By Tim Binnall
A pair of Pennsylvania treasure hunters locked in a contentious legal battle with the federal government are reportedly suing the Justice Department for documents concerning a mysterious dig for a horde of lost Civil War gold. The long-running dispute began back in March of 2018 when the FBI searched a Pennsylvania state forest for a massive cache of gold bars that had vanished during the Civil War. Dennis Parada and his son Ken contend that they led the authorities to the spot after spending years studying the case and ultimately determining the location where they believe the pilfered riches had been hidden. The excavation was shrouded in secrecy and the FBI ultimately claimed that nothing was found, leading to a clash with the treasure hunters, who aren't buying the official story.
Over the course of the next three years, the Paradas sued various state and federal agencies in the hopes of acquiring insights into how the dig unfolded and, more importantly, what was really found during the excavation. While their efforts have so far managed to confirm that the FBI was, indeed, looking for the Civil War gold, which they had been reticent to reveal, the treasure hunters say that they have been stymied by shenanigans from the Justice Department when it comes to obtaining answers regarding the true outcome of the dig.
Specifically, the Paradas say that they were first told that there were no FBI files on the case. A second archival search was subsequently ordered by the Justice Department and the pair were informed that a staggering 2,400 pages of materials and 17 videos pertaining to the excavation had been found, however it would take years to process all of the files for public release. As one might imagine, this proved to be both a tantalizing and maddening revelation to the treasure hunters, who filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department this week in an attempt to force them to hand over their records from the dig.
This latest development is almost certainly not the last salvo in the war between the Paradas and the federal government over the 2018 excavation in Pennsylvania. To that end, the treasure hunters have understandably been left to wonder why the FBI is so tight-lipped about the dig if it really yielded nothing and, in turn, if their reluctance to reveal information about the case is actually an indication that the gold bars were found and their recovery has been inexplicably kept secret. Unfortunately, it may take several more rounds through the legal system before these questions are answered and we find out whether the Civil War treasure is still hidden somewhere in a Pennsylvania forest or if it now rests in a vault belonging to the federal government.