Man Spends 10 Years in Prison for Refusing to Answer Questions

He should be getting out in two more years.
www.lehtoslaw.com

[@craigsurbrook5702]

I see that Constitutional rights ends when money is involved.

[@ImprovmanZero]

also war on drugs

[@puttputt73]

Yep, a lot of money, and 10yr means he knows where it is.

[@ridgerunner5772]

The BOLSHEVIK POLICE STATE.....in action and Force....

[@HowThatHappen]

Investors are mad so something must be done. If it was the other way around and the people were mad it wouldn't matter.

[@kellybrandon1179]

Or if you speak of hollow mountains in utah

[@calebfielding6352]

I notice that cops are not put in jail when they are caught lying in court

[@noworriesmate5903]

The Supreme Court has ruled that it's legal for cops to lie. Think about that.

[@TheJinashura]

@@noworriesmate5903 Yeah but in court under oath. Cops just get special privileges and immunities.

[@LawernceSimmons]

@@noworriesmate5903 *I agree that the Supreme Court ruled that they can lie during investigations and interrogations, but NOT under oath in court.*

Rules and laws don't apply to sovereign citizens.

​@@LawernceSimmonswrong. They can/do/will lie under oath with zero repercussions.

[@flakesinyershoe8137]

Could have stolen 3 million at gunpoint and been out of prison by now lol

[@mayshack]

The court has to punish people who undermine their authority extremely harshly. When you steal, you damage another person, when you undermine the court, you damage the entire charades of government and justice.

[@flakesinyershoe8137]

@mayshack so much for that blind justice huh.

[@StarterVillian]

I just saw a guy that didn't steal that much but he appeared in front of a judge and he had only spent 5 years for arms robbery

[@sittingindetroit9204]

In an earlier video, Steve noted that if he admitted to stealing the coins, the sentence was 3-5 years.

[@supernova743]

​@sittingindetroit9204 a ciminal convition for theft can be much more damaging than just a prison sentence. Imagine the damage a poor reputation can do to a guy that takes investments and is asked to return those investments basically all on trust.

[@vk45de54]

Judges need to be held accountable for power abuse

[@AdamSmith-cf1tl]

Fed into an industrial metal shredder.

[@M1903a4]

$1,000 a day is a lot of rent for such a tiny apartment in an overcrowded hotel with questionable neighbors. And the HOA sucks.

[@jimtalbott9535]

I dunno, the HOA rules are probably not actually the worst.

[@brentfarvors192]

🤣👍

[@gypsyjengypsydogs9320]

Plus no good restaurants and terrible service.

[@SimpleAntLegion]

You win 🏆

[@BlackSheep_216]

Yes it IS!

[@computechguy2063]

10 years for civil contempt seems to be excessive. And then criminal contempt for another 2 years instead of time served?

[@EnthalpyAndEntropy]

Yep. Some judge is going to die or get maimed really bad depending on what kind of scientist and person that guy is.

[@P3RV-3]

yeah, rights be damed when the state wants money.

[@VedaSay]

All those agent Smith are not for your protection but they will arrest you if you don't pay the government on time! Choose your pill!

[@CodeThatTalks]

Yup, we're rapidly approaching a time when politicians and judges are going back on lists. I feel like a fairly normal person, and if I'm getting close, I know there are others, like our buddy Luigi, who won't hesitate and will be cheered for their actions!

[@pistonburner6448]

Why would it be excessive? He blatantly stole huge amounts of money from lots of people. 10 years seems pretty reasonable, especially since he could confess and reveal where the money is at any time.

[@largedoglover99]

Judge throws out $25 a day storage fee because it’s excessive but it’s OK for a judge to fine someone $1000 a day for over 10 years?! What kind of BS is this?

[@georgebarker4847]

They smell the money and want it.

[@robinkuruda5249]

It’s the corrupt kind of BS

[@Matok1]

Has to do with 'who gets that money'.

[@jabba0975]

Government.

[@mvpfocus]

@largedoglover99 To be clear, the judge in the "excessive storage fee" case threw it out for *lack of jurisdiction.*

[@jesspeinado480]

A man is imprisoned for 10 years for "not cooperating". Then forced to spend two more years. Funny how murderers serve prison terms concurrently and then get early parole. Yet this man who doesn't pose a threat to the public, has to serve time consecutively. I guess the courts believe investors and cooperation more important than public safety.

[@Xanman64-p6q]

I mean they are the most important "persons" according to the current SCOTUS. Justice is for those that can afford it.

[@robertsparling]

In this case, they want to steal the gold from him. It is conceivable to me that they would never let him out.

[@SoloRenegade]

yet no one answers any of Congress's questions

[@ThatOpalGuy]

Money supercedes everything else

[@thievingpanda]

If this man stole the hard earned money you invested with him, wouldn't you want him in prison??

