Imprisoned treasure hunter walks free

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A treasure hunter imprisoned for ten years for refusing to reveal the location of missing gold coins has been released without disclosing the whereabouts of the haul. Tommy Thompson spent years searching for the SS Central America, which sank in 1857 while carrying 30,000 pounds of Californian gold. He located the wreck in 1988. Dozens of investors backed Thompson’s plan to recover the treasure on the understanding that they would get a share of the spoils. A group of them sued Thompson, saying they did not receive any money from the $50m sale of salvaged gold bars and coins. He was finally apprehended in 2016 and held in contempt, a punishment that typically lasts until a person complies with a court order. But Thompson insisted he could not remember the location of 500 missing coins.