Leonardo Augustus Patterson was born on April 15, 1942 in Limon, the Caribbean coastal town of Costa Rica. Little is known about his family history. He said his father left home when he was very young and his farmer mother died when he was a teenager.
He said he found his first ancient, ancient pottery shard in the Yam field when he was seven years old.
He moved to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, when he was 15 years old. There he found a job with a jeweller.
But Patterson saw even more possibilities.
“I was wondering why we melt these old things and make some terrible rings.” He told the German magazine Der Spiegel 2016.
After selling items locally for several years, he moved to Miami, where he imported them to a local gallery. A chance encounter with a wealthy collector led to an opportunity in New York, where he had moved by the late 1970s.
Patterson kept his family’s life a lot secret. He claimed that five women had at least 13 children. The list of survivors was not available immediately.
Few people suspected that Patterson had committed a long list of crimes, but even some of his opponents have admitted that he has a loving side. They cited his gentle personality and his dry wit – a quiet charisma that appears to take on his entire career.
“He was adorable guy,” Brand said.
When he told Patterson he was planning to write a book about him, Brand recalled, and Patterson replied, “Wait until you’re dead.”
Tom Mashberg Reports of contributions.
Source: www.nytimes.com
