];Kelly Jane Campbell [Misc. David Ghantt And The Loomis Fargo Heist: The Outrageous True Story "I'm glad I've grown out of that.". You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-869-1823 or Twitter.com/TheGazetteKevin. The only person not to plead guilty in the case, former Gastonia attorney Jeff Guller, ended up doing eight years for money laundering. Ghantt didn't actually meet Chambers until the night of the heist, though, according to Diamant, who would go on to write a book about it.The . The first weekday after the heist, Michele Chambers, co-conspirator Steve's wife, walked into a NationsBank branch with a briefcase containing $5,000. "He showed me a lot of money," McKinney said. The van door opened. The Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery was the $17.3 million cash robbery of the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis Fargo & Company on the evening of October 4, 1997, by armored car driver and vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt. And youre like, Come on parachute. In the meantime, the FBI was closing in looking to bust a total of 21 suspected accomplices. Then Steve pushed Scott inside, and he began throwing plastic-wrapped bundles of tens, twenties, fifties and hundreds to Eric and Steve, who placed them in three blue 55-gallon barrels. Its everything thats coming north.. This story was originally published October 3, 2016, 9:12 PM. In Florida, a Loomis Fargo employee had pulled a gun on his coworkers and gotten away with $18 million, a move that FBI agents theorize Ghantt, Campbell and other employees all sat around talking about - and what they would do with that amount of money - for a while. Just under $14 million sat in an outbuilding behind his home, inside blue steel barrels. shaka wear graphic tees is candy digital publicly traded ellen lawson wife of ted lawson real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist 25 Feb/23 (No Ratings Yet) And when everybody else voted to kill me, she voted with them, he explains. David trusted her. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist - hankyboy.com Kelly was lying. She declined to take a lie-detector test. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) The Associated Press, BY MICHAEL GORDON, The Charlotte Observer. This time, David told McKinney the truth. shes now Miss USA. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. Theres some things I want to do., Ghantt planned on traveling from Mexico to the Cayman Islands, bypassing customs along the way. They Had 17 Million Dollars and No Sense at All - AMW Magazine Then another. When Chambers and the two Erics were done loading the stolen millions into barrels, they abandoned the van in the woods. Thatd probably been the best thing for me to do, really. "I said, 'I don't want him killed.' She never really worried about the moral end of it--she was focused only on getting what she wanted out of life, what so many others seemed to have in this booming part of the South. On Feb. 27, agents listened in on a call from David to Kelly and learned David's location in Mexico. One number is working in Campbells favor. Once in a lifetime, Murdaugh verdict sends a Lowcountry message: No one is above the law | Opinion, Charlotte Waffle House found with live roach, unclean equipment during health inspection. Then FBI agent Wydra watched Steve's wife, Michele, deposit about $8,000 at a Gaston County, N.C., bank. They decorated their 6,000-square-foot stucco house with antiques, paintings and statues, including a six-foot wooden Indian that Michele had bought for $600. My love for my family is by far the most important thing in my life. Hidden in it was a 3 1/2-carat diamond ring that cost $43,000. But first they wanted to know if it was a robbery or a robbery-homicide. Kelly relayed his message to Steve. He would pay McKinney $250,000, half upfront. He and his wife, Tammy, lived in a mobile home in Kings Mountain, N.C. Money was always tight. I'll never pay it off on my paycheck." From Mexico, David usually spoke with Kelly on the phone once a week, paying with calling cards. Steve had another conversation with Kelly about killing David. Thomas Grant, who served three years in prison for bank larceny, paid off restitution of $70,000; brother Eric Grant paid all of his $26,000; as did David Craig, $40,000; and Dennis and Sandra Floyd; $27,000. Ghantt:I don't think he ever really meant to harm me. When he walked onto the plane, he was wearing big, tall cowboy boots, where hed stuffed a majority of the smuggled cash. When he finished, the van was filled with $17 million. Thats one of my personality flaws. That was pretty awesome., It felt like a dream vacation until he started running out of money. How Did David Ghantt, Kelly Campbell, Steve Chambers Steal More Than He partied, met women, drank, skied and hung out at the beach. The pager entry was 1-4-3. You can seize property. Scott Grant and Steve pulled up next to her in a Mazda. No dry runs, no rehearsals. From going fishing to riding horses on the beach the whole nine yards. . Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. To protect themselves, David and Steve didn't meet or talk. October was "a blast," he said. How Bridgerton restarted buzz about her ancestry. His new life in Mexico had begun. