Treasure Hunter Freed After Decade in Prison

0:00Durham's story is making news on March 10th. Tommy Thompson, the man who discovered the famous ship of gold off South Carolina in 1988, walked free from prison last Wednesday. The 73-year-old Ohio native had spent more than 10 years behind bars for refusing court orders tied to missing treasure coins. Thompson first made headlines as a hero for locating the SS Central America, sunk in a hurricane in 1857 with gold from the California Gold Rush. The wreck held thousands of pounds of precious metal, lost for over 150 years, and its recovery helped uncover part of that fortune. Investors who funded his expedition sued in 2005, claiming they got nothing from the $50 million sale of over 500 gold, bars and thousands of coins. Thompson went into hiding in Florida, became a fugitive after skipping court in 2012, and insisted the missing 500 coins worth 2. $55 million went to a trust in Belize. Even after federal rules cap contempt censuses at 18 months, Thompson stayed locked up until

1:03a judge ended the civil contempt charge just over a year ago. He then began a separate two-year term for the court no show, but appeals and time served finally led to his release. Coind dealer Dwight Manley called it a heavy price for a business fight, saying people get less time for worse crimes. Law professor Ryan Scott agreed it was unusual, a miscarriage of justice after 10 years, and Thompson should have been out much sooner. Support for this episode comes from our sponsor. See the description. Lay back. Press play. Let the pillow do the rest. Sound meets comfort. S-O-L-I-SOLYPILLOW.COM