Treasure Hunter's Freedom After Decade in Prison

0:00This is Birmingham News Today, every story, every city, every day. Tommy Thompson, the 73-year-old treasure hunter from Ohio, walked free from prison last Wednesday after more than eight years behind bars. Back in 1988, he made history by locating the SS Central America, a ship that sank off the South Carolina coast in 18. 57, with tons of California gold rush treasure on board. The wreck, dubbed the ship of gold, went undiscovered for over a century until Thompson's team pulled up gold bars and coins worth millions. Investors who funded the expedition later sued him in 2005, claiming they got nothing from a $50 million sale of part of the...how. Thompson vanished into hiding in Florida and became a fugitive in 2012 when he skipped a court date over missing 500 gold coins, worth $2.5 million. He insisted the coins went to a trust in Belize, and that sale money covered debts and fees, but courts held him in contempt for not cooperating fully.

1:00Even after serving beyond the usual 18-month limit for civil contempt, appeals failed, and he started a separate two-year sentence just over a year ago. A judge finally ended it, saying jail time wouldn't yield answers anymore. Coin dealer Dwight Manley called it a harsh penalty for a business bet, while law professor Ryan Scott labeled the decade-long stay a miscarriage of. Justice, saying Thompson should have been out years earlier, the Daily News now is grateful to our sponsor for today's episode. A pillow that plays your podcast, music, or white noise privately, no ear buds required. S-O-L-I-SoliPillow.com