Pennsylvania), Leesburg Police Department (Virginia) and the Tilton Falls Police Department (N.J.). Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.