Man hailed as a hero for finding the Ship of Gold and then jailed for losing the coins now released after a decade in prison
Tommy Thompson, a deep-sea treasure hunter famous for discovering the "Ship of Gold" (the S.S. Central America) in 1988, has been released from prison after serving over a decade. He was jailed for contempt of court after refusing to disclose the whereabouts of 500 missing gold coins from the shipwreck, which sank in 1857 with a significant treasure. Thompson maintained the coins were turned over to a trust and that sale proceeds primarily covered legal fees and loans, while investors accused him of cheating them. AI
