A former deep-sea treasure hunter is preparing to mark his sixth year in jail for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of 500 missing coins made from gold found in an historic shipwreck.
Research scientist Tommy Thompson has been held in contempt of court in Ohio since Dec. 15, 2015, for that refusal. He is also incurring a daily fine of $1,000.
So besides the greedy, lazy bastards excuse what is stopping them from going look for the gold ship themselves ? Fuck those bastards Tommy, stand your ground and take your secrets to the grave. You are my hero sir JD
Yep, stand your ground, they can't hold him forever.
This is why most of history remains buried. People go and look for it on their own dime, then are forced to put it up for auction in Europe, or have to hand it over in the USA, that is if the Spanish don't lay claim to it (shipwreck).
If you find gold, melt it down into bullion or have only a few coins graded from a "garage sale find." Or even better, don't say a word about it and keep the wealth in the family.
Buried treasures are abandoned property as far as I'm concerned. If the US tyranny wants the gold that bad, they should be out looking for it with funds appropriated by congress. Any finds go directly to paying off the national debt, save for a few historical samples.
I can't believe Tommy can't find strong enough legal horsepower to overturn this ruling. Lawyers being a greedy bunch, I'm surprised none have jumped on this case.
Federal contempt charges are no joke. Unless the laws have changed recently, all they have to do is give you one chance a year to correct the contempt, and they can leave you in prison until the judge who ordered the contempt retires.
It's an international issue- There are competing insurance companies who claim to have bought the original insurer's company. Plus there are other nations who want their piece, claiming that some of the gold was theirs.
I met Tommy Thomson in like 1999 at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. I was working as a biologist next door, but my dad had been one of the original members of the Deep Submergence Group, WHOI's submarine operators and deep ocean researchers, and Tommy and I had both worked for another lab as techs, so we had things to talk about. Brilliant guy, totally can-do, just born 20 years too late. WHOI took navy electricians like my dad and hull techs and made them oceanographic engineers, and gave them steel and money to build what they wanted. Thomson came to WHOI for ideas on ultra deep water mechanical engineering, gearing up for wreck salvage, so I went over to introduce myself.
Treasure salvage is always a mess legally. Thomson handled his part of the legalities poorly, being hard-headed and impatient. He did everything right during the recovery, and everything wrong during the legal proceedings.
Hold fast!
ReplyDeleteChutes Magoo
So besides the greedy, lazy bastards excuse what is stopping them from going look for the gold ship themselves ?
ReplyDeleteFuck those bastards Tommy, stand your ground and take your secrets to the grave.
You are my hero sir
JD
I don't get it. He found the gold. It is his. Why does he have to tell anyone where it is? Is the government trying to glom onto it?
ReplyDeletepiece of shit government.
ReplyDeleteHow many ship wrecks are there in Ohio?? I didn't know it was a sea port.
ReplyDeleteWhat an evil system we “live” in.
ReplyDeleteYep, stand your ground, they can't hold him forever.
ReplyDeleteThis is why most of history remains buried. People go and look for it on their own dime, then are forced to put it up for auction in Europe, or have to hand it over in the USA, that is if the Spanish don't lay claim to it (shipwreck).
If you find gold, melt it down into bullion or have only a few coins graded from a "garage sale find." Or even better, don't say a word about it and keep the wealth in the family.
Buried treasures are abandoned property as far as I'm concerned. If the US tyranny wants the gold that bad, they should be out looking for it with funds appropriated by congress. Any finds go directly to paying off the national debt, save for a few historical samples.
-arc
I don't know the back story, but hell, it sounds like the freakin' guy found them. Let him have them.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe Tommy can't find strong enough legal horsepower to overturn this ruling. Lawyers being a greedy bunch, I'm surprised none have jumped on this case.
ReplyDeleteFederal contempt charges are no joke. Unless the laws have changed recently, all they have to do is give you one chance a year to correct the contempt, and they can leave you in prison until the judge who ordered the contempt retires.
DeleteIt's an international issue- There are competing insurance companies who claim to have bought the original insurer's company. Plus there are other nations who want their piece, claiming that some of the gold was theirs.
ReplyDeleteI met Tommy Thomson in like 1999 at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. I was working as a biologist next door, but my dad had been one of the original members of the Deep Submergence Group, WHOI's submarine operators and deep ocean researchers, and Tommy and I had both worked for another lab as techs, so we had things to talk about.
Brilliant guy, totally can-do, just born 20 years too late. WHOI took navy electricians like my dad and hull techs and made them oceanographic engineers, and gave them steel and money to build what they wanted. Thomson came to WHOI for ideas on ultra deep water mechanical engineering, gearing up for wreck salvage, so I went over to introduce myself.
Treasure salvage is always a mess legally. Thomson handled his part of the legalities poorly, being hard-headed and impatient. He did everything right during the recovery, and everything wrong during the legal proceedings.