Florida Retirees Face Trial Over Gold From 1746 Shipwreck

A Florida couple in their 80s are now facing trial in France over gold bars looted from the wreck of an 18th-century French ship. The strange saga of Eleonor "Gay" Courter and her husband, Philip, 82, has captured attention on both sides of the Atlantic. And this week, French prosecutors asked that the Courters be tried along with two others in the convoluted case, reports AFP. Prosecutors expect a trial to start in the fall of 2026.

The Courters are accused of selling the gold online on behalf of a French diver, Yves Gladu, who investigators say illegally retrieved the bars decades ago from the shipwreck off the coast of Brittany. The ship was the Prince de Conty, which sank in 1746. The Courters' trouble began when French authorities noticed gold ingots from the vessel being sold through a US auction site and worked with American officials to seize and return them to France.

The Florida retirees admit their attempt to sell the bars—which were given to them years ago by a French couple related to Gladu—but say they thought everything was above-board. Their lawyer says they were unaware of the legal complexities involved, noting that US and French regulations on gold differ. (An appearance on Antiques Roadshow was key to investigators' case.)