[@lelandunruh7896]

Ten years is an absurd amount of time for civil contempt. I'm frankly shocked it was allowed to go so long.

[@kaoe145]

But if you or I had a civil matter against a corporation, the cops would tell us to fuk off.

[@actionjksn]

Why would you be shocked? This is totally on brand for the government, especially when it comes to rich people's money.

[@christiancampbell466]

There are reporters sitting in jail for years for refusing to divulge sources. Respect.

[@RoyatAvalonFarms]

$1,000 per day fine and over 9 years in prison for contempt is DEFINITELY cruel and unusual punishment. They have violated his rights based on that alone.

[@davidh9638]

There is separate language for "excessive fines."

[@Jirodyne]

@@davidh9638 SCOTUS has already ruled Fines 100% violate Cruel and Unusual Punishments.

[@georgesheffield1580]

Sounds like an OLIGARCH wants something like more$$$$

[@iamdisccomp]

In my opinion, you should NEVER be compelled to speak. If they can prove he stole it, then sentance him for that.

[@jayjaynella4539]

@@iamdisccomp Tommy is standing his ground. The state has nothing on him but uses a plea agreement to get something out of the scam. Plea agreements are a run around the "justice" system and are highly unethical. A plea agreement is to cover up the lack of evidence.

[@92Looneytune]

I've seen politicians asked a whole litany of questions before, answering "I don't recall" to all of them. Very basic questions they clearly DO know the answers to. Yet for some reason those answers are accepted as gospel truth.

[@nuclearmedicineman6270]

That's because lying to a congressional hearing carries a maximum 5 year prison sentence (per answer AFAIK). If you say "I don't recall", it's not a direct lie you can get caught on, they can't prove what you do, or don't, remember.

[@Jirodyne]

@nuclearmedicineman6270 That is why they should be COMPELLED to give EXACT answers only. Yes or No. And if they side track, evade, or refuse to answer, it should Automatically be compelled as a Lie, and thus Punished as a lie.

[@thegods2622]

​​@@Jirodyneproblem with that you gotta have the information that they have knowledge of the question. Example would be you got video of said individual on thier phone and you ask the question hey were you on your phone?

[@willdejong7763]

@nuclearmedicineman6270 How is that different than this guy saying that he doesn't remember what happened to the gold?

[@benjiro8793]

@@Jirodyne But what if you do not recall? You can not be asked to purge yourself with a lie, or admitting to something that is not true, based upon a Yes or No question, that may not have a yes or no answer... Yes, the "i do not recall" is misused a ton, but in cases where this may be true, we then get a massive misuse of justice. You can tell in this case its all about punishing him for going against the state. How dare you not give us our cut... bla bla...

[@heroesandzeros7802]

So much for the right to remain silent.

[@silverXnoise]

Rights are gone. Laws are gone. Justice is gone. Long live the proctocracy.

[@LawernceSimmons]

@@silverXnoise *I learned a new word! I knew we were governed by assholes, but I didn't know it had been given a name.*

[@Wheelygonzales]

That applies only when talking to investigators. A judge has the authority to compel you to talk. The judge can jail you if you don't.

[@maxnoe3079]

@@Wheelygonzaleswhat about the 5th amendment?

[@totallytubular618]

You have a right to remain silent if your speech might incriminate you.

[@lunatik9696]

Abuse of authority. Plea deal doesn't supercede law.

[@PersonaN007Grata]

If the guy never found the treasure, he’d be a free man. But since he found it, they imprisoned him for 10+2 years? Sounds like the judge had a financial incentive to find out where it is.

[@travislupum]

So basically they held him in a cage to coerce him into talking american freedom at its finest

[@os10v311]

violent criminals get less time. buy MONEY is god in america

[@Nikolai2s]

To be clear, it's not (mostly) about Uncle Sam taking his cut. It's because of the investors for his successful expedition not being paid. It's an incredibly long contempt of court hold. However, I honestly believe he is just being a stubborn b*stard about it. Professional divers don't make a lot of money, but the equipment and man-hours for a search team are expensive. He probably agreed to pay close to 50% of the findings to his investors.

[@reveral9880]

@@Nikolai2s If it were about investors, he would sit in prison for fraud, not jail. There supposed to be a trial and conviction

[@rickybobby8224]

You are clueless. He is refusing to comply with a court order.

[@TheLuceon]

@@rickybobby8224 So the government can hold him for a completely indefinite amount of time? Absurd. Hold him for 6 months to a year at most where it becomes clear they will not comply then charge them with a crime where he can have his day in court. Contempt is meant to compel, if it fails at that one purpose then the threat of charges follow. Nothing should permit indefinite holding without a trial and conviction.

