ORLANDO, Fla. – Part of a trove of gold coins stolen from a fleet of Spanish shipwrecks off the Florida coast has been recovered, and one of the family members who originally recovered the treasure is facing charges.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Tuesday it had recovered 37 gold coins from the 1715 fleet, valued at over $1 million.
Recommended Videos
The 1715 fleet is a group of 11 Spanish treasure ships that were lost in a hurricane in 1715. A ship in the fleet was discovered off the coast of Fort Pierce in 1928. Over the ensuing decades, salvagers have excavated the wrecks and found gold, silver and precious gems.
Investigators say the coins were part of a trove of 101 coins discovered in 2015 by the Schmitt family of Sanford. However, only 51 coins were correctly reported, while another 50 were not disclosed.
The FWC said new evidence came out last June, and working with the FBI, they were able to link the illegal sale of several of the stolen coins to Eric Schmitt, between 2023 and 2024.
Coins were recovered from private collections and at auctions, and historical preservation experts were able to authenticate the coins. Thirteen coins, however, are still missing.
Schmitt, meanwhile, is facing charges of dealing in stolen property.
The recovered coins have been returned to their rightful custodians, according to investigators, which is required by state and federal law.
Currently, 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels LLC owns the salvage rights to the shipwreck. According to a Federal Admiralty lease, Florida gets up to 20% of artifacts found during each salvage season, to be exhibited in museums.
You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below: