More calls between the two men, and also between Steve and Kelly Campbell, made it clear that the group was starting to turn on David Ghantt. Driving away, he said he felt a mix of fear, confidence and excitement that he outsmarted the FBI. This company managed the transportation of large amounts of money between banks in North Carolina. He worked close-by to where the van and over $3 million dollars had been ditched, and was friends with Steve Chambers. Its easy to get somebody to do something if you know that they are that infatuated with you.. Sun, sand and beaches are all part of why Jacksonville, Florida is a popular destination. Just after the last employees left that day, surveillance footage shows a man enter the vault, and begin to load more than 2,740 pounds in cash into a nearby van, totaling around over $17 million. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM 1998 and ACTORS IN MOVIE. The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. At the time . Before long, the tales of high living by Chambers and his now former wife, Michelle, led the thieves to be labeled either the "Cramer Mountain Hillbillies" or "The gang that couldn't steal straight." Most people are going to forgive you. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. Pocketing $50,000 for himself, that man, named David Ghantt . display: none; Nathan, Steves cousin, was found in a mobile home the Chambers had abandoned. In total, 24 people were convicted and all but one of the accused pleaded guilty. When Ghantt was found in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, five months after the heist, DePriest and photographer Kent Johnson raced to the airport, according to Observer records. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. The judge said he doubted she would be able to pay the $4.8 million restitution, but said federal law required him to impose it. When Ghantt called Campbell however, the FBI was able to track his location, and arrested him with the help of the Mexican police onMarch 1, 1998. THE THIEVES WHO COULDN'T COPE WITH $17 MILLION. Consequently, they called the police. He was doing what the rest of us were doing making bad decisions. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. Im married, I got one girl, shes 15 going on 30. But as she didnt want to seem suspicious, she just asked the teller, how much could she deposit without attracting the attention of the feds. That was the most painful truth to come to. Day 27 live updates: Murdaugh family weapons killed victims, SC prosecutor says in closing, Woman who caused death of Charlotte athlete takes plea deal + NC police depts. Instead, he was plotting to kill Ghantt - and burning through a great deal of cash. Kelly Campbell (962 Found) - View Court & Arrest Records, Personal Reviews & Reputation Score. That first day in prison was scary, Ghantt said. Just outside of the building, David Ghantt met up with his girlfriend, Chambers, and others involved in the plot. David Ghantt helps steal $17 million from Loomis Fargo mostly due to his love for Kelly Campbell, but the leader of the operation, Steve Chambers, wants to get rid of David for being a liability. 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. Her husband, Steve Chambers, whom prosecutors have called the main defendant, began serving an 11-year sentence earlier this year. We are talking about the 1997 Loomis Fargo heist. All those planes landin' and takin' off and such. To make a successful getaway, Ghantt had to lift nearly 2,800 pounds of currency. Perry identified the other six people arrested as Steve and Michelle Chambers; Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis employee; Michael L. McKinney; Thomas Nathan Grant; and Eric Haley Payne. Both were involved in the second-largest cash heist in U.S. history, in which a group of people stole $17 million from the main . I can take it.". Just days after agreeing to the plan, the group set a day to carry out the robbery. I recently watched her talk at the University of Arizona and it was a great overview of how . Now they only had to track down Ghantt and his accomplices. David Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. This former Kings Mountain resident finished his shift as a vault supervisor for the branch in Charlotte. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. They didnt stop there, they then proceeded to buy luxury cars, big-screen TVs and other extravagant items. "I'm glad I've grown out of that.". (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). As Campbell would later explain, If David got killed, there couldnt be any finger pointing. David Scott Ghantt, 28, was arrested Sunday on an island off the Mexican coast, near the resort city of Cozumel, FBI spokesman William Perry said today. The Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery was a robbery of $17.3 million in cash from the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis, Fargo & Co. on the evening of October 4, 1997. Campbell knew theyd need the help of the warehouses vault supervisor, who just happened to have a crush on her, and she called Ghantt to ask for his help. Question: You went to Mexico. Keeping with the plan, Ghantt took $50,000, which was the maximum that could by law be taken across the border of Mexico without authorization. Trending News By Sue Anne Pressley. Diese Aufgabe ist allerdings weitaus weniger spannend, als sie sich anhrt, und so ist Davids Tageshhepunkt nicht das Verladen der Millionen, sondern der tgliche Flirt mit seiner Kollegin Kelly. 0:00. David Ghantt normally came home between 6 and 8 p.m., and often he was late, his wife said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone. Downtown Asheville was cast as a movie set this week, as a major motion picture production filmed in the city center on Tuesday and Wednesday. The tapes showed Ghantt removing cash cubes and loading them into a Loomis Fargo armored van for over an hour. Robbing the 7-Eleven and getting $40 bucks and a pack of Marlboros was not for me. Guided by federal sentencing rules, prosecutors had requested a sentence of nine years for Michele Chambers. David Ghantt received a sentence of over seven years. So he and some friends decided at the end of his Oct. 4 shift he would load a company van with more than 2,000 pounds of cash and just drive away. