But a federal appeals court last year rejected Thompson’s argument that that law applies to him. The law holds that 18 months is generally the limit for jail time for contempt of court orders. The government contends Thompson is refusing to cooperate and that there’s no connection between his ailment and his ability to explain where the coins are.Ī federal law addresses individuals like Thompson, known as “recalcitrant witnesses”. Tommy Thompson holds a $50 gold piece retrieved from the wreck of the gold ship SS Central America. He’s previously said, without providing details, that the coins were turned over to a trust in Belize. Thompson, 68, has said he suffers from a rare form of chronic fatigue syndrome that has created problems with short-term memory. “I feel like I don’t have the keys to my freedom.”Īnd with that, Thompson settled back into his current situation: housed in a federal prison in Milan, Michigan, where he’s now spent more than 1,700 days in jail and owes nearly $1.8m in fines – and counting. “Your honor, I don’t know if we’ve gone over this road before or not, but I don’t know the whereabouts of the gold,” Thompson responded. Thompson, are you ready to answer the seminal question in this case as to the whereabouts of the gold?” Marbley said. In late October of this year, Thompson appeared by video for his latest hearing. Thompson refused several times, and on 15 December 2015, Marbley found Thompson in contempt of court and ordered him to stay in jail – and pay a $1,000 daily fine – until he responds. Importantly, he must also “assist” interested parties in finding the coins under that deal. That April 2015 plea deal required Thompson to answer questions in closed-door sessions about the whereabouts of the coins, which the government says are worth $2m to $4m.
Thompson’s criminal sentence has been delayed until the issue of the gold coins is resolved. Thompson pleaded guilty for his failure to appeal and was sentenced to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. US marshals tracked him down and arrested him in early 2015. Instead, Thompson fled to Florida where he lived with his longtime female companion at a hotel near Boca Raton.
Photograph: APīack in 2012, a different federal judge ordered Thompson to appear in court to disclose the coins’ whereabouts. Tommy Thompson, a research scientist, has been in jail for five years for refusing to disclose the location of 500 missing gold coins.
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