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Lewis Bennett pleads not guilty to transporting stolen coins

Posted at 12:51 PM, Sep 26, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-27 06:56:22-04

The husband of a Delray Beach woman who went missing at sea pleaded not guilty to a federal charge accusing him of transporting stolen coins valued at $5,000 or more. 

Lewis Bennett appeared in federal court in Broward County for his arraignment Tuesday morning. He was escorted by U.S. marshals. 

Bennett is currently in custody at the Broward County Jail after Monroe County inmates were relocated due to Hurricane Irma.

His trial is set for Dec. 11 in Key West.

If convicted, the max prison sentence for the charge is 10 years.

Bennett’s wife, Isabella Hellmann, vanished from Bennett's boat in the Florida Straits in May during a trip from St. Maarten to Key West.  

Bennett says he felt the boat hit something, and he was jolted out of bed around 1 a.m. When he looked for Isabella, she was gone.