They paid for all of it in cash. Ultimately, though, the heist wasnt Ghantts idea, which meant he didnt decide who else was involved. At first, I just blended in with the tourists and picked up a few translation books, Ghantt explains. 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. When she realized Ghantt never came home from work the night before, she contacted the police and filed a missing persons report. They didn't know it, but they were leaving $3.3 million behind. Zach always plays that bumbling kind of lunatic, but hes not, Ghantt says. At first, David Ghantt said, "I didn't take her seriously. The robbery was committed by Loomis vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt, his married girlfriend Kelly Campbell (a former Loomis co-worker), Steven Eugene Chambers (a one-time FBI informant), his wife Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobbies, and four other co-conspirators. "I've learned that I'm a fortunate man," he said. He went deep-sea fishing. Because surprise! Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. He didn't want to abandon his parents. He pocketed the money and told Chambers and Campbell to send him his cut in Mexico. What made her abandon an ordinary existence to commit this spectacular, doomed crime? You can garnish wages. Kelly, she says now, was thinking about how happy she would be to send this man far away from her. ". how to match 8 hypercubes in bejeweled. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. All rights reserved. ". Loomis Fargo Defendants Owe as Much as They Stole in 1997, FILE - Kelly Campbell, one of the 21 people convicted for their involvement in the $17 million Loomis Fargo heist, awaits sentencing for her part in the theft at her mobile home near Mount Holly, N.C. on Aug 16, 1999. . But as soon as he drove off, I went right back in and opened the vault. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. 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. I said, Listen, You all need to get your shit together, or Im just going to walk over here to the government building and tell them who the fuck I am. That lit a little fire under her ass, for a bit.. Kelly Campbell - Wikipedia Tags: Associated Press, courts, crime, North Carolina. There was, however, one problem with his plan. 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. Filming in the Asheville area starting in early July, and is. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Kelly found herself standing beside David while they waited together for a bond hearing. Ghantt:It baffles me to this day. and "I'm rich!". Without really intending to, Kelly recalls, she turned the conversation to the possibility of a heist. Kelly called David at Loomis; he told her he'd be ready for them with the cash at 6:30 or 7 p.m. Alone in the building, David was trying to finish loading cash from the vault into an unmarked white Ford Econoline van belonging to Loomis. "But, I hate to admit it, it doesn't faze me one bit. Ghantt was working a late shift, and just after 6:30 p.m., his coworkers were packing up and heading for home. The plan was to split the money three ways: Chambers, Campbell and Ghantt would each walk away with what Ghantt estimated to be $5 million a piece the kind of money that changes lives forever. In that time, I realized most of my problems were because of me. CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kelly Campbell, the woman who helped plan the $17 million robbery of armored-car company Loomis, Fargo was sentenced yesterday to nearly six years in prison and ordered to pay back more than $4 million. He'd stay up all night, boosted by coffee, waiting for the sunrise over the ocean. As with Kelly, the worst blotch on 29-year-old Eric's record until now was a driving-while-intoxicated conviction. Kelly says she underestimated the value of her life before the heist. It will be some time before she can commune with domestic animals again. The next week, they heard Steve plan to send Mike McKinney to Mexico to kill David Ghantt. 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. 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. Steve told her to send David to Atlanta on a bus and drive back to the trailer. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. The first weekday after the heist, Michele Chambers, co-conspirator Steve's wife, walked into a NationsBank branch with a briefcase containing $5,000. In real life: True. Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with. Gronquist said. Hes well thought-out. They picked me, he says with a rueful tone. When neighbors asked where they got their money, Steve said hed played in the NFL. Ghantt:I don't think he ever really meant to harm me. By late November, McKinney made a third trip to Mexico, saying he'd help David move to Mexico City. And when everybody else voted to kill me, she voted with them, he explains. David, the international fugitive, lived it up, too--for a while. His assignment was to deliver the cash to David and keep him happy until they could find a way to kill him, McKinney said. Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. The number of people involved had ballooned after Steve started asking friends and family to help him launder the stolen cash. . Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. Agents noticed it two months later when it flowed to them through official channels, along with hundreds of similar reports involving other people. When October 1997 began, Steve and Michelle Chambers lived in a double-wide trailer. 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. . "I said, 'I don't want him killed.' I said, It comes down to picking the right day, and the right time of the month, and all that good stuff. I even told her, It wouldnt be all that difficult. This meant a bump in pay, up to $8.15 an hour. ". Ghantt:I've burned that bridge years ago. One number is working in Campbells favor. David didn't even know Steve's name. . He placed stacks of currency on a cart and wheeled it to the van about 15 feet away, inside the building. Some amateur thieves might turn to movies and TV shows for lessons on criminal behavior. He took bus tours of Mayan ruins. It had been drilled into my head that if you give me a team of five good people, I can go anywhere, do anything," David explained. He told Steve he hadn't been able to find David. 