[@phookadude]

10 years in jail for a civil trial.

[@rickytorres4213]

So no lawyer?

[@faithsrvtrip8768]

They did this to Martin Armstrong. I think he spent 11 years in a NYC jail for contempt of court.

[@chrissinclair4442]

There's been one or more case of corporations getting permission to have their lawyers prosecute individuals criminally. Probably for things that weren't crimes, and things the corporations couldn't win or lost in civil suit cases.

[@jwhite5008]

Fail to give information about stolen money - 10 years. Assault with heavy injury and burglary - it's a misdemeanor, let them go free just to rob again the same day (this is a norm in NY at least). it kind of summarises the priorities of US justice system in my opinion.

[@StopShadowBanningPeople]

Yeah, but he stole from rich people. The courts will bend over backwards to hurt this man for that. If it were the other way around, well, slap on the wrist. Can't have the plebs getting out of line.

[@dashy9482]

This is clear cut cruel and unusual punishment.

[@terryquinn7765]

It’s clear that its done in America.

[@ShaggyRodgers420]

He stole money from his investors. He committed fraud and skipped a hearing.

[@mattgayda2840]

So is indentured servitude, now they just call it child support and will absolutely throw you in jail over not paying the civil debt.

[@amandak.4246]

​@@mattgayda2840 well it's a form of child neglect. pretty wild take

[@mrbushwookie6051]

​@mattgayda2840 saying, "I'm a deadbeat dad," is faster

[@SharptonsRaceCard]

This is one of the reasons why anytime someone tells me "just comply with the police, exercise your constitutional rights, tell your story to the judge and win in court! If you're doing nothing wrong, then you have nothing to worry about," I immediately know I'm talking to a fool and treat them accordingly. The system is corrupt to the core; it's all about "rules for thee, not for me!" They put this man in prison for ten years, for exercising his constitutional right to refuse to give the police evidence that could incriminate him or be used against him in a court of law, and he's still got to do two more years yet. But yeah, we're supposed to "trust the system" and "know our rights." We HAVE NO RIGHTS.

[@drestnar]

Well said

[@bobertjones2300]

He put himself in this position by not paying investors back. Granted, the thing is excessive with the decade for contempt and the daily fine absurd. He did not comply with his agreement to account for the gold that released him from the original civil contempt charge, according to Lehto.

[@Foolish188]

After his plea agreement, he could not have been charged with another crime, his rights were in no way violated.

[@adrianbargen9727]

This is absolutely cruel and unusual punishment. After 10 years that judge should be made to sit there with him.

[@YoungGirlz8463]

This was a thought crime. He said he didn't know and the only reason he was in jail was because they didn't believe him.

[@skachor]

Because he agreed to a plea agreement that included the apparently unknown information he was supposed to disclose. He made contradictory statements.

[@nodak81]

No, he's in jail because he made a plea deal and then violated it.

[@horseathalt7308]

The Judge is a tyrant. Founding Fathers never wanted such arbitrary enforcement of the law.

[@workingguy-OU812]

Not sure about that - he sought investors, then cheated those same investors. From their standpoint that should be a death sentence.

[@YoungGirlz8463]

@Skachor Because his memory is busted. 4:23

[@andrewprice1774]

If the Government refused to find a shipwreck itself!!! Why should it be entitled to any of it!!! The Government is literally holding this guy for ransom!!!

[@terripebsworth9623]

Uh... did you listen to the podcast?

[@xeykdeyk]

Nobody did, because it is not a podcast. Its just a guy in a video.

[@TheGoreforce]

@@xeykdeyk I always found it wierd when other guys in a video thats less than 1 hour long, call it a podcast.

[@brianallyn5308]

This judge needs to be thrown in jail for double the time!

[@user-xq4lp6ho1i]

With no special protection.

[@horseathalt7308]

Worse, far worse. The sentence is a form of torture.

[@dragonf1092]

No American needs to tell a judge anything or answer anyone's questions 5th amendment right to keep silent.

[@Skineeetoneee]

cops go to court everyday and repeatedly say “I DONT RECALL”

[@RoyatAvalonFarms]

Given the gross excess of this contempt sentence, his 2 year criminal sentence should count as time already served. Let him out.

[@JTA1961]

Well said

[@Foolish188]

Not one sentence. He completed his sentence, was brought back to court and committed more contempt. He has done this for 10 years! His chose to be jailed for ten years hoping the judge would give up and let him keep the $500 Milion he stole.

[@Barty.Crowell]

Between this and civil asset forfeiture, civil courts scare me even more than criminal court

[@zufalllx]

At least in criminal court you feel like you might get a fair chance

[@siggyincr7447]

Criminal court has stricter rules that judges have to adhere to.

