Thomas "Tommy" Thompson, now 72, has been held in federal prison since 2015 after refusing to tell a judge - or his lawyers - where he stashed a trove of gold coins he recovered from a shipwreck.

On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley determined Thompson will continue to ignore court orders to provide the treasure's location and keeping him in prison would not change the result.

However, Thompson will remain in federal prison for another two years on a criminal contempt finding and face millions of dollars in fines when he is released. With Marbley's decision, Thompson will not be released from prison.

In the 1980s, Thompson convinced investors in central Ohio to provide money toward his efforts to locate the wreckage of the S.S. Central America off the coast of South Carolina. The cargo ship, which wrecked in 1857, had been carrying a load of gold.

The Dispatch Printing Company, which previously owned The Dispatch, was among those companies that invested in Thompson's excursion. The Dispatch was sold in 2015 and is no longer owned by the Dispatch Printing Company.

To read the complete articles, see:
Man who bilked investors out of shipwreck gold won't be forced to tell treasure location(https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/courts/2025/02/04/man-who-bilked-locals-out-of-gold-wont-be-forced-tell-treasure-location-tommy-thompson-columbus-ohio/78207581007/)
Deep-sea treasure hunter who refuses to give up his gold scores legal win but won't be freed(https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tommy-thompson-coins-court-case-b2692562.html)

For the complete photo gallery, see:
Photo archive: Tommy Thompson's treasure hunt for S.S. Central America's sunken gold(https://www.dispatch.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/02/04/tommy-thompsons-treasure-hunting-discovery-s-s-central-america-photos/78211311007/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
BOB EVANS ON THE DISPOSITION OF THE S.S. CENTRAL AMERICA TREASURE(https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n16a32.html)