‘American Greed’ to Depict Fraud Victims, Local Retired Commercial Clammer
Jack and Dolly Patterson will be watching the Aug.11 episode of “American Greed” with particular disdain. The well-liked and respected residents of High Bar Harbor are featured on the MSNBC-TV show as victims of now-convicted broker Mark Hotton. The Pattersons say that in total they lost $3.2 million in retirement and life savings while investing with Hotton. Hotton, of West Islip, N.Y., is in federal prison on an 11¼-year sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. The prison sentence handed down in U.S. District Court also covers complaints of other individuals and companies claiming losses that total more than $9 million. Jack Patterson, now 72, is a retired commercial clammer, a strenuous, often dangerous profession. As he says, “It wasn’t handed to us.” “Thirty-seven years on the water. And we had saved; we didn’t live beyond our means,” Dolly Patterson remarked. Speaking of hard-earned clamming proceeds from days that began at 1:30 in the morning, “I did good,” he said, “and he took it all.” Read the story here 08:38
Leave a Reply