[@jamesrecknor6752]

Glorious, revolutionary confiscation. Comrades, support The Party!

[@derekbootle8316]

This is an 8th amendment violation. We like to consider the Bill of Rights, during a criminal case, however the bill of rights is a limitation to all courts and government. 10 years jail on a civil infraction of contempt is absurd. He should be released and the judge should be forced to apologize in public. A decade for civil contempt of court? Is the constitution written in pencil? Just erase the parts that get in the way?

[@stevebell4906]

you are entitled to your opinion .....But you are not the decider...

[@deborahhopkinson5243]

Apologize? The "judge" stole a man's life, and possible destroyed him. That requires more than an apology!

[@horseathalt7308]

@@stevebell4906 Guess who decides ? Those who are the most brave and use the 2@.

[@patnor7354]

"Apologize"? WTF? No, that "judge" deserves something entirely more permanent...

[@stevebell4906]

@@horseathalt7308 OK I'll bite...How about the court?

[@Tinks82]

How can a judge throw someone in prison for exercising his RIGHT to remain silent & right not to testify? This is unconstitutional & the AG should be involved!

[@kevinrtres]

Depends on how straight the AG is....straight as in honest.

[@Tinks82]

@kevinrtres Very true!!

[@GJameso]

Neither of those rights apply to civil trials

[@Tinks82]

@GJameso That's incorrect. In some situations, the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination can be invoked in a civil case, allowing a person to refuse to answer questions that could potentially incriminate them in a criminal proceeding. You're 7th & 14th Amendment Rights are also protected.

[@TheGoreforce]

@@GJameso then jail should not be part of civil trials.

[@philcoleman7201]

Guilty till proven innocent, which cannot be proven.

[@Angl0sax0nknight]

Sounds like debtors prison sentence

[@mattgayda2840]

You should see how they treat men over child support

[@POOKISTAN]

Ya - That's completely unjustified. People are only supposed to go to prison for money when they owe women money!

[@1FlamyAmy]

I believe so

[@Robert-d2t]

Our justice system is so completely broken on every level.

[@trikstari7687]

It's because there's no effective apparatus for keeping judges in line beyond angry mobs showing up at their houses in the middle of the night.

[@pistonburner6448]

No, he stole massive amounts and that's why he's in jail.

[@patrickbuick5459]

It is a LEGAL system NOT a justice system.

[@patrickbuick5459]

​@pistonburner6448 He would be in jail for theft, not contempt if that were the case. Please listen and try to keep up.

[@jayjaynella4539]

We now have a prosecution system, or a legalization of an extortion system.

[@christopherwhite1648]

The Judge should be removed from the bench, disbarred for life and banned from any future government employment.

[@TheFanatic340]

and then fined the entire amount of his collective net worth.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Imprisoned

[@AdamSmith-cf1tl]

And fed into an industrial metal shredder.

[@Matthew-ix1mq]

Lmao, he will get a huge taxpayer funded pension

[@Foolish188]

The judge should have a statue made of him and put in Trump's National Garden. The guy in jail has committed contempt in every court appearance. So he is sent back to jail. Anyone who keeps committing contempt deserves what he gets. He SIGNED A PLEA AGREEMENT to provide answers, and then lies. That is contempt and he should be jailed until he tells the truth. His rights were not violated, he chose jail, over and over and over again instead of the truth

[@relaxresell3121]

Judge should be disbarred.

[@CareyHolzman]

Clearly, this is judicial torture and I expect he will sue them and all the tax payers are end up with the bill. This is inhumane.

[@M-dv1yj]

Way past law suits . Getting close to an epidemic of skin suits. Have u read the tone of the comments here.

[@SwampYankee-o4b]

Worst people have been pardoned, go figure.

[@BozesanVlad]

He is no hunter

[@POOKISTAN]

The You Tube channel Freedom Toons makes some good stuff...

[@kazineverwind5267]

His last name isn't Biden, Clinton or Kennedy. Therefore, not important at all to those in power.

[@floydlooney6837]

@@BozesanVlad Maybe he should offer to sell poop paintings like Hunter

[@nodak81]

No one should ever be pardoned. That power should be removed from the Presidency and from governors. They only ever pardon people when it's politically or personally advantageous for them to do so, not because the evidence has changed.

[@MonsterSound.Bradley]

A $3 million dollar fine when they can't even prove what they never had??? I can store my binoculars for less $ than that! OMG! 😮

[@zacharywissinger3996]

Why was he even imprisoned over a civil matter? If he would not talk, shouldn’t the court just grant the judgment against him. Depending on the contract they had possibly charge him criminally with fraud?

[@mattgayda2840]

Have you seen what they do in family court?

