Deep sea treasure hunter claims he 'can’t remember' where he stored priceless coins sought by U.S. government
![A deep sea treasure hunter denies knowing where priceless gold coins are.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sgeEtFRB2Ji3w5QPLKQfkY-415-80.jpg)
Former deep sea treasure hunter Tommy Thompson claims he can't remember the location of valuable gold coins that were once in his possession. But according to a federal judge, Thompson knows a whole lot more than he's letting on.
The coins were minted from gold discovered in the wreck of the S.S. America, which went under off the coast of South Carolina in 1857. The coins are now believed to be worth millions of dollars. Thompson first discovered the gold in 1988, but the investors who helped raise the millions for the excavation said they didn't get a cut of the profits. As a result, a warrant went out for Thompson's arrest in 2012 and he became a fugitive until he was captured with his girlfriend in Boca Raton, Florida, in 2015, The Associated Press reports.
"Thompson was smart — perhaps one of the smartest fugitives ever sought by the U.S. Marshals," Peter Tobin, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio, said in a statement after Thompson's January capture.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Thompson pleaded guilty in April 2015, with his deal requiring him to answer questions about where the coins are located. That's when Thompson stumbled into "memory problems," blaming a neurological disorder that allegedly prevented him from remembering where the coins are at.
Psychiatric evaluations apparently proved that Thompson doesn't actually have any sort of memory problem that would prevent him from knowing the whereabouts of the coins. Thompson "routinely made references to things that demonstrated his retention of information from minutes and hours earlier, he remembered things from one day to the next, he recalled aspects of his various cases with great specificity, and he recalled information about his career and business adventures dating back decades," the evaluation found.
"Thompson previously said, without providing details, that the coins were turned over to a trust in Belize," AP reports, although there are "doubts" about his story. Thompson has been ordered to pay $1,000 a day until he cooperates with the court.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Wall Street tumbles on poor tech results
Speed Read US markets had their worst day since 2022 as Tesla and AI stocks dropped
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Salt Lake City named host of 2034 Winter Olympics
Speed Read The Winter Games are returning to the US for the first time in 32 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Netanyahu makes controversial address
Speed Reads Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress denounced Gaza war protestors
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Netanyahu makes controversial address
Speed Reads Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress denounced Gaza war protestors
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Menendez convicted of bribery, fraud, and extortion
Speed Read The New Jersey Democratic Senator was found guilty in a federal corruption trial
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Florida judge dismisses Trump documents case
Speed Read Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that special counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Hamas says military chief survived Israeli strike
Speed Read An Israeli bombing failed to hit its intended target, military commander Mohammed Deif, but killed at least 90 Palestinians
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
First Israeli report on Oct. 7 finds 'severe mistakes and errors' in IDF response
Speed Reads Israeli military admits failures in response to deadly Hamas attack that triggered Gaza war
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Biden saw neurologist during physicals
Speed Read Following his bad debate performance, many are asking questions about the president's brain
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published