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. Although David was in on most of the planning, one discussion between Steve and Kelly was kept a secret. I knew I was going to be the prime suspect. So I guess I have no regrets. Figure in Loomis Heist Gets Prison | AP News Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward after the theft. Question: Should people go see this movie? In real life: True. Masterminds (2016 film) - Wikipedia I was just going to get the money into the van. By March, Steve Chambers decided he needed to do something more drastic about Ghantt, making plans to send a hitman to Mexico to silence him for good. Steve now needed a hit man. He didn't want to abandon his parents. 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. Note: No quotes were altered, although in some cases additional quotes were added to the questions as Ghantt expanded on his thoughts. ". And I knew that by that time, Id be in Cancun no matter what. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. I think I always knew that, but lost my way for a while.". Eric Payne got out of prison in 2006 for his role in the heist and has since paid $11,357 on his $292,000 debt. Chambers did hire McKinney to kill Ghantt, but initially McKinney was making personal cash deliveries to Ghantt in Mexico on behalf of Chambers. One day, Campbell was speaking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. The best states in the U.S. come from coast to coast. As for his new wife, when the two just started dating, he was nervous about letting her know about his past, but he wanted to be honest. Down in Jacksonville, a Loomis Fargo employee took $18 million from an armored van he was driving. Starting Pay Rate: $15.50 per hour Shift: Monday - Friday from 1:00pm to 9:00pm Job Description As a Coin Processor, you work with your team to maintain inventory in our cash vaults for our Loomis customers. When McKinney arrived in North Carolina, the plan had changed. She was devastated, Diamant said. Careers. I wanted to get as far away as I could. Mine did. I can take it.". But it didnt really hit me until later., On March 2nd, when the FBI agents walked up to Ghantt in Playa del Carmen and told him he was under arrest, Ghantt was relieved. . On his way out, he grabbed the surveillance video, hoping to cover his tracks. So he convinced a local hoodlum in Mexico to try to kill Ghantt. I did every touristy thing you could possibly do while I was down there. Yes, happy. They hatched the idea half-jokingly, over a game of Uno, never dreaming they were about to make Bonnie and Clyde look like bottom feeders. . It wasn't known whether anyone would receive it. When he was done, the man drove off to a nearby printing press, where the money was distributed into private vehicles amongst a handful of people. I'd probably change jobs. 'Masterminds' Review: Loomis Fargo Robbery Where Are They Now? - Pajiba He was doing what the rest of us were doing making bad decisions. When he landed in Cancun, his first stop was Walmart. 6-Year Sentence For Kelly Campbell | The Seattle Times As he and Kelly met in a field behind a shooting range to refine the plan, she allowed him to believe she was falling for him. Gaston County residents remember how that worked out. We need to set up some way for me to get my money. She said, We got it all worked out. By . "I was unhappy with my life. To say nothing of their art purchases like the aforementioned velvet Elvis portrait and a painting of a bulldog dressed as General George S. Patton. Or that hed gotten lucky gambling. In a word, "Teamwork. Fact check: Is there much truth to the new 'Masterminds' movie That October, the Chamberses' bank accounts ballooned. His assignment was to deliver the cash to David and keep him happy until they could find a way to kill him, McKinney said. In the wee hours of the morning, Chambers and the Erics drove back to the town of Vale, North Carolina, and holed up in a double-wide trailer while counting their cash. He said every year he files his taxes and the IRS takes all of his tax return. A couple weeks pass, and I call again, Hey, Id like to get some more money. Two days after theyd robbed the Loomis Fargo truck the very same day the police found the abandoned van in the woods Steve and Michelle Chambers walked into a bank and deposited their cut of the stolen money into their account. He rewarded Robert with $3,000 and vowed never to meet McKinney alone. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. He longed for the middle-class lifestyle of his childhood, with its private religious-school education and Disney World vacations. She didn't plan to move to Mexico. 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. First, in January, he tried to get someone to take some millions down to Mexico. On October 5, 1997, FBI agents gathered at the Loomis, Fargo & Co. warehouse in Charlotte, North Carolina, to watch a security videotape of a man loading stacks of cash into a pushcart and wheeling them from the vault. Eventually, Steve made Kelly believe they could steal from Loomis and get away with it, she said. First, they loaded the cash into blue 55-gallon barrels, and then they moved the barrels into a rental van. Basic and voluntary life insurance plan. On the radio, the "John Boy and Billy" show played the song "Take the Money and Run. ". He worked fueling airplanes, driving a forklift, and in 1994 he got a job as a vault superintendent at Loomis. You see, there's a reason Loomis Fargo used armored cars to move large amounts of cash. David told her he'd need help moving the money, getting a new ID and leaving the country. Its a yes: Clover teen shakes off nerves to earn American Idol golden ticket, Mail carrier cant believe his eyes after seeing NC lottery win. I didnt pick the heist team. The initials on the money wrapper belonged to a Loomis employee who hadn't worked there since before the heist. He has no contact with any of those convicted with him in the crime, including his former wife, and doesn't plan to see the movie, he said. Kelly told the FBI she had done drugs with David but denied knowing about the theft. David quickly realized he was the intended victim. When neighbors asked where they got their money, Steve said hed played in the NFL. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. Steve also offered $100,000 to his 26-year-old cousin. And it turned Steve into he thought he was Don Corleone all of a sudden.. Besides her prison sentence . Question: Are you surprised that Hollywood took this on as a movie? Not many people can say they stole $17 million from their employer and had Zach Galifianakis play them in a movie. Too stupid to be true? Five 'Masterminds' missteps that actually happened Sandra Floyd, Michele Chambers's mother, remembers the first time she saw the house. Time passed, and Campbell eventually quit her job at Loomis Fargo. Three weeks later, the couple purchased, in cash, a $635,000 stone mansion. I don't want to be mean, but that's probably the dumbest thing they could do. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. They placed a bust of Caesar in the dining room. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. It wouldn't work, Kelly told him. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. She could visit friends. In the following months, Steve persisted, even floating the notion of placing phony hand grenades on a Loomis truck to scare away the drivers, Kelly said. The bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. (The conversation was depicted as 100 percent private on screen). Ghantt pulled out $50,000 from the back of the unmarked Loomis Fargo van. "Things I always wanted to do, but never had the time or the money," he said. She will never get beyond the debt. Too many questions remained: Where was the cash? You might as well go all the way now.". This real-life crime is the core of "Untitled Armored Car Project," which stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson and Kristen Wiig. The cash was covered with dog food. Not a documentary. Kelly says she underestimated the value of her life before the heist. Before long, the FBI had wiretaps on the ringleader, Steve Chambers, and then they waited for the right time to make their arrests. Explain? "I missed my family. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. I had to go in there and tell her the whole story, and she was real cool about it. He covers culture, politics, race, and other perplexing mysteries for MEL. For her part, Kelly Campbell spent six years in federal prison. Was Queen Charlotte Black? After a Gulf War stint in the Army, David got married in 1992. That's the kind of movie they wanted to make. Ghantt was working a late shift, and just after 6:30 p.m., his coworkers were packing up and heading for home. The plan to rob Loomis Fargo was spawned by Campbell and her friend Steve Chambers, during a casual bonfire at Chambers' home. Ghantt was in fact hiding out in Mexico using McKinneys I.D., which had been sold to Chambers months earlier. "I said, 'That's all they gave me,' " McKinney recalled. Campbell left her job in the summer of 1997, but she would later use Ghantt's feelings for her to her own advantage to get him to agree to carry out the multi-million-dollar heist. Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 Military + Veterans. Some received probation for money laundering, many others did hard time. Ghantt:It baffles me to this day. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. Kelly Loomis Facebook, Instagram & Twitter on PeekYou Scott didn't want to, but then he remembered the hundred-grand payday. But it wasnt. Inside were, along with other personal items, his keys and wedding ring. That week, the FBI designated the theft its 142nd "major case," putting it on a list--begun in the 1970s--that includes such other infamous crimes as the World Trade Center bombing. In real life: True. Twelve hours later, at 6 that evening, Eric Payne drove a rented Budget van to his workplace, a graphics company on Performance Road in western Mecklenburg County called Reynolds & Reynolds, which was closed for the night and had a secluded parking lot where they intended to transfer the cash. Instead of lobster, the man who stole $17 million survived on home-cooked pasta and grilled cheese sandwiches. Our success depends on our team members, and that's why it's important for us to offer an employee benefits program that is not only extremely comprehensive but also one of the best in the industry. Visit us at Loomis.us. Job Search - Career Portal - Dayforce HCM Purchases included a pool table, jewelry (including a $43,000 diamond ring), a minivan, $20,000 worth of cigars, and the 7,000-square-foot home on the side of Cramer. Meanwhile, back in North Carolina, Ghantts wife woke up to find her husband missing. . She also must . His mobile home was nicely furnished, on eight acres with a stream in the back. This is where it starts to unravel, Ghantt tells me with a wry laugh. . It affects everybody different. "I said, 'Yeah, sure.' Ghantt would go on to spend six and a half years in federal prison. