Court documents indicate a fugitive deep-sea treasure hunter plans to plead guilty to a contempt of court charge related to his refusal to testify in court about gold he discovered from a historic shipwreck.
A plea agreement was filed in federal court Thursday in Columbus in the case of Tommy Thompson, along with a criminal information document used by prosecutors when a deal has been reached and a defendant has agreed to plead guilty.
The 62-year-old Thompson went missing in 2012 amid demands he appear in court. He and his longtime female companion were apprehended in January in Florida.
Thompson has faced accusations of cheating investors since discovering gold in 1988 from a 19th-centruy shipwreck.
Thompson’s attorney Ben Dusing says the agreement includes terms of Thompson’s cooperation with the government.