A treasure hunter accused of cheating his investors out of their share of one of the richest hauls in U.S. history—$50 million in gold bars and coins from a 19th-century shipwreck—was captured at an upscale Florida hotel after more than two years on the lam. The U.S. Marshals Service called Tommy Thompson ''one of the most intelligent fugitives ever sought'' by the agency and said he relied on cash and employed other means to stay under the radar.

Thompson, 62, made history in 1988 when he discovered the sunken SS Central America, also known as the Ship of Gold. The side-wheel steamer went down in a hurricane about 200 miles off South Carolina in 1857; 425 people drowned and tons of gold from the California Gold Rush was lost.

In a modern-day technological feat, Thompson and his crew brought up thousands of bars and coins, much of the haul later sold to a gold-marketing group in 2000 for about $50 million. The 161 investors who paid Thompson $12.7 million to find the ship never saw the proceeds. Thompson was arrested along with his longtime companion, Alison Antekeier. The pair had been paying cash for the hotel room, rented under a fake name, marshals said. The hotel is in an upscale suburban area surrounded by golf courses and country clubs.

Possible Preaching Angle: Evangelism; Witnessing—Christians have discovered the greatest treasure of all time. Are we sharing the Good News or keeping it all to ourselves? (1 Cor. 15:34)