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) An officer rang the doorbell. Scott, 26, had a larceny conviction as a teenager, but he'd since cleaned up his act and now had a steady job, a daughter and a girlfriend. He told him McKinney was in Mexico to kill somebody. In early December, Steve and Michele invited relatives to their daughter's sixth birthday party. 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. . After a Gulf War stint in the Army, David got married in 1992. Steve, who had sworn Kelly, Eric and Scott to secrecy the night of the theft, named them all to the FBI. "Steve said, 'I think we ought to do it that night, when he drops off the van,' " Kelly recalled. His collection case closes in two years. Federal prosecutors would ultimately charge 21 defendants in the case, including the Floyds, who were charged with (and pleaded guilty to) money laundering. Or does it sit in an offshore account, waiting for a prison sentence to end? 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. Then another. FBI agents recall surreal story of heist that inspired - WLOS Question: Do you ever think you could have been killed? The others sat in their cars across the street and watched him struggle to open the heavy gate. Thanksgiving and Christmas were difficult. The barrels were Steves idea, Ghantt says. First, they loaded the cash into blue 55-gallon barrels, and then they moved the barrels into a rental van. Ghantt says he operates a bulldozer for a small company. In hindsight, it doesnt surprise me a bit, Ghantt says, a bitter laugh catching in his throat. You have to remember that it's Hollywood and they'll take what was a minor event and they'll blow it up and make it as funny as they can.". Question: Are you surprised that Hollywood took this on as a movie? The pager entry was 1-4-3. He goes, My name is Bruno. In early September 1997, Kelly found herself chatting on the phone with a friend who still worked at Loomis, a 27-year-old man who, despite being married, had made no secret of the fact that he had a crush on her. 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. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) The Associated Press, BY MICHAEL GORDON, The Charlotte Observer. 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. Because lets be brutally honest: Theyre not wrong, okay? They obviously werent trying to get it right they were putting together what they believe is a better story, said Diamant. As soon as Corey left, I pretended like I was leaving. There had been no signs. All I needed was a change of pace.". Is he telling the truth? A couple weeks pass, and I call again, Hey, Id like to get some more money. Steve now needed a hit man. As with many recent historic events, this one had been caught on videotape, a fact that a few dozen Charlotte FBI agents would learn in a hastily organized Sunday morning meeting. Ghantt:It's kid-friendly, it's family-friendly (the movie is rated PG-13). Dependent care account. Masterminds (2016 film) - Wikipedia And robbing a truck was dangerous. 2500 City West Blvd., Suite 2300 Houston, TX 77042. In early November, Steve lured the real Mike McKinney, an ex-Marine, to North Carolina from his Illinois home. Im a very deliberate person. That October, the Chamberses' bank accounts ballooned. The cash was covered with dog food. They loaded the wine cellar with Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Steve hung a velvet portrait of Elvis Presley in the basement. The best states in the U.S. come from coast to coast. In real life: Yes and no. "I'm glad I've grown out of that.". Or is the loot buried in somebody's yard? That was pretty awesome., It felt like a dream vacation until he started running out of money. Basic and voluntary life insurance plan. They placed a bust of Caesar in the dining room. Chambers never held Campbell hostage by locking her in a shed on his property. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) _ A woman who helped plan the $17 million robbery of armored car company Loomis, Fargo & Co. was sentenced Tuesday to nearly six years in prison and ordered to pay back more than $4 million. Military + Veterans. You can seize property. You've violated that trust. I said, Probably, the best time would be on the weekend; theres fewer people there. "I thought he was goofing around.". 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. I wanted to get as far away as I could. And that's OK with Ghantt, who's 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 . When he said, 'I'll give you $20,000 to hold a million,' I said, 'Sure.' 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. You might as well go all the way now.". Come for the Chumbawamba, and stay for the return of the Mack. So Im like, Can you get a move on with my money? After a couple of weeks passed, I get a phone call from Kelly: Okay, Brunos coming to you, blah, blah, blah. So I get a phone call from this guy, and I tell him where to meet me. . He covers culture, politics, race, and other perplexing mysteries for MEL. 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 . One night in a small North Carolina town, a down-on-his-luck guard at Loomis Fargo manages to steal $17 millionliterally more than one ton of cash. Ghantt and one other employee were the last to leave. Thatd probably been the best thing for me to do, really. Were others involved? Ghantt worked at Loomis Fargos regional office vault in Charlotte. Yes, Carrie Underwood adopted a dog in Charlotte. We got this guy named Bruno. And I said, Hey, man, I got this. 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. . I told them, Take it, box it up, and youll be able to ship it to me in Mexico. Back in the 1990s, you couldve probably boxed up a hot pink elephant and shipped it to Mexico; no one wouldve ever noticed.
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