Husband of missing woman to change plea in stolen coins case

The husband of a Delray Beach woman who has been missing at sea since their belated honeymoon sailing trip last May is expected to plead guilty to transporting stolen coins.

Lewis Bennett, 40, is scheduled to change his plea at a Dec. 11 hearing in federal court in Miami, records show.

In September, he pleaded not guilty to one charge of transporting stolen gold and silver coins, which were discovered when the Coast Guard rescued Bennett from a life raft after the couple’s catamaran sank in the Bahamas.

The offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

It is not clear what Bennett will admit to when he changes his plea. His attorney, Marc Shiner, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Bennett is not facing any criminal charges regarding his wife’s disappearance at sea.

Bennett and Isabella Hellmann, 41, were sailing from Cuba to Florida when their 37-foot catamaran hit something on Mother’s Day, Bennett told investigators. He said he had been asleep below deck while she kept watch. He awoke to find Hellmann missing and the boat was taking on water, he said.

A four-day search for Hellmann found no trace of the real estate broker. The couple’s 1-year-old daughter, who was not on the trip, is living with Bennett’s family out of the country.

Bennett was rescued from a life raft with a backpack filled with some of the stolen coins.

The coins were traced to the Kitty R, a sailing vessel from the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. Bennett, who holds dual citizenship from Australia and Britain, was a crew member on the Kitty R when the coins were reported stolen. He said the boat was burglarized when he and the owner were not on board.