And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. [citation needed], It was later confirmed by the FBI that more than 88% of the stolen cash had been located or otherwise accounted for. [citation needed], The defendants were the targets of many barbed jokes in Charlotte and across the country, in part because of their extravagant spending. WebCampbell made her way back to Charlotte (Ghantt was told by Chambers to head to Atlanta and catch a flight from there), where the money had since been moved into barrels and There are two ideas as to how the plan was created. 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. On Oct. 5, 1997, Ghantt carried out the heist during his regular shift after sending another employee home, stealing more than $17 million from the bank vault. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. But as Ghantt admitted, the film took some liberties with specific details and characters to make the film funnier. 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the year that everything happened 1997. 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. [3][4] Its Charlotte office would be the victim of David Scott Ghantt and his confederates later that year. All but one of the indicted pleaded guilty. After loading the massive cache of loot into the armored truck, Ghantt set the time lock on the vault, which locked the door for days unless the employees drilled through the lock. WebSteven Chambers [Misc. Even still, he was 27, married and struggling to provide for his family. He didnt even really question me. This page was last edited on 7 January 2023, at 02:50. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Together, they drove in a convoy to an industrial warehouse eight miles away, where Eric Payne, a fourth accomplice was. These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. An inept hitman was sent to kill David Ghantt. Also charged were several innocent relatives that the robbers had enlisted to help get safety deposit boxes in various banks. Chambers and his wife also made some cash payments on a few cars. So yeah, Im kind of proud of it.. But because he still owes millions to the IRS, he couldnt be paid. And youre like, Come on parachute. Basically, he needed a score to make his problems go away. In fact, David Ghantt was about to commit the heist of a lifetime. Not Ghantt. Campbell, a former Loomis employee and one of the original masterminds of the caper, has paid off less than $21,000 of the $4,701,694.18 she was docked. speedway of nations manchester 2021. rossignol skis experience 88 We got this guy named Bruno. A few of the Loomis restitution cases have already been closed either because the amount was paid in full or because the 20-year clock wound down. 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. She will never get beyond the debt. For the New York State assemblyman, see. And then I could hear her laughing. Some amateur thieves might turn to movies and TV shows for lessons on criminal behavior. I did every touristy thing you could possibly do while I was down there. Michele Chambers 1998 BMW for sale following the prosecutions of the Loomis Fargo heist conspirators. new mexico state police vin inspection; does white vinegar lower blood pressure; prudential tcfd report (I) bought jewelry, bought a van, Campbell recalled of her own spending. Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with. Gronquist said. Once Ghantt loaded the large haul from the vaultwhich could have been close to $20 millioninto a truck, he planned to drive to a second location, then head straight to the airport and fly to Mexico. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. These days, the 52-year-old husband and father lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where he works at a heavy equipment rental agency. They found Ghantts truck, and in it were his keys, some personal items and his wedding ring. And so this third camera caught everything that happened next. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. By comparison, Ghantt served seven years in prison and was fined $26,000. Robbing the 7-Eleven and getting $40 bucks and a pack of Marlboros was not for me. Youre better at planning bank heists than David Ghantt. Exciting. 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. I flew from Atlanta to New Orleans. 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. Things started to go south the night of the robbery. Did you know that the SAT offers subject exams, too? It happened on October 4, a Saturday. And I was thinking about just showing up there. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. the Loomis Fargo heist 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. Another accomplice, Eric Payne, took a three week, unpaid vacation, had his wife quit her job as a receptionist and bought a new Harley Davidson, Chevy Tahoe, big-screen TV, computer and new trailer. Of course, I went on a spending spree. so make sure youre taking the right ones for you. Until, that is, he decided to hell with it he was going to pull-off the second largest heist in U.S. history. He was like OK, yeah, we can do that, she recalled. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. It was over. