Arrested treasure hunter pleads guilty
Tommy Thompson, the fugitive treasure hunter, pleaded guilty to a criminal contempt charge in federal court this week. Thompson has been MIA for several years following two lawsuits alleging that his investors (all 161 of them) never saw a return on the gold he found aboard the sunken S.S. America* in 1988. Thompson was apprehended near Baco Raton, FL earlier this year and extradited back to Ohio to face charges.
According to Thompson’s lawyer Ben Dusing, part of his plea also includes an agreement to cooperate with the government and other “interested parties in connection with the matter.” Thompson’s longtime girlfriend Alison Antekeier (also arrested) was charged with criminal contempt and entered a plea agreement too. (deb)
*The S.S. America (known as the Ship of Gold) is a gold-rush area ship that sank in 1857 off South Carolina after a hurricane.
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Side Note: I think one of my favorite parts of this whole story are the tidbits on Thompson’s “hiding from authorities” plan. According to police, he has had eight fake ID’s, rented out places in cash, used prepaid cellphones, had bank wraps for $10,000, and a book titled “How to Live Your Life Invisible.”
Previously Feb. 12, 2015
Nothing left to plunder for arrested treasure hunter
Tommy Thompson, the treasure hunter who’s wanted in connection for cheating investors out of millions of dollars in gold (from a sunken ship discovery 27 years ago), is coming back to Ohio. Thompson was apprehended in Florida earlier this year and waived an extradition hearing in federal court in West Palm Beach. He faces criminal contempt and a long-running civil case over his historic undersea gold find. A defense attorney for Thompson says he expects extradition to take place within 10 days. (deb)
Previously Jan. 28, 2015
Tommy Thompson, a fugitive treasure hunter, was arrested in Florida after being on the run for more than two years. The US Marshals Service in Columbus said they tracked him down at a hotel in Palm Beach County. He was arrest on a civil warrant issued in Ohio (back in Aug. 2012) after he failed to appear for a court hearing. And what was that court hearing about? Investors who claimed “they were duped” by the treasure hunter.
Thompson is known for finding the sunken S.S. Central America – described as “the greatest lost treasure in American history.” However, what followed was yearlong legal battle between Thompson, insurance companies, and investors. (deb)
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