Crime Stoppers tip leads to gold bar theft convictions

Authorities are crediting Crime Stoppers for a valuable tip that led them to make two arrests in the 2010 theft a 17-century gold bar from a museum in Key West.

Jarred Alexander Goldman of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and Richard Steven Johnson of Rio Linda, California, have both subsequently been convicted in federal court in the theft and await sentencing on July 23 in Key West . In 2015, a Crime Stoppers tipster identified Goldman from video surveillance footage.

The case had cooled substantially prior to that tip. When the Sheriff’s Office received the tip it notified the FBI. That led the FBI to both men and it shows how valuable a resource Crime Stoppers can be in solving crimes, said Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Nancy Alvarez, an intelligence officer for the agency.

“This case reflects how vital our partnership with the public is when solving difficult cases and it also speaks to how Crime Stoppers often plays a vital role in facilitating those partnerships,” Alvarez said.

The 75-ounce gold bar of gold was famously recovered from the 1622 wreck of a Spanish galleon the Santa Margarita by storied treasure salvor Me Fisher and his crew of divers west of Key West. The bar was estimated to be worth $556,000 before it was stolen from the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in 2010. Only small parts of the bar have subsequently been recovered.

Anyone with information about crimes can report them while also remaining in anonymous by contacting ForidaKeysCrimeStoppers.com. If a Crime Stoppers tip leads to an arrest, the caller may be eligible for a cash reward. The Crime Stoppers hot line number is 1-866-471-8477. Tips can also be made via the smartphone app P3 Phone app or via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, by using: @CrimeStoppers305

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