A former deep-sea treasure hunter is preparing to mark his sixth year in jail for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of 500 missing coins made from gold found in an historic shipwreck.
Research scientist Tommy Thompson has been held in contempt of court since Dec. 15, 2015, for that refusal. He is also incurring a daily fine of $1,000.
Thompson’s case dates to his discovery of the S.S. Central America, known as the Ship of Gold, in 1988. The gold rush-era ship sank in a hurricane off South Carolina in 1857 with thousands of pounds of gold aboard, contributing to an economic panic.
Despite an investors lawsuit and a federal court order, Thompson, 69, still won’t cooperate with authorities trying to find those coins, according to court records, federal prosecutors and the judge who found Thompson in contempt.
Thompson says he’s already said everything he knows about the coins. Thompson pleaded guilty in April 2015 for his failure to appear for a 2012 hearing and was sentenced to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. But Thompson’s criminal sentence has been delayed until the issue of the gold coins is resolved.
After a federal judge ordered Thompson in 2012 to appear in court to disclose the coins’ whereabouts, Thompson fled to Florida where he lived with his longtime female companion at a hotel where he was living near Boca Raton. U.S. marshals tracked him down and arrested him in early 2015.
Federal law generally limits jail time for contempt of court to 18 months. But a federal appeals court in 2019 rejected Thompson’s argument that that law applies to him, saying his refusal violates conditions of a plea agreement.
After technology problems cancelled Thompson’s latest virtual hearing last week, federal Judge Algenon Marbley scheduled a new hearing for Jan. 7.
Last year, Thompson appeared by video for his hearing.
“Mr. Thompson, are you ready to answer the seminal question in this case as to the whereabouts of the gold?” Marbley said.
“Your honor, I don’t know if we’ve gone over this road before or not, but I don’t know the whereabouts of the gold,” Thompson responded. “I feel like I don’t have the keys to my freedom.”
Last year, Marbley denied Thompson’s request for release over concerns he’s at risk for contracting the coronavirus behind bars. Marbley said Thompson didn’t present proper evidence for his risk level, and also noted he remains a flight risk.
The investors still looking for their money say Thompson has no one but himself to blame for his incarceration.
“He would be out of prison by now if he had simply complied with his plea agreement and cooperated in locating missing assets when he was supposed to,” attorney Steven Tigges said in a court filing.
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Original Article: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/treasure-hunter-tommy-thompson-jail-6-years-missing-gold-coins/
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So people who committed awful crimes were released during Covid without proving they were at risk but this guy can’t get out? Sounds like the people involved in this must be liberals and we all know they never follow any laws they don’t like.
Lisa, once again you know NOTHING!!!
He was jailed for 4 years under your trumpie.
Now, what were you saying?
HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA
Attempt to stay free of political bias. The point made is not what regime allowed Mr Thompson to remain incarcerated; but rather that much more dangerous criminals were without a doubt released after committing much more serious and dangerous crimes without regard to their flight risk. Let’s face it, Mr Thompson is being treated unfairly.
Behind the judges and prosecutors, somebody want that gold.
Attempt to stay free of political bias. The point made is not what regime allowed Mr Thompson to remain incarcerated; but rather that much more dangerous criminals were without a doubt released after committing much more serious and dangerous crimes without regard to their flight risk. Let’s face it, Mr Thompson is being treated unfairly.
Behind the judges and prosecutors, somebody want that gold.
When have you liberals ever obeyed Trump? Four full years of evil, unlawfull disorder. We’re all paying for it now; and there’s more to come. If you’re not feeling the pinch yet, don’t worry, you will, it’s coming.
It would seem like he would legally have salvage rights and beyond prosecution to any treasure he may have found.
Sherm Baby.
And where did you go to law school?
Sounds like the feds are going after him because he won’t tell them what they want to hear, shouldn’t he have a right to claim salvage rights to this shipwreck, its not like it happened yesterday, this ship went down over 150 years ago therefore is makes this ship fair game for a salvage hunter
Five years in jail.
Sounds like trumpie locked him up.
Shelba, can you subract?
Finders keepers losers weepers. He found the ship and was ever in it belongs to him now.
Locked up under trumpie.
Please explain why.
Another excuse for this socialist puke government to confiscate this man to wealth for their own use to futher their agenda Global wealth through confiscation
John
John
John
John
He was locked up under trumpie!!!
Now please apologize!
HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA
Joel you’re the one who needs to apologize this guy was locked up in 2015 not under Trump you moron.
The first plank of the Communist Manifesto.
He is getting screwed over just like the Fishers, only this time by the feds instead of the state.
So true Bobby Baby.
And for 4 years by trumpie’s Department of Justice.
Please explain how that could be.
I would rather have Trump’s DOJ than the joke that’s in the White House running the pos DOJ. You are a typical stupid liberal know nothing but always running your mouth. 80 million people didn’t vote for a demented old man that never left his basement and a nasty old w hore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So true Bobby Baby.
And for 4 years by trumpie’s Department of Justice.
Now why did trumpied do this?
Please explain how this could be.
I saw that if you click the link in the article for shop of gold these is more info on this. It says they are recovering the gold now so they know where it is why are they still holding this guy? It says someone was at the sight in 1988so this article has to be a lie.
That article was from 2014, it states that they are recovering the remaining gold and that it hasn’t been touched since they were last there in 1991, but that a significant amount was excavated between 1988 and 1991when it was initially found. They are saying that he has a large sum of it hidden. Odyssey marine exploration is the legal owner, they must have contracted him to do the exploration perhaps in ‘88. I’m guessing they are the investors they are talking about in this article
Right they know where it is so let this guy go. The whole point of this article is that this guy is being held to tell where the wreck is, apparently they already know.
There was a person who found a wreck off CA. Filed the proper papers and the next thing THE glomar explorer was sitting over the site. THAT ship was built by Howard Hughes. To suck up things of interest in the ocean. Do you think any thing you do is safe. You do what is required and you get it stolen.