When photos, maps and assorted documents are ordered to be released by a court, it could be interesting. It's intriguing! Such is the case with revelations of an FBI search for civil war gold. And a treasure hunter believes there has been a cover-up.
Dennis Parada is the suer. In Dents Run, Pennsylvania local legend claims gold disappeared on the way to the Philadelphia mint. An 1863 alleged shipment disappeared an it doesn't take much gold to spark the lore. The FBI, suspecting there were tons of gold buried, began a dig. They claim nothing was found. Modifying evidence and withholding records are claims Parada makes. The FBI says it handled the material properly.
The court is weighing the issues while the FBI wants all to be secret. At the heart of the matter is a finder's fee that Parada feels cheated of. His would be a percentage of hundreds of millions of dollars in gold. The FBI is mum claiming ongoing litigation.
Whether a U.S. Army detachment lost gold in the Pennsylvania wilderness, is up to debate. Was it a Confederate ambush ? For years, folks have hunted for the questionable treasure.
After years of searching, Parada and his son led the FBI to a remote wooded site. The site, 135 miles from Pittsburgh, is claimed to have been detected by instrumentation. That instrumentation revealed a large amount of gold estimated at 7 - 9 tons. Possible content also included silver.
An FBi agent validated Parada's assertion of the existence of gold. He concluded that only a dig would settle the mysterious situation.
Neighbors, hearing supposedly jackhammers and a backhoe, add to Parada's theory that the FBI spent one hour digging up the horde and spirited it away at night. The FBI denies it all.
Part of the "evidence" of an FBI heist includes a photo taken 1 hour after a big squall. That photo does not show any snow on some rocks. Another photo shows snowcapped rocks up to 15 hours after the squall. These are things that have given Parada his doubts about FBI claims of non-involvement in cover-up.
The consulting firm hired by the FBI for assessing the possibility of gold gave a report on its findings, but the version given to the treasure hunters seems missing some pages. No trave or expense invoices were presented.
The government wants the case closed, while the U.S. Justice Department hasn't addressed claims of a cover-up. It appears that Parada intends to carry on. He and his son wait for a judge's ruling.
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