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. Ghantt was never in Chamberss presence until he actually handed off the money to him. Because lets be brutally honest: Theyre not wrong, okay? It was his goodbye. Copyright 2022 TheAssociated Press. He took bus tours of Mayan ruins. He flip-flopped on the heist idea three or four times. If you were one of the much-smaller-than-expected group of people who caught Masterminds at the theater this weekend, and are looking for a fact-check of the events depicted on screen, here are some of the highlights of our chat with Diamant. Things went from bad to worse when, in November, Michelle strolled into a bank with a briefcase filled with 200 grand and asked the manager, How much can I deposit without the bank reporting the transaction? When she showed the bank manager that she really had the money to invest, the cash was still bound in Loomis Fargo wrappers. The figures can be astounding. Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis employee; Michael L. McKinney . David, the international fugitive, lived it up, too--for a while. When we worked together [for Loomis], we'd joke about it. ". Three weeks after the theft, Steve and Michele moved from their Lincoln County mobile home to a $635,000 house in a gated Cramerton, N.C., neighborhood. Her marriage--at which she was making another ambivalent effort after multiple separations--and even the jobs she'd been able to get with a diploma couldn't come close to providing the kind of life she dreamed about, the life she felt she deserved: a house in the country, a swimming pool, and enough cash so she didn't need to rely on men. His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. David Ghantt, who pulled off the Loomis, Fargo & Co. vault robbery in 1997 and was sentenced to seven years in prison for the crime, served as a consultant for the film (in theaters Friday). Question: How much of 'Masterminds' is true? Kelly had resisted this suggestion before the heist: She and David were friends. In real life: Mostly true. Things were spiraling fast. TWO TO ENTER GUILTY PLEAS IN ARMORED-CAR ROBBERY - Greensboro News and Before David left for the airport, he had handed Scott an eight-inch key ring. I've got a good woman.". Ghantt:It's kid-friendly, it's family-friendly (the movie is rated PG-13). David thought about it. So it was weird when during the middle of the week, there were these very clean-cut, very Midwestern looking, obviously American guys in the town. In real life: True. "I'd been told all my life, money will not make you happy," Kelly said. The agents tapped the phone, and it didnt take long to locate Ghantt after that. At the end of October, Kelly was sentenced to 5 years 10 months in prison. Him and I still talk every now and then. It's about the 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery also known as the "hillbillly heist" the second largest cash robbery in the history of the United States. Meanwhile, outside Reynolds & Reynolds, Steve, Scott and Eric needed to move 2,748 pounds of cash, quickly, from the Loomis van into the Budget van. But Ghantt, who served as an unpaid consultant to the movie and attended the big Los Angeles premiere earlier in the week, has no such reservations. . Come for the Chumbawamba, and stay for the return of the Mack. Why do we feel its so necessary to treat people like this, to say, OK, well just ruin the rest of your life because you made a bad decision., Punishment should not last a lifetime. Man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago now a 'normal guy 1997 Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle for sale at auction of items bought after Loomis, Fargo armored car facility heist by Steven Chambers, wife Michele, Kelly Jane Campbell & David Scott Ghanntt (Photo by Will And Deni McIntyre/Getty Images) 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. He realized that if they met the minimum monthly payments, the bill would take 30 years to pay. Ghantt spent a solid hour moving what ended up being 2,700 pounds of cash more than an actual ton into an unmarked company van. It was an ear-biting, Pierce Brosnan-loving, comet-obsessed world, and were here to relive every minute of it. It's one of the biggest jokes at the place. They paid for all of it in cash. She was the group's only contact with David, and she was smoking marijuana "like other people smoke cigarettes," she said. Why fans love it. Reach our Customer Contact Center by calling 877.877.0560 from 6:30 AM to 11:30 PM CT every day or by completing