Ship of Gold's Finder Finally Released

Tommy Thompson, famed for discovering the 'Ship of Gold' in 1988, has been released from federal prison as of last Wednesday. He had spent ten years incarcerated for contempt of court after refusing to disclose the whereabouts of missing gold coins from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Thompson located the ship, laden with gold from the California Gold Rush, off the coast of South Carolina in 1988. The vessel sank in a hurricane in 1857, resulting in the loss of 425 lives and contributing to the "Panic of 1857."

Following the discovery, Thompson faced lawsuits from investors who claimed they were cheated out of millions from the sale of gold bars and coins. He became a fugitive in 2012 after failing to appear in court. Authorities apprehended him in 2015, and he was subsequently imprisoned for refusing to answer questions about 500 missing gold coins. Thompson maintained the coins were in a Belize trust and that sale proceeds went to legal fees and loans.

Federal judges eventually agreed that Thompson's continued imprisonment was unlikely to yield answers about the gold's location. While he was ordered to serve a two-year sentence for skipping a 2012 court hearing, his release on civil contempt charges brings an end to a nearly decade-long incarceration. Experts noted the unusual length of his sentence for contempt, suggesting it was a rare and lengthy situation.

Dwight Manley, a coin dealer who handled much of the recovered treasure, described Thompson's imprisonment as a severe consequence for what he considered a business dispute. Legal analysts agreed that a ten-year sentence for contempt was highly unusual. Thompson, now 73, has finally regained his freedom after a protracted legal battle.