[@caledoniawarrior]

There's more to it. The gold from the U.S.S. Central America was going to be used to hide the fact all the banks in the north east especially New York had embezzled and lost all their account holders savings. To distract from this they fomented the northeast into the civil war. That commiefornia gold is the bloodiest gold in American history.

[@JS-pe7uc]

Lol the government wants that $$$.

[@CaffeinatedFingers]

Fundamentally, because he stole from Rich people. And they can afford lawyers who will invent their way around common sense, common law, and the constitution. At least in modern america. TL;DR: Don't offend the new aristocracy.

[@Foolish188]

He was jailed for contempt. He serves his time, goes back to court and commits contempt again and again and again. He CHOSE to go to jail.

[@scottjuhnke6825]

That's absurd. How does any lawyer condone this?

[@deborahhopkinson5243]

That is a very good question. On the take? Loyalty to the Crown? The entire "Justice system" is corrupt.

[@brentfarvors192]

Simple: The threat of violence trumps any word written on paper, since its creation...Simply put: The judge has a standing army, and this guy doesn't. Therefore, he is ultimately at the mercy of the court.

[@scottjuhnke6825]

@brentfarvors192 Yes, but there was a lawyer there arguing for this. And, yes, if the prosecutor remained silent, they were party to the injustice.

[@brentfarvors192]

@@scottjuhnke6825 WHO is "accountable"??? No one in this whole situation, without an army to back them up...The judge agreed as well, so, unless he can produce said army, no one is accountable for anything...Spoilers: Julius Caesar was labeled an enemy of the state; His ARMY, however rescinded said order, when they marched into Rome...

[@ThomasArmbruster-r8g]

I've been following this story for years. He's quite a character. No telling if he really does have memory problems or not.

[@Morthrax]

Sounds like they want to ruin your life without real due process because they couldn't get all the money they wanted. 10 years because you won't kiss their ass to their satisfaction.

[@deborahhopkinson5243]

They do it, because we don't stop them.

[@Cheepchipsable]

Well he shouldn't have agreed to cooperate in the first place.

[@Foolish188]

​@@CheepchipsableDamn right. He has made the CHOICE to go to jail instead of answering the questions he agreed to.

[@elrey8876]

*INVESTORS ASIDE* I've always thought it was unfair that governments and other bodies can lay significant claim to treasure when they did nothing to aid the recovery. It could sit on the bottom of the ocean till Judgement Day, but the minute someone shows some initiative and motivation, their hands are out.

[@calvinquallss4905]

This is also how taxes work

[@JohnChrysostom101]

@calvinquallss4905 it's usury a sin commited by the big Noses they always thieve stuff they never worked for

[@Shrike-Valeo]

Usa is a bit insane how much stuff it considers taxable income. Even calculated losses due to injury I think. But on the flip side with this, recovering items of value is a job. In the UK you can be forced to sell treasures you find if a museum offers a properly valued amount. In this case as well though, a country regulates the industries involved In supplying what the diver used. It's not entirely one-sided, and doing it as a 100% tax free job seems a bit "meh".

[@GamesFromSpace]

It's not like it objectively belongs to the person who found it either. Somebody else lost it.

[@daltonmann4916]

bingo! if it were such a devastating loss they shouldve been trying to figure out where it went!

[@277mitchell]

This guy has made some POWERFUL enemies to be in jail for nearly 10 years over a civil contempt charge and then to get two more years on a federal charge instead of time served if this happened to me and i finally got out i would leave this country and NEVER look back!

[@JTA1961]

POWERFUL in all caps ...for sure

[@JTA1961]

If they would have painted the bars to his cell "GOLD" he might have remembered

[@Foolish188]

That is his plan. Twelve years and gets to keep the $500 million he stole.

[@ianbattles7290]

The problem with torturing people for information = what if they honestly don't know that information?? Now you've just tortured an innocent person... I can't give you information that I don't have, no matter how many of my bones you break...

[@TheGoreforce]

couldn't he make up a story?

[@hayuseen6683]

​@@TheGoreforce It wouldn't help to make up a story because they would hold him in contempt

[@doughanawalt7736]

The ego and hubris of these judges is just off the charts. I'm amazed some of them remain alive.

[@johnrhansonsr]

Equal justice under the law. BS!

[@nullc0ntext]

Mad respect, never talk no matter whar coercion they use against you. You never need to help them do their job.

[@horseathalt7308]

Bingo. Always remember they are at war with you. They are Redcoats. They are TheEnemy. Essentially he is a prisoner of war.

[@grugnotice7746]

I thought debtors prison was illegal in this country?

[@TRS-Eric]

you thought wrong

[@brandonbowman5915]

Happens to men all the time over child support and alimony.

