Related: Buried Treasure
He's been unearthed:
"After years on the lam, treasure hunter is captured in Fla." by Amanda Lee Myers and Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Associated Press January 29, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A treasure hunter accused of cheating his investors out of their share of one of the richest hauls in US history — $50 million in gold bars and coins from a 19th-century shipwreck — was captured at an upscale Florida hotel after more than two years on the lam.
Federal marshals tracked Tommy Thompson to a Hilton in West Boca Raton and arrested him Tuesday. A warrant had been issued for him in 2012 in Columbus after he failed to show up for a hearing on a lawsuit brought by some of his backers.
The US Marshals Service called him ‘‘one of the most intelligent fugitives ever sought’’ by the agency and said he relied on cash and employed other means to stay under the radar. Authorities gave no details on how they found him.
Thompson, 62, made history in 1988 when he discovered the sunken SS Central America, also known as the Ship of Gold.
The sidewheel steamer went down in a hurricane about 200 miles off South Carolina in 1857; 425 people drowned and tons of gold from the California Gold Rush was lost, contributing to an economic panic.
In a modern-day technological feat, Thompson and his crew brought up thousands of bars and coins, much of the haul later sold to a gold-marketing group in 2000 for about $50 million.
The 161 investors who paid Thompson $12.7 million to find the ship never saw the proceeds. Two sued — a now-deceased investment firm president and the company that publishes The Columbus Dispatch newspaper.
The dispute is a civil action. No criminal charges have been filed against Thompson.
Columbus attorney Rick Robol, who at one time defended Thompson’s company, has said there is no proof Thompson stole anything. He said Wednesday that he has been concerned about Thompson’s health, calling the arrest ‘‘the best thing that can happen for everybody.’’
Thompson was arrested along with his longtime companion, Alison Antekeier. The pair had been paying cash for the hotel room, rented under a fake name, marshals said. The hotel is in an upscale suburban area surrounded by golf courses and country clubs.
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"Fugitive treasure hunter says in court he is very sick" Associated Press January 30, 2015
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A treasure hunter who vanished two years ago while he was in a dispute over one of the greatest deep-sea hauls in US history was in court Thursday, ready to defend himself and saying he was in an ‘‘extreme medical situation.’’
Tommy Thompson, 62, was taken into custody Wednesday at a Florida hotel, where US marshals said he had been hiding in a two-room suite with his girlfriend.
An arrest warrant was issued in Ohio when Thompson skipped a 2012 hearing in a lawsuit alleging he cheated investors of their share of $50 million in gold bars and coins he recovered from an 1857 shipwreck. He was charged with criminal contempt.
Though Thompson’s hearing Thursday lasted just 12 minutes, he suggested deep awareness of the accusations against him and a willingness to fight going to Ohio.
Shackled, curly-haired, and bearded, Thompson told a judge that he’s ‘‘been very ill for a number of years’’ with encephalitis, an overactive immune system, and sensitivities and allergies that would be exacerbated if he is taken north.
Thompson pulled off an amazing feat in 1988 when he found the SS Central America, known as the Ship of Gold, which sank in a hurricane in September 1857. Much of the bounty was sold to a gold marketing group in 2000 for about $50 million.
The 161 investors who paid Thompson $12.7 million to find the ship reportedly did not see returns from the sale.
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