Tommy Thompson, a deep-sea treasure hunter, was released from prison last Wednesday after 10 years behind bars.
According to Fox News, the man spent about a decade in federal custody for refusing to disclose the location of missing gold coins.
Thompson, now 73, is known for finding what’s known as the “Ship of Gold,” the S.S. Central America, off the coast of South Carolina.
According to a CBS News report, the ship sank in a hurricane in 1857 carrying an estimated 21 tons of gold, estimated at more than $100 million.
It had been sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for more than 150 years.
Thompson found the ship in 1988 after roping in local investors to fund the expedition for nearly $13 million, according to The Associated Press.
At the time, the man was hailed as a hero, according to multiple news reports.
Treasure turned into trouble
But a legal battle between Thompson, investors and insurance companies then ensued over who had the rights to the discovered treasure.
Thompson’s investors sued him in 2005 because they apparently had not received any money from the $50 million sale of more than 500 gold bars and thousands of coins, per The Associated Press.
A warrant for his arrest went out in 2012 after he failed to show up in court.
He was found in Florida three years later by authorities, per AP.
Judicial decision to end sentence
A judge held him in contempt and sent him to prison in 2015 for refusing to answer questions about the treasure.
Thompson claimed that the coins were given to a trust in Belize and the majority of the $50 million from the sale went toward fees and loans.
By 2020, the man still hadn’t budged, telling court officials, “I don’t know the whereabouts of the gold.”
And then, just over a year ago, according to The Associated Press, a U.S. District Court judge agreed to end Thompson’s sentence, giving up on the hope that keeping Thompson in prison would produce an answer.
Thompson wasn’t released last year because he first had to complete a separate sentence for skipping the 2012 court hearing.
Some, including a University of Florida law professor, say Thompson should have been freed years ago after the court dismissed the underlying case, as reported by AP.