[@flakesinyershoe8137]

But it's not illegal to hold a witness indefinitely.

[@ryanbeyer9078]

it technically is, but the government doesn't actually follows the laws that pertain to them

[@kenyattaclay7666]

Except he wasn’t in jail for debt.

[@CaptainJacksIsland]

People NEED to be able to sue judges for bad judgements. Only acciuntability will make them think about their actions.

[@floydswife]

Why does he have to spend 2 more years in jail for the criminal sentence when he's already been in jail civilly for 10 years? Why not "time served" and get out now?

[@juliustoth1172]

Our justice system is a joke.

It's working as intended.

[@grimreaper4801]

it gasolighting to call it justice system. just call it law system not justice system

[@BozesanVlad]

@@grimreaper4801 It is justice system, but as everything in this world, it can and do have also negative values on the justice scale, some people call them injustice. The law is just the frame of it. Of course, not enforcing the Law is meaningless and the justice system escape its constraints. Simple as that.

[@gta4everrr]

All of government is a joke.

[@nadasurf9009]

THIS GUY IS A LEGEND FOR KEEPING HIS MOUTH SHUT

[@elrey8876]

He's doing a Shawshank Redemption.

[@Nikolai2s]

I can only assume that the expected difference in his findings must be something in the multi-million dollar range. ie: he could have paid the investors out legitimately, probably $20-30,000,000, and kept the remaining $15-30,000,000. But he'd rather just have $60-100,000,000 himself, tax free. I'd consider sitting in jail for 10 years for that payout. Basically you and your entire family and descendents would be set for life, and probably become a powerful family. $15-20mil will just buy you a few nice houses and retirement for the family.

[@nadasurf9009]

@Nikolai2s YEAH AND I'M PRETTY SURE IF WE INVESTIGATED THE INVESTORS, WE WOULD FIND FAR MORE LENGTHY PRISON SENTENCES FROM THE INVESTORS BEHAVIOR THEN WE WOULD FROM THE GUY WHO ACTUALLY FOUND THE GOLD. INVESTORS ARE SHADY.

[@TheOrangeRoad]

That's what I was thinking. They make movies about these people

[@Robbedem]

@@Nikolai2s that logic would make sense if the guy wasn't 72 years old. I don't think he will be able to enjoy the money anymore when he gets out...

[@TheLuceon]

Limitations on holding him for contempt is ignored because of a plea agreement is a garbage excuse. Try him on the merits of the plea agreement. Holding him in contempt ignoring his right because of an only slightly related matter is BS.

[@mtnmover7794]

My thoughts too and if they let him out and knew where the gold was he would of went back and for all we know is the gold could be unidentifiable now if it got melted down

[@benjiro8793]

@@mtnmover7794 My was of thinking also. You stick a few detective on his behind, if he really knows the gold location, one day your going to get your hands on it. But this jail crap is more like "we think you will crack" and the dude is literally being stubborn, and then what... O well, throw away keys. Insane ....

[@Obamaistoast2012]

Unbelievable violation of the 5th amendment

[@5467nick]

The 5th amendment protects you from incriminating yourself. He made a plea deal which freed him from criminal charges in exchange for answering questions pertaining to where the gold went. The 5th amendment doesn't protect you when you aren't at risk of incriminating yourself, which he wasn't. By not answering those questions, he violated the terms of his plea deal. That's a crime. If he had never made the plea deal, then the 5th amendment would have protected him from being charged with a crime just for not answering questions, though he might still be charged with crimes for stealing all that gold or violating agreements with his investors, depending on what terms he had with them. The fact that he no longer possessed it (or at least claims not to) doesn't change the fact that he seems to have stolen it and not talking at all probably wouldn't have gotten him out of that.

[@stevebonds5157]

Talk about the ultimate Right to remain silent.

[@bugalaman]

What happened to the 5th amendment? Everyone has the right to remain silent.

[@GamesFromSpace]

Only if it's to protect yourself from criminal charges.

[@Foolish188]

He made a plea agreement and could not have been charged for answering the questions, so no fifth amendment violation. You are free to sign away your rights, and he did.

[@francour9]

Or there’s that much more gold that’s worth keeping his mouth shut. Either way, kudos to that man for holding it down.

[@PatGunn]

Nah, he's shameful

[@reasonablespeculation3893]

kudos for breaking the contract? Would it be OK If the banker said he didn't know where your money was, when your CD matured.

[@TheFanatic340]

​@@reasonablespeculation3893it was a completely unreasonable contract in the first place

[@sarowie]

how much money do you need do justify over 10 years in prison? You can come up with a number for any given number of years, but not for an undefined number of years.

