Tommy Thompson, the elusive treasure hunter who refused to spill the beans on $2.5 million worth of missing gold coins, can escape one jail sentence but must still ponder his decisions in another for two more years.

After nearly a decade in the slammer for his stubbornness in revealing the location of gold coins from the notorious S.S. Central America, Thompson is getting a temporary reprieve from one contempt charge but is still caught in a legal treasure map leading to two more years behind bars. His tedious attempt to protect his buried treasure has cost him a staggering $3.3 million in fines, leaving many wondering if the coins are worth the weight of his regrets—or if he just really loves the ambiance of prison décor.

A federal judge in Ohio, Algenon Marbley, recently announced that Thompson's civil contempt sentence would finally come to an end. The judge must have been feeling a bit generous—or perhaps he just wanted to see the infamous treasure hunter try his luck on the outside for a while before being recaptured by the prison system once again. However, the joy of freedom is fleeting, as Thompson is stuck for an additional two years due to a related criminal contempt charge. It appears that the thrill of the hunt doesn't extend to the legal realm.

Thompson has been sitting in contempt of court since December 15, 2015, accumulating an impressive daily fine of $1,000. That’s right, a cool grand every day for simply refusing to share the whereabouts of the elusive coins. In total, this stubborn refusal has resulted in a jaw-dropping $3,335,000 bill. Perhaps if he spent half the time on searching for the coins as he did contesting their existence, he'd be closer to a solution. But then again, one never does know how long it takes to hatch a plan worthy of an action-adventure novel.

In the world of treasure hunting, Thompson achieved fame—or perhaps infamy—when he discovered the S.S. Central America, a ship that has since earned the charming moniker of the 'Ship of Gold.' Troublingly, its demise came in 1857 during a hurricane off the coast of South Carolina, yet it seems that nature's grasp on quick, free riches paved the way for a much slower series of courtroom battles for Thompson over a hundred years later. The ship famously sank while carrying a hefty 30,000 pounds of gold, originally intended for banks in the eastern U.S. Clearly, it wasn’t just the captain who was sinking; it was also Thompson's plans to cash in posthaste.

Thompson's unwillingness to cooperate with authorities in their quest to recover 500 coins valued at around $2.5 million raises several eyebrows. He claims to have turned them over to a trust in Belize, which certainly sounds like the sort of destination you’d find in a pirate story or perhaps an overenthusiastic sales brochure. With the weight of legal complications and fines piling up like an elaborate treasure map, it's hard to ignore the image of Thompson swabbing the decks of his fate.

It also bears noting that when the chips were down, or at least when the court's gavel hit the metaphorical floor, Thompson decided to take an unexpected detour to Florida instead of showing up for a hearing about those elusive coins in 2012. Of course, this resulted in his eventual capture by U.S. marshals in 2015. One could speculate that a tropical getaway might have some appeal, but leaving court appearances behind generally isn’t considered a wise choice in the grand scheme of adulting.

In 2019, a federal appeals court dashed any hopes Thompson had of squirming free on a technicality, rejecting his contention that the typical jail time limit for contempt applied in his case. According to the court, Thompson’s refusal to comply violated the conditions of a plea agreement. There’s a certain poetic justice to this scenario, where treasure hunting translates into treasure losing, and it appears that the only fortune Thompson has consistently found is a hefty helping of unfortunate decisions.

Despite all these troubles, the legacy of the S.S. Central America lives on. In fact, in a recent auction, an ingot from the ship sold for an impressive $2.16 million in 2022, which serves as a reminder of the true value of the treasures Thompson is hoarding—though if you ask him, he might argue they’re worth far more than the fines he’s racked up. Perhaps one day, after some more profound contemplation, he will spill the treasure’s coordinates. Until then, he remains a testament to determination, albeit with a hint of misguided loyalty to the ghosts of lost gold.

As Thompson continues to sit behind bars, perhaps he’ll find solace in the stories of adventures past. After all, if there’s anything we’ve learned from treasure hunting lore, it’s that the true gold lies in the journey—unless you’re financially entangled with the judicial system, in which case, it could be suggested that you simply end up chasing your own tail.