WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) – The FBI has arrested a man for the theft of gold and silver coins that belonged to his wife who went missing at sea during their belated honeymoon.
The FBI arrested Lewis Bennett Monday in West Palm Beach. He now faces several charges related to the theft of those coins that officials said belong to his still missing wife, Isabella Hellmann.
The couple was out at sea in May when Hellmann somehow fell overboard from their catamaran in the Bahamas and was never found.
Bennett claimed that there was a thump on the boat and that Hellmann fell overboard, but he managed to save himself.
Coast Guard officials searched for Hellmann but found nothing.
Bennett reportedly asked the Coast Guard to write a letter that stated Hellmann was presumed dead, but according to state law, she has to be missing for at least five years before the state can legally presume her as dead.
In the meantime, a court battle has been going on between Bennett and Hellmann’s family.
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