The oceans around Florida are home to sunken treasures that date back centuries.
Recovering these relics from the ocean floor is just the beginning.
And Florida went to hell and back to recover this ancient treasure from a shipwreck.
Gold coins stolen from a Spanish treasure ship off the Florida coast
In the year 1715, 11 Spanish galleons filled with treasures from the New World bound for Europe like gold, silver, and jewels sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean after a hurricane.
These sunken Spanish ships known as the 1715 Treasure Fleet are in the ocean off Sebastian, Florida.
Treasure hunters have been trying to recover relics from this fleet for decades.
In 2015, the Schmitt family was hired by 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels, LLC to serve as contract salvage operators to search the 1715 Fleet.
1715 Fleet Queens Jewels LLC owner Sal Guttuso was named custodian of the 1715 Fleet by a federal court and given salvage rights to it.
The Schmitt’s found 101 gold coins in the sunken Spanish galleons.
In all, 51 of the gold coins were properly accounted for and their ownership was adjudicated.
But 50 of them were not reported and were stolen by the Schmitt’s.
The stolen coins were minted in Peru between 1697 and 1712 with gold the Spanish conquistadors received from the Inca Empire.
1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels noticed the coins were missing and the FBI and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission launched an investigation.
Florida recovers gold coins that were stolen from a Spanish shipwreck
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced that they had recovered 37 of the stolen gold coins from the 1715 Fleet worth more than $1 million.
One coin known as the “Holy Grail coin” was accidentally minted with a silver coin press.
Authorities reclaimed the coin after it was sold at auction for $50,000.
“The recovery marks a major milestone in a long-standing investigation into the theft and illegal trafficking of these priceless historical artifacts,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission said in a statement.
Eric Schmitt, a member of the Schmitt family contracted by 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels, was connected to the sale of stolen gold coins in 2023 and 2024.
The stolen coins were found at homes, safety deposit boxes, and at auctions.
“Five stolen coins were reclaimed from a Florida-based auctioneer, who unknowingly purchased them from Eric Schmitt,” authorities said. “Advanced digital forensics identified metadata and geolocation data linking Eric Schmitt to a photograph of the stolen coins taken at the Schmitt family condominium in Fort Pierce. It was also discovered that Eric Schmitt took three of the stolen gold coins and placed them on the ocean floor in 2016 to be found by the new investors.”
There are 13 of the gold coins still missing and believed to have been sold by the Schmitt’s.
“This case underscores the importance of safeguarding Florida’s rich cultural heritage and holding accountable those who seek to profit from its exploitation,” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigator Camille Soverel said.
Eric Schmitt faces charges for selling stolen property.
There is still a vast Spanish fortune in the ocean that people are willing to steal and cheat to get.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this story.
