Germany Compels Buccaneering Antiquities Dealer to Return Two Works to Mexico

The New York Times has a fascinating story of Leonardo Patterson, a Costa Rican who rose for poverty to international prominence as a pre-Columbian antiquities dealer, who has settled case against him in Germany:

Now, in one of the most serious cases brought against him, a court in Munich, where Mr. Patterson lives, found him guilty last month of two crimes — dealing in fakes and possessing looted artifacts. He was sentenced to probation and home confinement for three years, and fined about $40,000.

He was also ordered to return two genuine ancient Olmec wooden head carvings to Mexico, valued at $53,000 apiece, and his passport was confiscated. If he fails to comply, he could face imprisonment of 15 months. […]

For now, though, he said Mr. Patterson would return the two wooden figures, part of his sprawling collection of at least 1,029 Aztec, Mayan and Olmec artifacts. Although there are questions about whether everything in Mr. Patterson’s collection is genuine, officials in Mexico, Peru and Ecuador are pursuing additional claims against him that hundreds of the items are both authentic and stolen. Peru is also seeking to extradite him to face antiquities smuggling charges there.

Antiquities Dealer Leonardo Patterson Faces New Criminal Charges  (The New York Times)