A story unknown to many comes to light on the occasion of the imprisonment of a treasure hunter in the USA. Thompson has already been in prison for six years after refusing to reveal the whereabouts of 500 gold coins found in an old shipwreck.
Thompson insists he does not know and will appear in court again next month to seek his release, as the story has taken him to prison for the past six years.
This bizarre story began in 1857 when the ship SS Central America, named The Ship of Gold, sank 200 miles off the coast of South Carolina. 425 people died from the shipwreck, while 10 tons of gold ended up at the bottom of the ocean. So in the 80s, researcher Thompson persuaded him to donate money to search the seabed for prey.
Thompson had even built an underwater robot for his research. He was so impressive that he managed to entice 161 prominent businessmen and companies to provide him with $ 12,7 million to carry out his plans. With this money, he created a team, which aimed to find the lost treasure. Much faster than they expected, they managed to find the wreckage at a depth of 8.000 feet.
The treasure, considered one of the largest in the United States, is estimated at about $ 300 million. Most of it was sold in 2000 for about $ 50 million. However, the 161 financiers did not get their due share, with many of them suing Thompson.
The investigator and his assistant fled in 2012 to escape, but an arrest warrant was issued for them, as they did not appear at the hearing after the lawsuits were filed against them.
For three years, that is, until 2015, they remained silent, when they were arrested in a hotel with fake names. Thompson pleaded guilty to failing to appear at a 2012 hearing and was sentenced to two years in prison and fined $ 250.000. Although he has served his sentence, Thompson remains in prison for refusing to reveal where the missing 500 gold coins are.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I do not know where the gold is," Thompson said at his last hearing. "I feel I do not have the keys to my freedom," he added. The next hearing of the American researcher is scheduled for January 7, 2022, but there is no guarantee that this time he will be released.
Source: gazzetta.gr