Tommy Thompson, a former deep-sea treasure hunter who discovered the S.S. Central America steamship off the coast of South Carolina in 1988, has been released after 10 years in prison for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of the missing gold coins. Thompson, who was hailed as a hero for finding the shipwreck and its sunken treasure, was sent to prison after rebuffing court orders and claiming he didn't know what happened to 500 coins minted from the ship’s gold. Despite being living in Florida, Thompson remained locked up even though federal law generally limits jail time for contempt of court to 18 months. A federal appeals court rejected Thompson's claim that the law applied to him, citing his refusal violated conditions of a plea agreement.