Treasure Hunter Released from Prison After Long Standoff
A renowned treasure hunter has been released from prison after a prolonged refusal to disclose the location of 500 missing gold coins linked to a shipwreck from 1857.
Seventy-three-year-old Tommy Thompson spent more than a decade behind bars for this issue. He was freed on Wednesday when a judge stated that continuing his imprisonment was no longer justifiable, as reported by Fox News.
Thompson stated he can’t recall where the gold coins are stored, which were salvaged from the SS Central America, sometimes referred to as the “Ship of Gold.” This vessel tragically sank off the coast of South Carolina due to a Category 2 hurricane.
At the time of its sinking, the ship carried almost 600 passengers and bore over 30,000 pounds of gold. Sadly, only 153 people survived, marking it as one of the worst maritime disasters in U.S. history.
More than a century later, marine engineer Tommy Thompson rediscovered the remnants of the SS Central America and recovered approximately 2 tons worth of treasure. His efforts were lucrative, allowing him to amass millions, but complications arose when he defaulted on debts owed to investors. After going into hiding, he was eventually located in a Florida hotel, yet still refused to divulge the treasure’s location.
Though Thompson is now a free man, he remains under court supervision and faces $3.3 million in outstanding fines. Moreover, investors allege they were defrauded, according to the report.
Thompson has repeatedly claimed that the coins were entrusted to someone in Belize and that he has no documentation or recollection of finding them. The gold coins are remnants of the California Gold Rush and will be featured alongside various artifacts recovered from the ocean floor.
A coin dealer named Dwy Manley commented on Thompson’s situation, suggesting that being jailed for such an extended period over a business disagreement is quite peculiar. “You don’t go to prison for 10 years for a business dispute in America,” he remarked, noting that some offenders receive lesser sentences for more violent crimes.
