A piece of the 4.5 pound 17th century gold bar stolen from a Key West museum in 2010 has been recovered.
The case is scheduled for trial May 14 at U.S. District Court in Key West.
In pre-trial motions, prosecutors refer to a “portion” of the bar valued at $550,000 that has been recovered but provide no details.
Corey Malcom, an archaeologist at Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum for 30 years, will testify to the authenticity of the gold bar, which was part of the Spanish empire and found by Fisher’s team in 1980 at the Santa Margarita, which sank off the Florida Keys in 1622.
“Mr. Malcom will testify that he examined a portion of the stolen gold bar that was recovered by law enforcement, and he was able to determine how the portion was severed from the gold bar and which portion of the original bar the recovered portion comprises,” reads a motion by federal prosecutors.
On trial is Jarred Goldman, who has been out on bond and living with his family in South Florida.
His co-defendant, Richard Steven Johnson of Rio Linda, struck a deal April 27 with prosecutors to cooperate with them in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Johnson stole the bar, breaking through a display case, while Goldman acted as a lookout, according to the indictment. The two men had driven from West Palm Beach to Key West and then drove back after the alleged theft.
Both face up to 15 years in prison. Johnson will be sentenced after Goldman’s trial.
