Treasure hunter who found historic wreck is released after decade in prison over missing loot

Washington, March 14

: Notorious American treasure hunter Tommy Thompson has been released from prison after spending nearly a decade behind bars for refusing to disclose the location of missing gold coins recovered from a historic shipwreck. Thompson gained worldwide attention in 1988 after discovering the wreck of the SS Central America, a 19th-century vessel famously known as the “Ship of Gold,” which sank in 1857 carrying a massive treasure from the California Gold Rush. However, the discovery later led to a prolonged legal battle with investors who financed the expedition. Authorities accused Thompson of hiding around 500 rare gold coins worth millions of dollars and refusing to reveal their whereabouts. In 2015, a US federal court jailed Thompson for contempt of court after he repeatedly declined to provide information about the missing treasure. Despite years in custody, he maintained that he could not remember where the coins were stored. After more than ten years in prison, a judge ruled that continued detention was unlikely to force Thompson to reveal the information, leading to his release. The mysterious case still leaves investigators and investors searching for the missing coins, keeping the legend of the SS Central America treasure alive