Fugitive Treasure Hunter Pleads Guilty

Treasure hunter Tommy Thompson pleaded guilty Wednesday to criminal contempt of court at a federal courthouse in Columbus, Ohio, two months after he and his girlfriend were arrested as fugitives in Florida. Thompson had been on the run since he was ordered to appear in court two years ago for a civil case brought by his investors, who accuse him of cheating them out of findings from one of the biggest shipwreck discoveries in U.S. history. Thompson struck a plea deal in which he must pay $425,380 to the court and will serve time for no more than two years, and in exchange the government will not bring any other charges against him in the case.