the provided form. On his second trip, Steve gave McKinney David's hotel address. Then another. Now worried about both the FBI and McKinney, he spent even more time alone in his room. Called Masterminds, the 2016 film stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson. [Kelly] told me, 'Just think about it.' Steve, who had sworn Kelly, Eric and Scott to secrecy the night of the theft, named them all to the FBI. Is he telling the truth? She could spend time with her children and parents. We got this guy named Bruno. Looking back at the Loomis heist - Gaston Gazette Jeffrey Guller, who at 81 is by far the oldest of the Loomis defendants, still owes almost $1.1 million on his original court debt of $1.14 million and will remain on the governments books for another four years. But as he later recalled to the media, as soon as he stepped through those big-box doors, he realized he was flush with cash, and he didnt need to shop at Walmart ever again. ];David Scott Ghanntt [Misc.] Ghantt:I've burned that bridge years ago. 1997 Loomis Fargo Robbery - Strange Unexplained Mysteries Actor Owen Wilson plays him in the movie, which includes the real names of all the major players. October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery - Wikipedia Two more defendants in the $17 million Loomis Fargo & Co. robbery last year have agreed to plead guilty, and a third person entered a formal plea in court. In the dark, Scott inserted one key into the back door slot. Agents found out where Ghantt was living because Chambers had put out a hit on him, foolishly believing Ghantt was the only person the FBI had fingered for the crime. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. He'd stay up all night, boosted by coffee, waiting for the sunrise over the ocean. That was great. Why did this Charlotte engineer leave her job? More than 20 people ended up in the FBI's dragnet. The next day, he was sitting next to FBI agent Mark Rozzi on a US Airways flight to Charlotte. You've violated that trust. Zaron Burnett is an investigative journalist and longform features writer based in Los Angeles. "Love" has four. Charlotte Magazine even ran a feature story about the Loomis Fargo heist with the title, White Trash Crime. The headlines, however, never bothered Ghantt. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. And going to see the Mayan ruins. She could walk under the trees, with the chickens and goats and dogs that live around her mobile home. I didn't think I had the guts. Kelly's company. And to me, if it pisses them off, Im all for it.. Chambers never held Campbell hostage by locking her in a shed on his property. Ghantt simply got ready for work one morning knowing it would be his last day on the job. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. In hindsight, it doesnt surprise me a bit, Ghantt says, a bitter laugh catching in his throat. So the last third of the movie is almost entirely fiction. I loved it. You can garnish wages. The platform is designed to engage citizens and government leaders in a discussion about what needs improvement across the country. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. I said, Probably, the best time would be on the weekend; theres fewer people there. Updated: 11:31 AM EDT October 4, 2022 CHARLOTTE, N.C. Tuesday is the 25th anniversary of the infamous Loomis Fargo heist in Charlotte, where a bank worker, with the help of two accomplices,. More than half of the amount came from the seizure of a luxury home purchased by husband-and-wife defendants during their post-heist spending spree. He goes, My name is Bruno. Ghantt was already married when he took part in the heist, to a woman named Tammy who author Diamant described as very nice. It is true, however, that she had no idea about the plot and that he fled to Mexico without telling her. In early November, Steve lured the real Mike McKinney, an ex-Marine, to North Carolina from his Illinois home. The bigger the amount, however, the bigger the damages to victims that likely will never be repaid: Amy Paynes collection account was closed in 2020 with her having paid $53,000 of the $274,000 she owed. SEVEN NABBED IN CHARLOTTE HEIST\ - Greensboro News and Record He's a very likable person. The mystery 1-4-3 caller had been Kelly, though agents didn't know it yet. In March 1997, after Loomis Fargo & Company has been robbed of $18.8 million in Jacksonville by company security guard Philip Noel Johnson, Steve Eugene Chambers and Kelly Campbell, a former employee of Loomis, decides to rob the company. He couldn't talk.". "We kept going, '1-4-3, 1-4-3,' " recalled Vic O'Korn, assistant special agent in charge of Charlotte's FBI office. They obviously werent trying to get it right they were putting together what they believe is a better story, said Diamant. Like David, Kelly was frustrated with her marriage. Seven Charged In $17M Heist - CBS News He recalled that another agent, Phil King, said, "Hey, there was an article in the [Charlotte] Observer about beeper codes. Turns out, most of the thieves and their accomplices have been about as effective coming up with their court-ordered restitution as they were hiding their original crimes.
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