[@PatGunn]

@sarowie ask the guy who's deciding to defy the courts

[@retselyarrh3895]

I don’t know anybody that would be willing to give up 10 years of their life!!!! I don’t care if it was for $1 billion!!!!

[@MondoChow777]

10 years for $1B, you'd be surprised. Money buys time and time buys options, among other things, most human being don't understand this concept untill retirement age is fast approaching when it's too late.

[@WesGarage]

You have the right to remain silent. We will also put you in jail for exercising that right.

[@RobbinFlowers]

Creepy

[@onyoursix8408]

How does any of that story warrant 12 years in jail.

[@JonnyHolms]

It doesn't.. bet that the judge is obama appointed..

[@SnarkNSass]

That's some raggedy ratchet court shenanigans 🤬

[@magedude999]

It's what happens when you stand in the way of "investor profits" in this society.

[@teilanittv]

This is unreasonable. Charge him with a crime or let him go.

[@davidh9638]

Watch the video. He is charged with criminal contempt.

[@MoonbeameSmith]

@@davidh9638 How, in this case, would this be criminal contempt.. Contempt, maybe, but criminal?

[@TheLuceon]

@@davidh9638 After 10 years of being held for non criminal contempt. Way past the point of justice here.

[@admthrawnuru]

​@@MoonbeameSmithhe hurt the judge's fee fees

[@gta4everrr]

@@admthrawnuru It's what you can expect when people are supposed to a call you "your honor" out of tradition. If I ever end up in court for any reason, I'm going to make a point of referring to the judge by their first or last name or sir or ma'am. Their shit stinks just like everybody else, if not worse. It's absolutely ridiculous we're still expected to call them your honor.

[@RayleighCriterion]

This sounds more like criminal unlawful confinement and kidnapping. His sentence and fines are in violation of the Eight Amendment of the Bill of Rights so the judge is subject to arrest.

[@williamangeles9761]

The feds has him sitting in jail for the gold.

[@mjr1093]

10 years for refusing to answer questions. Seems Cruel and unusual. Dosent he have a Right to not self-incriminate?

[@5467nick]

Those questions were part of a plea deal he agreed to. In doing so, he admitted guilt, but was free from incriminating himself as the deal freed him from criminal charges in relation to the questions and answers. You have no right to remain silent on things you agreed to speak on and you have no right to silence on things that can't incriminate you.

[@jamslam5641]

I always take a vow of silence when cops start asking me questions.

[@kxlawn4873]

Judges have too much power

[@margaretlemmon1143]

Judge not and you will not be judged. These judges will have their day being judged

[@ryanjones7681]

​or they won't. And they get off Scott free while ruining thousands of lives.

[@noosphericaltarzan]

This is what the government thinks of the people.

[@roxcyn]

That doesn’t sound like a speedy trial and is cruel and unusual punishment. Shame on the United States of America and the judicial system.

[@elc7795]

I see felony kidnapping, unlawful restraint, abuse of power, deprivation of civil and constitutional rights. I believe his lawyers and the sheriff need to show up and arrest the judge.

[@Jirodyne]

Not just the Judge. But also the Warden and everyone involved in holding him in whatever prison he is in.

[@TheFanatic340]

then hold them in solitary confinement for at least a decade before even being allowed a trial

[@williamclayton9566]

They've had 10 years to do this. Good luck with that.

[@stevebell4906]

You are enjoying a paranoid persecution fantasy....But reality is not conditional on your acceptance of it...

[@deangoddley2061]

Speaking of rights, remaining silent i thought was a right? Apparently not.

[@mjmeans7983]

It isn't if the plea agreement indicated the nature of the information that must be divulged, and you don't do it. But I do wonder why the plea agreement wasn't vacated after a few months when it was reasonably clear that it was not going to be honored by this guy.

[@hiddenInsight486]

I believe as part of a plea deal he agreed to speak

[@cruejones742]

The 5th amendment only protects "you" from self incrimination not others. Once the court says you won't be incriminated the right no longer applies.

[@DarthVil]

Rights are a construct. They don't exist, and they were never "inalienable"; our justice system is predicated upon the removal of these privileges.

[@YoungGirlz8463]

@@cruejones742 But he said he didn't know which made it a thought crime.

[@jaynawilliams8923]

Well, that proves the old saying "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself".

[@dennisclapp7527]

Thanks Steve. If he has the gold, he has done a cost benefit analysis and found that even with 2 more years in the lockup he is still making a good return. Some people do that.

[@mariuszmoraw3571]

If that's not modern slavery, then I don't know.

[@jvaneck8991]

It used to be that you were put in jail for what the State thought you might think. Now you get put in jail for what some Judge decides on a whim you must know, even if you don't. Just lovely.

[@mayshack]

We need to think of a name other than "justice system" for what we have now.

