'The Curse Of Oak Island' Season 8: What is Lagina brothers' net worth? Here's how much they spent on the island
Oak Island has been the center of the most intense treasure hunt for the last 200 years. Historians, scholars and treasure hunters have scoured the island thoroughly in the hope of finding the elusive treasure that was said to be hidden by either pirates, the Spanish or even the French from back in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Even though no treasure has been found, a whole lot of other peculiar objects have been unearthed by the Lagina brothers who took on the operation a couple of years ago, including a lead cross that is strongly speculated to be from the Knight's Templar days, a few strange coins, along with pickaxes, and well, most recently, an oxen foot.
Rick and Marty Lagina have spent almost a decade scouring the island and their work has been carefully documented by History Channel's documentary 'The Curse Of Oak Island'. Each year, the brothers return with expensive equipment to dig up the swamp or certain spots on the island, in order to answer the questions that have been plaguing scholars for years.
How did they make their money?
Rick and Marty Lagina purchased a 50 percent stake of Oak Island Tours Inc, the company that owns the island, with Oak Island resident Dan Blankenship retaining the other 50%. However, before the hunt at Oak Island began, Marty and Rick had two different careers. Marty was working for the Amoco Production Company, a major oil firm. Later, he went on to found his own company, Terra Energy Ltd, which emerged as a pioneer in natural gas extraction.
Soon, the company became one of the biggest gas operators in Michigan State, according to History.co.uk. Marty sold the company at around 60 million in 1996, and purchased shares of Chartwell Properties LLC, making him the main shareholder. He also utilized the profits to start a new company in 2004 called Heritage Sustainable, a clean energy provider. In early 2000s, he set up a company that focussed on wine production.
Not much is known about Rick as he prefers to keep his life private.
What is their net worth?
While it is difficult to put a finger on the exact net worth of the Lagina brothers, several online sources estimate Rick's worth at around $2 million (£1.6 million), most of which has been earned since 'The Curse of Oak Island' began back in 2014. Before the show began, Marty was estimated to have a net worth of around $40-$60 million (£32-47 million). However, after the glowing success of the show, his net worth is now estimated to be as much as $100 million (£79 million).
How much have they spent on the island?
It's hard to actually know the exact amount since how much Rick and Marty paid to Oak Island tours has not been disclosed. However, estimates have been made. They were granted their treasure trove license back in 2010, and since then, they've spent eight summers on the island, bringing in heavy and expensive equipment, each year. They've also brought in experts who are not exactly affordable either. These drilling digs are worth hundreds and thousands of dollars, if not millions.
'The Curse Of Oak Island' airs on History Channel on Tuesdays at 9 pm.