After more than ten years behind bars, treasure hunter Tommy Thompson has emerged from prison, still protecting the secret location of 500 missing gold coins. Thompson discovered the fortune in a 1980s shipwreck expedition that recovered gold from the SS Central America, but he refused to reveal where he hid the coins when faced with legal challenges, choosing incarceration instead.

His release comes as questions swirl about whether the gold will ever be found. Federal authorities have spent years attempting to locate Thompson's hidden treasure, recovered from one of America's most significant maritime disasters. Thompson's extraordinary stand—trading freedom for the secret of the deep—has made him legendary in treasure hunting, leaving behind a mystery that continues to captivate maritime enthusiasts worldwide.