COLUMBUS – Not buying treasure hunter Tommy Thompson’s claim that he can’t remember where he hid 500 gold coins recovered from a historic shipwreck because of a rare medical condition, a federal judge gave him an indefinite jail sentence to jog his memory.
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Thompson, 63 (above), exhibits tremendous recall about everything except the most critical question: “Where’s the loot?” Judge Algenon Marbley said at a civil hearing on Tuesday.
“This selective amnesia, it adds up to a lack of credibility,” the judge said.
Thompson argued that he was too ill to answer questions about the missing coins because he has a condition called systemic extension intolerance disease or chronic fatigue syndrome.
About 1 million people in the U.S. are believed to have the syndrome.
Experts generally agree that the disease has a physical basis, but they have struggled for decades to characterize what causes the condition and who has it. Many doctors have viewed it as a psychological illness, while many patients say they have been accused of imagining their symptoms.
Thompson credited his illness for causing, among other things, short-term memory loss.
The order came shortly after Marbley sentenced Thompson to two years in prison and fined him $250,000 for failing to appear before a judge three years ago to answer similar questions.
At issue Tuesday was Thompson’s agreement in an April plea deal to answer questions about the coins from the S.S. America.
Marbley ruled Thompson violated that deal Monday by refusing to answer the latest round of questions.
Marbley also said Thompson would be fined $1,000 a day until he answers questions.
The prison term won’t begin until Thompson fulfills his plea deal.