Compton man pleads guilty to robbing men he met via online dating app

A Compton man pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges for targeting and robbing gay men he met on the Grindr dating app.

Derrick Patterson, 23, entered his plea to robbery and aggravated identity theft charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

He faces up to 22 years behind bars at sentencing on Sept. 19, prosecutors said.

Patterson targeted his victims by using Grindr. Prosecutors say he met his victims at their homes or in hotel rooms, purportedly for sexual encounters, then robbed them. During the robberies, Patterson pulled weapons — knives or a taser gun — on his victims, then demanded money and their cell phones before leaving the scene with the victims’ wallets.

On other occasions, Patterson physically assaulted his victims. He then later withdrew money from victims’ bank accounts or used their credit cards for his own personal expenses, according to the criminal complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court.

During a robbery in October 2020, Patterson stabbed a victim in the chest. The victim survived and later positively identified Patterson during a photographic lineup as his attacker, federal prosecutors said.

A final robbery occurred on March 26 of this year at a hotel in Beverly Hills, according to court papers.

Patterson admitted during other robberies that he assaulted one victim – against whom he used a homophobic slur – and threatened to shoot another victim during an encounter in a hotel room.

At a September 19 sentencing hearing Patterson will face a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison.

The FBI’s investigation is ongoing, prosecutors said. The Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Beverly Hills Police Department have assisted with the federal investigation.

Anyone who may have been a victim of Patterson is urged to contact the FBI Los Angeles Field Office at 310-477-6565.

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