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Later, they also arrested Nathans older brother. $17.3 million in cash was robbed from the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis, Fargo & Co. on the evening of October 4, 1997. I started just chucking it as fast as I could, he said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me.. What we know. So its one thing to go from up here, thought, to action, he said. The corporation handled armored transportation, ATM maintenance and other cash handling services, and had millions of currency stashed in the vault of the North Carolina branch. Twenty years ago this Wednesday, a small group of people stole $17 million in cash from the main vault of a Loomis Fargo & Co. armored-car warehouse in west Charlotte. I'll never pay it off on my paycheck." During a layover in Florida, they learned that Ghantt was already on his way back to the U.S. with authorities, but they flew to Cancun anyway and rented a car to reach Playa del Carmen, a resort town. Chambers, who still lives in Gaston County and operates a gym, declined to comment. And theres the story of then-Observer reporter Joe DePriests race to Mexico to catch Ghantt as he was getting arrested. After this, Chambers would occasionally wire Ghantt money and see to his basic financial needs. After Ghantts release from prison, he took up a job as a construction worker. Question: What made you, Chambers and the others think you could get away with this? In all, agents arrested 24 people in the heist. But last Oct. 4, when he still hadn't gotten home by 2:30 a.m., she called his parents in Hendersonville. This was all the evidence the authorities needed. Additionally, all the stolen cash was recovered or accounted for, except for $2 million. Zach Galifianakis stars as Ghantt, sporting an impressively pronounced bowl-cut and a perpetually pained smile. Curiously, Payne had recently paid of his Visa in one payment and had been driving around new and rented vehicles for the past weeks. Michelle Chambers received a few more months than Ghantt, because she had violated several bond conditions. 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 . We were two paychecks away from being homeless at any given time.. Ghantt would then take a bulk of the cash, as much as could legally be carried across the border without questions, and flee to Mexico. He has a regular life now, but 25 years ago, David Ghantt was the mastermind behind the 3rd largest bank robbery in U.S. history. 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, To find out more about how the thieves got caught and how long they landed behind bars, tune in the, Rebel Wilson 'collapsed' after Ramona Agruma proposal: 'I was so overwhelmed', Amy Grant recalls being 'so scared' to return to touring following serious bike accident, Travis Scott being sought by NYPD after alleged nightclub assault, Zachary Levi talks Shazam! future after DC shake-up: 'I'll keep playing this role as long as I can', Get your Din Djarin on with this replica 'Mandalorian' helmet. Holding her hands behind her back, Michele Chambers was sentenced Tuesday to seven years and eight months in prison for her role in the $17 million heist from Loomis, Fargo & Co. She was also ordered to pay $4.8 million in restitution.It was the fourth-most severe sentence given in the case, which has 21 defendants. #inline-recirc-item--id-91a2c54e-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-91a2c54e-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago. Question: How much of 'Masterminds' is true? ``I'm glad she didn't get nine years,' said Sandra Floyd, her mother. The move bought him a little extra time to make his escape. The 2015 revised edition of former Observer reporter Jeff Diamants book, Heist: The Oddball Crew Behind the $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft, written by one of the lead reporters who covered the heist and its aftermath. Man died Wednesday. Campbell was receptive and brought the idea to Ghantt. Eventually, the two teamed up with a few other people and hatched plans for a heist. The pair began to daydream about whether they could really pull off the heist. Campbellwho was married herselfrepresented something new and exciting. Six other people also were arrested, including a couple who suddenly moved from a trailer to a $635,000 house. Looking back at the Loomis heist. 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 . "I was dumb," Ghantt said Wednesday, the eve before the movie hits screens nationwide. They both made jokes about their work and how they would rather rob the place than continue with their underpaid job. This had led the FBI to begin monitoring Chambers' and his wife's activities. But former Kings Mountain resident David Scott Ghantt can. I would call us friends. The next day, before Mike was able to leave the country, the FBI arrested him in his hotel room. After the Loomis Fargo heist, when the arrests were made, Ghantt and seven others pleaded guilty in federal court to the charges. The phone calls began to get more intense when Steve and Eric got suspicious of a man who was running hismouth about them and the vault job over in Charlotte. Galifianakis can pull off broad comedy effortlessly, a skill which catapulted him to . On the fateful day of Oct. 4, 1997, Davit Ghantt decided to proceed with the Loomis Fargo heist. After this, he began loading $17 million in unmarked bills inside a company van before driving away. On March 29 of last year, in the largest armored car heist in U.S. history, $18.8 million was taken from Loomis, Fargo in Jacksonville, Fla. An employee, Philip Noel Johnson , was arrested Aug.30 in connection with that theft, All but $186,000 was recovered. She also . Today's guest author is David Ghantt. He talks about how he informs employers about his criminal . Authorities were notified of the robbery in the morning, when employees couldnt open the vault. The FBI became more suspicious after they interviewed Campbell for the third time. All were convicted. Inside the truck, they found Ghantt's wedding ring. On October 4, 1997, at about 6:40 p.m, Ghantt successfully entered the vault and according to the plan starting loading up the cash in the van. Ghantt began to complain vocally. Well, we bring to you a bank heist so ridiculous and poorly planned, that you will think I can plan a better heist!. From my standpoint it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. Defendant, began serving an 11-year sentence earlier this year was found a. He took up a job as a construction worker vault supervisor for third. And exclusive reporting from a kelly campbell and david ghantt to a $ 635,000 house cash cubes and loading into! 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