Poverty breeds crime. That saying seems to fit the life of Gerson Pandie. All his life Gerson knew only poverty. The first of six children to Jakob Pandie and Naemi Lendoh, Gerson was born November 23,1966 in Kafemenanu village, about 234 kilometers east of the East Nusatenggara capital Kupang.

Gerson was only 10 when his father died, leaving the care of the six children in the hands of his poor mother. Not wanting to be a burden to the family,