TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Fee (FWC) recovered stolen gold cash from a 1700s shipwreck web site value over $1 million.
The artifacts have been found in 2015 by members of the Schmitt household, who have been working as contracted salvage operators for 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels, LLC. The 1715 Fleet Shipwrecks occurred when a hurricane struck the Spanish ships off Florida’s coast.
101 cash have been discovered on the shipwreck websites, however 50 cash weren’t disclosed to the correct authorities and have been stolen. FWC and the FBI launched an investigation after new proof surfaced in June.
Investigators linked a member of the Schmitt household, Eric Schmitt, to the stolen cash. FWC mentioned Schmitt bought the cash illegally between 2023 and 2024. He was additionally linked to a photograph of the stolen cash taken on the household’s condominium in Fort Pierce.
“It was additionally found that Eric Schmitt took three of the stolen gold cash and positioned them on the ocean flooring in 2016 to be discovered by the brand new buyers of 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels, LLC,” a FWC information launch said.
37 stolen cash have been recovered from properties, protected deposit packing containers and auctions. They have been returned to their rightful custodians. This leaves 13 cash nonetheless unaccounted for.
“FWC investigators are dedicated to recovering the remaining 13 stolen cash and bringing these concerned of their unlawful sale to justice,” the information launch mentioned.
Floridians can report conservation and cultural useful resource violations to the FWC by downloading the “FWC Wildlife Alert” app, texting 847411 (Tip411) with the key phrase “FWC” and details about the violation, calling the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922) or submitting a tip on-line at MyFWC.com/WildlifeAlert.
