Some of the biggest numbers remaining on the Loomis collection board, as is the case with Campbell, belong to those who played the biggest role in the crime: David Ghantt, the Loomis employee who loaded all that money 2,800 pounds in all into the back of a company van before escaping to Mexico, has paid just under $50,000 of the $3.81 million he was assessed. Two days later, when the FBI found the Loomis Fargo armored van, they discovered almost $3.3 million in cash left in the back of the van; it was later discovered that the thieves had miscalculated the sheer bulk of the small denomination currency, and that they simply left the cash that they could not take with them in the back of the van. Ghantt was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison. [citation needed], The defendants were the targets of many barbed jokes in Charlotte and across the country, in part because of their extravagant spending. The last time he called me, he said, Hey Ghantt, I just saw a big Loomis Fargo truck. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. Heres your money. Then he turns around and leaves., The problem was, it was nowhere near the amount Ghantt had expected: Im looking at it, and theres maybe $8,000. They planned to kill a man named David Ghantt, the guy who had made their extravagant new lifestyle a reality. I was working all the time and unhappy I felt cornered and one day the joking in the break room about robbing the place suddenly didnt seem so far-fetched.. I really enjoyed the little scuba diving trip. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. After this look at David Ghantt and the Loomis Fargo heist, read about a more successful robbery, the Antwerp diamond heist. Campbell was another employee at Loomis Fargo and she and Ghantt quickly struck up a relationship, one that Campbell denies was ever romantic though FBI evidence says otherwise, and one that continued after she left the company. Loomis Fargo employees could not open the vault the next morning and called the police. On the evening of October 4, 1997, one man loaded $17.3 million in cash from the vaults of Loomis, Fargo & Co. into the back of a van. Chambers, it turned out, became the biggest source of evidence for the FBI. When he finished, the van was filled with $17 million. These days, the 52-year-old husband and father lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where he works at a heavy equipment rental agency. Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bubbling under the surface, however, was a deep frustration at the way he was treated. WebPerry identified the other six people arrested as Steve and Michelle Chambers; Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis employee; Michael L. McKinney; Thomas Nathan Grant; I knew that if I did something like that, I would take a huge amount of money, Ghantt said of the brash robbery on an upcoming episode of CNBCs Super Heists, airing Monday at 10 p.m. Ghantt, a U.S. Army veteran, was living a relatively boring life working as the vault superintendent at a Loomis Fargo armored car warehouse just outside Charlotte, North Carolina making a relatively meager paycheck, when he crossed paths with Kelly Campbell. Websacramento drug bust; montage los cabos wedding cost. Going south, nobody really looks at what youre shipping. He comes to my door, and hes got a brown paper bag in his hand. It was an open-and-shut case and all authorities had to do now was to find the culprit and identify Ghantts accomplices. The next day, the Chambers, Campbell and other members of the ring were arrested. They picked me, he says with a rueful tone. Of course, I went on a spending spree. Dont worry, its not drug money.. kellis@gastongazette.com View Comments 0:03 1:14 On Oct. 4, 1997, former Kings Mountain resident David Scott Ghantt finished his shift as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo in Charlotte. They had initially agreed to control their spending for a year or two, in the belief that the government would vigorously track the spending habits of any and all suspects for at least a year before relenting. It happened on October 4, a Saturday. Something was going on in Cramerton, the multiple callers said. So much so that one suspicious neighbor called the FBI. At the time of the real robbery, Chambers was facing criminal charges hed written 30K worth of bad checks and was facing jail time for it. To find out more about how the thieves got caught and how long they landed behind bars, tune in the Super Heists on CNBC on Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. They loaded the wine cellar with Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Steve hung a velvet portrait of Elvis Presley in the basement. We got to the end of the day, and he was acting like he wanted to linger. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The Latest Innovations That Are Driving The Vehicle Industry Forward, More than $100 million of property stolen, Diamonds, gold, silver and other type of jewelry. Either way, intothe picture walks Steve Chambers and a group of friends that would set the plan in motion. Ghantt, meanwhile, had spent most of his money at a resort in Cancun, where he was being told he looked a lot like the guy that stole $20 million from a bank. Husband and wife Steven and Michelle Chambers, whose conspicuous consumption of a luxury home, a BMW convertible, breast implants and a $600 wooden Indian, among other purchases, helped the FBI solve the crime, were assessed $3.81 million and $4.8 million, respectively. I was expecting her to kick me out of the house., Years later, after they married and had a child together, they watched a movie based on the whole ordeal. Instead, the bandits just started throwing as much money as they could into the van until they couldnt fit anymore. But as soon as he drove off, I went right back in and opened the vault. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. Just days after agreeing to the plan, the group set a day to carry out the robbery. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars-worth of temptation. cheap beachfront property for sale in italy. the Loomis Fargo heist Called Masterminds, the 2016 film stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson. Eventually, Ghantt called in from Mexico, seeking more money, and the FBI officially recognized Chambers as a co-conspirator. I felt cornered and one day the joking in the break room about robbing the place suddenly didnt seem so far-fetched.. I was just going to get the money into the van. We were two paychecks away from being homeless at any given time.. Fed up, exhausted, and seeing a way out, Ghantt agreed. On similar grounds, four other people were ultimately also charged with money laundering. And so, he told her, Google my name. Its kind of like that. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and All of the defendants except for one pleaded guilty and accepted their sentences. In hindsight, it doesnt surprise me a bit, Ghantt says, a bitter laugh catching in his throat. Then Michele made a trip to the bank. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females. They also bought a BMW Z3 with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 cigar store Indian. One day, the two employees were in the break room and got to talking about the news of the day a massive bank heist that just occurred in Florida by someone at their company. WebThis real-life . But first they wanted to know if it was a robbery or a robbery-homicide. ];David Scott Ghanntt [Misc.] You can garnish wages. I didnt even have a real home life because I was never there. Hello, federal suspicious activity report. Retro CharlotteFBI security footage of David Ghantt in the midst of the Loomis Fargo heist. On Oct. 4, Ghantt sent home the employee he was training and disabled two security cameras near the vault in preparation for the heist. From going fishing to riding horses on the beach the whole nine yards. Ghantt was missing and no one, not even his wife, knew where he was. Theres no management around. They left behind the cash they couldnt fit in their cars. Did you know that the SAT offers subject exams, too? Thatd probably been the best thing for me to do, really. He didnt even really question me. I was working sometimes 75-80 hours a week at $8.15 an hour. After his release, Ghantt took a job as a construction worker and was eventually brought on as a consultant for the 2016 movie Masterminds, based on the Loomis Fargo Heist. Chambers, his wife, and several of their accomplices were arrested the next day. Items included a velvet Elvis painting, 1998 BMW, 17-foot motorboat and Harley Davidson. In 2020, the television show Super Heists portrayed the heist in Episode 3, "Van Full of Dollars". Chambers also promised to join Ghantt in Mexico as soon as she could, but she admitted to Super Heists she never had any intention of actually making the trip. After meeting up with Chambers, Campbell, and some other co-conspirators, Ghantt hightailed it to Mexico with $50,000 in cash in his car. Ill never pay it off on my paycheck, Ghantt said. I knew that the news wouldnt break until later that morning. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. "Wells Fargo and Loomis forming armored car company", Learn how and when to remove this template message, painting of Elvis Presley on black velvet, "FindACase | United States of America v. Steven Eugene Chambers", "The Unperfect Crime | New Dominion Pictures", "Sunday Evening/Late Night September 9, 2001", "Loomis Fargo heist: Q&A with guy who stole $17 million", "MASTERMINDS - Movie Production NotesCinemaReview.com", Ghantt and other gang members arrested in March 1998, Steven Chambers released from prison; announces he is a "retired criminal", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=October_1997_Loomis_Fargo_robbery&oldid=1132065054, Articles with dead external links from February 2020, Articles needing additional references from October 2019, All articles needing additional references, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from February 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2020, Articles with dead external links from July 2022, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Overcoming the mindset that led to the part David Ghantt played in the Loomis robbery and how he started on a new path was the subject of the book, Within days of the robbery, the case was depicted on the television criminal reporting show, An expanded two-hour special episode of the crime documentary series. Michelle, meanwhile, purchased new breasts for herself, along with a $43,000 diamond ring and a new convertible