Tommy Gregory Thompson

Tommy Gregory Thompson is an American treasure hunter known for his leading role in the discovery of the wreck of the SS Central America on September 11, 1988.[4] He is also the author of a book about the discovery, America's Lost Treasure, published in 1998,[5] and is a main character in the best-selling 1998 non-fiction book Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea by Gary Kinder.

Tommy Thompson
Born
Thomas Gregory Thompson[1][2]

(1952-04-15) April 15, 1952[3]
Indiana
NationalityAmerican
Occupationtreasure hunter
Years active1988–1996
Known forrecovery of SS Central America
Notable workAmerica's Lost Treasure (1998)

In 2000, Thompson sold gold recovered from the Central America for $52 million.[6] In 2009 he had an offshore account in the Cook Islands valued at $4.16 million.[7] In 2013, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio issued an arrest warrant for Thompson for civil contempt for his failure to appear as directed. In 2014, the same court issued an additional arrest warrant for Thompson for criminal contempt. The investigation was assigned to Deputy United States Marshal Mark Stroh of the Southern District of Ohio.[8] Thompson was a fugitive for several years before U.S. Marshals arrested him in 2015 at a West Palm Beach, Florida hotel, together with fellow fugitive Alison Louise Antekeier.[9]

In November 2018, Thompson agreed to surrender 500 gold coins salvaged from the wreck of the Central America, but then claimed he did not have access to the missing coins.[10] On 28 November 2018, a jury awarded investors $19.4 million in compensatory damages: $3.2 million to the Dispatch Printing Company (which had put up $1 million of a total of $22 million invested) and $16.2 million to the court-appointed receiver of the other investors.[7]

Recovery expedition

According to the Tampa Bay Times, while Thompson discovered the wreck of the SS Central America in 1988, he did not receive legal authorization to salvage the wreck until 2003.[11]

He used the Arctic Discoverer as his expedition vessel, which deployed a remotely controlled vehicle, the Nemo.[11]

Conviction and imprisonment

In April 2015, Thompson pled guilty for failure to appear for an earlier case and was sentenced to two years in jail and a fine of $250,000.[12] The plea bargain included a requirement for Thompson to answer questions about the whereabouts of 500 gold coins, which he has refused to do, claiming he suffers from short-term memory loss and has forgotten their location.[12] Since December 2015, he has been jailed indefinitely on charges of contempt of court until he cooperates.[12]

On December 19, 2020, The New York Times, and several other publications, published retrospective articles to mark the fifth anniversary of his conviction.[13] Steven Tigges, the lawyer for one of the investors who sued Thompson, said he could expect release as soon as he handed over the missing funds. As of July 2023 he was still in jail.

References
  1. "Ship of Gold Treasure Hunter Arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service". Usmarshals.gov. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  2. Julia Glum (January 29, 2015). "Who Is Tommy Thompson? Fugitive Treasure Hunter Who Found S.S. Central America Shipwreck To Appear In Court For Cheating Investors". Ibtimes.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  3. "Photographic image" (JPG). Assets.nydailynews.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  4. "COLUMBUS-AMERICA DISCOVERY GROUP and the SS CENTRAL AMERICA" (PDF). Columbia.edu. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  5. America's lost treasure. Atlantic Monthly Press. 1998. ISBN 0871137321. OCLC 39728073. OL 376936M. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  6. "Marshal: Fugitive treasure hunter had $420,000 in hotel room". UPI.com. February 4, 2015. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  7. "Columbus Ohio Dispatch 30 November 2018".
  8. Dispatch, Kathy Lynn Gray, The Columbus. "Treasure-hunter Tommy Thompson, girlfriend plead guilty to contempt charges". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. How treasure hunter Tommy Thompson, ‘one of the smartest fugitives ever,’ was caught Archived 2016-12-16 at the Wayback Machine / The Washington Post, January 30, 2015
  10. Futty, John. "Treasure hunter Tommy Thompson testifies that he doesn't have access to missing gold coins". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  11. "Expedition seeks sunken treasure". Tampa Bay Times. October 13, 2005. Archived from the original on December 20, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020. The expedition uses an unmanned remote recovery vehicle, Nemo, which has recovered most of the easily reached gold in the last two years, Thompson said.
  12. "Treasure hunter marks five years in jail for refusing to give up his gold". The Guardian. December 15, 2020. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  13. Concepción de León (December 19, 2020). "Treasure Hunter Notches 5th Year in Prison for Refusing to Forfeit His Loot". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020. 'All he has to do is tell the court where the gold really is, sign that power of attorney, and otherwise assist in getting the gold back to the United States, and he's out,' Mr. Tigges said.

Further reading
  • Kinder, Gary (1998). Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea. Grove Press. ISBN 9780802144256
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