James Patten sentenced to 21 months for $100m New Jersey deli stock fraud

James Patten, the former stockbroker behind the infamous stock manipulation scheme that turned a small, money-losing New Jersey deli into a company valued at nearly $100 million, has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison.Patten, 67, was sentenced on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Christine O'Hearn in Camden, New Jersey, bringing one of Wall Street's most unusual securities fraud cases to a close. According to CNBC, Patten had asked the court to spare him prison, but the judge rejected the request, citing his prior fraud conviction and repeated criminal conduct."This is his idea," Judge O'Hearn said while handing down the sentence, noting that Patten launched the scheme while still on supervised release from an earlier federal fraud conviction.Judge cites repeat fraud convictionThe North Carolina resident had previously served 27 months in prison in another federal fraud case and still owed restitution when he became involved in the deli stock…