UNITED STATES — A celebrated American novelist and her husband are at the center of an international legal drama after French prosecutors requested a trial over their alleged role in selling gold looted from an 18th-century shipwreck off the coast of France.
Eleonor “Gay” Courter, 80, and her 82-year-old husband Philip Courter face potential charges for assisting in the illegal sale of gold bars plundered from the Prince de Conty, a French trading ship that sank in 1746. The vessel had been transporting Asian goods when it was lost in a storm near Brittany. Only 45 of the 229 men on board survived, according to France’s Ministry of Culture.
A Shipwreck Shrouded in Mystery and Theft
The wreck of the Prince de Conty was discovered in 1974 near Belle-Île-en-Mer. But looting began shortly after, when a gold ingot was found during a survey in 1975. Official excavations ended after a 1985 storm scattered much of the wreckage.
In the 1980s, French archaeologists recovered fragments of Chinese porcelain, tea crates, and three gold bars, but many more gold ingots disappeared. The full extent of the looting remained hidden until U.S. authorities were alerted in 2018 when five suspicious gold ingots appeared in a U.S. auction.
How the Courters Became Involved
French underwater archaeology official Michel L’Hour suspected the gold came from the Prince de Conty and alerted American officials. Homeland Security investigators intervened and eventually traced the seller to Gay Courter, a Florida-based author and filmmaker.
Courter claimed she had received the gold from friends Annette May Pesty and her late partner Gerard. Pesty once claimed on the show Antiques Roadshow in 1999 that she found the gold while diving off Cape Verde — a story investigators deemed implausible.
The investigation then pointed to Yves Gladu, a 77-year-old underwater photographer and Pesty’s brother-in-law, who eventually confessed to retrieving 16 gold bars from the wreck during nearly 40 dives between 1976 and 1999. He claimed to have sold them all in 2006 to a retired Swiss military member — but denied ever giving any to the Courters.
Prosecutors Claim They Sold Over $190K in Gold
Despite Gladu’s denials, French prosecutors allege the Courters were in possession of at least 23 gold bars and sold 18 of them for more than $192,000, including via eBay.
The couple’s attorney Gregory Levy insists they did not knowingly commit a crime. “The Courters accepted because they are profoundly nice people. They didn’t see the harm,” Levy said, noting that U.S. regulations on gold are different from those in France. He also claimed the couple never profited from the sales and believed the money would go to Gladu.
Trial Likely in 2026
The couple, who were detained in the United Kingdom in 2022 and later placed under house arrest, are now among four people recommended for prosecution by a court in Brest, France. An investigating magistrate has yet to formally approve the trial, but prosecutors expect proceedings to begin in autumn 2026.
In addition to the Courters, both Annette May Pesty and Yves Gladu could face charges.
Gay Courter, a published author of both fiction and nonfiction, is known for nautical-themed books. One of her more recent works recounted her experience trapped aboard a cruise ship off the Japanese coast during a 2020 COVID-19 quarantine.
International Focus on Cultural Theft
The French government has emphasized the historical significance of the artifacts involved. U.S. Homeland Security official Steve Francis said during the 2022 restitution of the ingots:
“These objects tell the history of France, its commerce, and its people… HSI is proud to have played a role in ensuring these artifacts continue to be part of France’s history.”
Have thoughts about stolen antiquities and international law? Share your view with us at ChicagoSuburbanFamily.com — where we highlight the legal stories shaping history.