[@cherrelleg8276]

They name it correctly. They don’t haphazardly name stuff. Break down the word. Just us system. It’s just for them.

[@ThePaulReck]

It's called tyranny.

[@jayjaynella4539]

@@cherrelleg8276 Never thought that way. Hats off to you. Makes so much more sense.

[@prjndigo]

Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness. Two outweight the one, his liberty has been violated and if the ship wasn't in US waters, the US Fed has no Jurisdiction at all. The investors knew there was a high probability of loss to begin with, that money was down the pit and they don't have standing for him to be incarcerated even on a contempt charge. They may get repaid from the government settlement to keep a judge from going to prison?

[@Nicholasbroughton0420]

You have to find and answer you can not hold people without proof of evidence.

[@bissetttom1738]

martin armstrong was held for seven years on contempt charges because he wouldn't give the us government his computer code. it really is a sleezy way of trying to bend people to their will.

[@garylewis4838]

There are people who murdered someone and gotten less time.

[@kaboom4679]

Silence is golden .

[@acevirginian2203]

A HERO ON CIVIL RIGHTS... BRAVO.

[@thebackyardrange1801]

You get some of the coolest stories. Just far out there stuff that no one really hears about. Much appreciated.

[@ryanlightle373]

Ohhhh, they really want those gold coins lol.... I wouldn't tell em either, nor would I pay them the restitution.

[@Billwzw]

Hypothetically, if the guy is released two years from now and "suddenly" remembers where the gold is, will the other claimants have any action against him ? Or will he have the gold free and clear ? I might wait 10 years if the amount of gold was enough.

[@Arassar]

He'll probably move to some non- extradition country

[@Tugela60]

The gold is not his, so yes, the other claimants still have rights to it.

[@markkringle9144]

As soon as this guy is released, everyone and his government will be tracking this guy to see where he goes, and who he talks to. I’m guessing there are 200 million reasons to find out where that gold is.

[@brianbirtcher431]

What's the price of gold making new record High, I bet it's a lot more than that

[@joekev27]

So it sounds like you don't really have a right to remain silent.

[@nilo9456]

Thanks for the update on this story, I remember reading about this episode, that individual was portrayed as a scam artist. "Your milage may vary." I don't recall the following story as well. A female Doctor had a child with a man. Subsequently, the Dr and the man had a falling out. The man was awarded custody, the Dr. refused to comply and spent several years in prison as a result.

[@thomaslinton5765]

Imprisoned on suspicion of not answering the question. Needs a good lawyer.

[@CraigGrant-sh3in]

When it has to do with money and owing the state, you will be punished harshly. Commit attempted homicide and its probation. Its the judicial $ystem

[@thebluegreengoose]

I recall Fisher's find. The state wanted 100% even not paying the cost of searching 20+ years.

[@TheGoreforce]

it goes through the same "taxes" that lottery winners go though. you only keep about 60% of what you find. it's fucked up.

[@SparkyWrench]

Man stands by his principles

[@jesse00pno]

I live in Gastonia, NC! Love the shirt!

[@joefrancis2840]

I have over 2 million in gold from that shipwreck

[@SF-lf5cu]

im 45 sec in and i want to say i have a lot of respect for this guy keeping his mouth shut for this long. very impressive

[@EnthalpyAndEntropy]

The consecutive sentence thing is nuts. If I were that guy, in a couple of years, a certain judge or two would get the business end of some second amendment solutions. There’s no reason they couldn’t have let him out years ago. That’s beyond cruel and unusual.

[@joelnathan7184]

I did not hear anything that says he did not give investors their money back. What i heard was the investors want a bigger cut of the spoils.

[@GamesFromSpace]

That's how investing works, yes.

[@Robbedem]

The investors claim there was more money. And obviously he can't prove that there wasn't, because that's impossible to prove. These Investors are acting like maffia.

[@nodak81]

@@Robbedem That's because they CAN prove there was more money. How else would they know about the specific coins in question unless they were seen and documented by someone at some point in time?

[@mariatorres9789]

They got their share, & gov wants the rest, so they're locking him up, until he talks. 😅😂 He knows they want to steal his gold!! Good for him! Stick it out, buddy, THEY'LL STEAL IT ALL. Stay strong. 💪 ❤

[@Immortal-Headcase]

Wow, just wow. This reminds me of Japanese law where you can get jailed indefinitely over something as silly as stealing a cheap pen until you plead guilty, even if you didn't do it.

[@sekkuar]

Ah yes, the land of free. Where people can be sent to jail to coerce them into talking.

[@5467nick]

He was sent to jail because he agreed to talk and then didn't. If he hadn't made that plea deal, then it wouldn't have happened, though he might still have been sent to prison for all that gold he seems to have stolen.