BMW Z3. Ghantt has never explained where that money went. That suspicion was immediately confirmed by a quick glance at the security camera footage that showed Ghantt doing a little dance after loading all the cash into the van. Officials suspected that the extravagant purchases stemmed from the fact that all involved got far more money than they anticipated and literally didnt know how to spend or get rid of it, which is perhaps backed up by the fact that Chambers wife once walked into a Belmont Wachovia with $200,000 in a briefcase wanting to know how much she could deposit without the bank reporting it to officials. In total, 24 people were convicted and all but one of the The platform is designed to engage citizens and government leaders in a discussion about what needs improvement across the country. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. Hes very articulate. From there, the money was moved from the company vehicle to private vehicles. Is the movie Masterminds based on a true story? And thats OK with Ghantt, whos just a few weeks shy of his 47th birthday, out of federal prison for more than a decade, married with a 9-year-old daughter and happy. The The conversations werent made up of much more than daydreams that took the vague shape of plansuntilCampbell mentioned that she had a high school friend with connections that could actually get it done. But before thehit could be carried out, the FBI swooped in and arrested Ghantt and the others. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such as scuba diving and parasailing. But I thought this is me being hard-headed Im going to ride this thing to the ground. And so thats what I did.. Learning about US history? And I knew that by that time, Id be in Cancun no matter what. After his release, Ghantt took a job as a construction worker and was eventually brought on as a consultant for the 2016 movie Masterminds, based on the Loomis Fargo Heist. The Chambers, however, didnt fit in with the other members of the gated community. To make a successful getaway, Ghantt had to lift nearly 2,800 pounds of currency. Until, that is, he decided to hell with it he was going to pull-off the second largest heist in U.S. history. speedway of nations manchester 2021. rossignol skis experience 88 I hear her typing. Back in North Carolina, Ghantts former accomplices were living high on the hog. It affects everybody different. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. I mean, cause greed is a funny animal. I loved it. A comedy film called Masterminds, based on the Loomis Fargo heist and starring Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, and Jason Sudeikis, was released in 2016. While she made small deposits at first, she became more reckless, eventually making a deposit of thousands of dollars in cash, telling the teller not to worry: Its not drug money.. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. Webbird adoption adelaide real life kelly campbell loomis fargo. And Ghantt hadnt really thought about the physical challenge of moving such a large sum of money. Steve bought a truck, a Rolex and a motorboat. Ridicule of those involved in what remains one of the largest cash thefts in U.S. history would soon begin. It was nearly the perfect crime, but while Ghantt fled to Mexico to lay low, his partners lavish spendingand their own alleged plans for murderwould ultimately be the groups demise. David Ghantt had been a model employee for an armored car company before pulling off the s The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. He made it across the border just as his deception was discovered. He and his wife, Michelle, moved from their mobile home in Lincoln County to a luxury house in the wealthy Cramer Mountain section of Cramerton. He was released in 2006. At that same time, Steve was growing sick of the calls to send more money to Ghantt, and was looking for a way to end that issue. David Ghantt was a technical consultant for the film, but due to outstanding court-ordered restitution for his part in the heist he was not paid. Or that it was an inheritance. The thieves had simply abandoned whatever they couldnt carry away. As the FBI listened in to Chambers calls, they discovered that he was also planning to have Ghantt assassinated, hoping to keep all the money for himself. WebThis real-life . He was like OK, yeah, we can do that, she recalled. Then, keeping with the plan, Ghantt took $50,000 (the maximum that could by law be taken across the border without further authorization) with him and left for Mexico, winding up at the popular Yucatan Peninsula resort-island of Cozumel. Basically, he needed a score to make his problems go away. On September 12, 1997, six men robbed the Dunbar Armored facility on Mateo St. in Downtown Los Angeles, California of US$18.9 million (equivalent to $30.5 million in 2020). But as Ghantt admitted, the film took some liberties with specific details and characters to make the film funnier. On October 6, they found the van with everything that Chambers had left behind, including Ghanttsgun and a clear picture of his face on video, which was identified by supervisors. [citation needed], It was later confirmed by the FBI that more than 88% of the stolen cash had been located or otherwise accounted for. 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