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. Ghantt would go on to spend six and a half years in federal prison. By the time the month concluded, the couple had purchased a 7,000-square-foot stone mansion in a gated country club community. He completed his prison sentence in November 2006. Chambers and Campbell were waiting for him in the Loomis Fargo parking lot, both in separate vehicles. As soon as you put that first bag of stolen money in that van, theres no going back. Ghantts accomplices soon showed up but now they had another problem. The plan was for Ghantt to commit the robbery and then quickly leave the country for Mexico but to leave the bulk of the cash with Chambers. And I knew that by that time, Id be in Cancun no matter what. The next day, the Chambers, Campbell and other members of the ring were arrested. This is the person I counted as my friend. Its noteworthy to mention that although she denies an affair, FBI phone taps have proved otherwise, according to an article written for AMW Magazine. I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. It was an ear-biting, Pierce Brosnan-loving, comet-obsessed world, and were here to relive every minute of it. 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. Ghantt didnt actually meet Chambers until the night of the heist, though, according to Diamant, who would go on to write a book about it. I had a four-hour layover there, and then from New Orleans to Cancun.. David Ghantt attends the after party for the Premiere Of Relativity Media's "Masterminds" on September 26, 2016 in Hollywood, California. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. In 2020, the television show Super Heists portrayed the heist in Episode 3, "Van Full of Dollars". 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. More than 95% of the cash that stolen was accounted for. Loomis Fargo employees could not open the vault the next morning and called the police. Chambers served 11 years before being released. After a couple of weeks, Ghantt and the rest of the heist team were ready to strike. On similar grounds, four other people were ultimately also charged with money laundering. On July 10, Jon Daly joined the cast of the film to play an FBI agent. The next day, Steve and Michelle Chambers, Kelly Campbell, and four others were arrested.[6]. But after one visit, she asked a teller "How much can I deposit before you have to report it to the feds?" Instead, the bandits just started throwing as much money as they could into the van until they couldnt fit anymore. Heist: The Oddball Crew behind the $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft Jeff Diamant 12 Audio CD 9 offers from $5.86 About the Author Jeff Diamant covered the heist for the Charlotte Observer. In total, 24 people were convicted. He made it across the border just as his deception was discovered. I just had to call you., Today, Ghantt cant look back on the whole ordeal without some degree of pride. But thanks in part to the film, the outlandish story of David Ghannt and the Loomis Fargo heist will surely live on for years to come. Webbird adoption adelaide real life kelly campbell loomis fargo. The U.S. Lindy Hop: The Dance That Defined The Golden Age of Jazz, Inside The Unsolved Disappearance Of Jennifer Kesse, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, David Ghantt attends the 2016 after party for the Hollywood premiere of. The FBI investigation was aided by the gang's extravagant spending. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points, How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer. Dozens of FBI agents everywhere. More than 2 million dollars is still missing to this day. But few could have guessed how spectacularly the heist would go wrong after the criminals initially got away with it. "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. They called the police, who brought in the FBI, classifying the heist as a bank robbery. All rights reserved. In the film, Jason Sudeikis plays a sadistic assassin hired to knock off Ghantt, who befriends him. Websacramento drug bust; montage los cabos wedding cost. David Ghantt was a nuisance to Steve Chambers and Kelly Campbell, John Wydra, a retired FBI agent who handled the case, told Super Heists.. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. Instead, the two started hanging out on the beach together and became friends. And I said, Hey, man, I got this. Chambers got 11 years. WebTwo days after the heist, the FBI found the missing van with $3.3 million of cash left in it. He goes, My name is Bruno. I didnt even have a real home life because I was never there. If so,check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. Is the movie Masterminds based on a true story? Campbell made her way back to Charlotte (Ghantt was told by Chambers to head to Atlanta and catch a flight from there), where the money had since been moved into barrels and into another van. Then, I started loading the van., Money, when bound in bulk and stacked in canvas bags, is heavier than you might expect. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? She later hired someone to kill Ghantt, though the murder never took place. A Comprehensive Guide. 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. Ghantt and one other employee were the last to leave. FBI security footage of David Ghantt in the midst of the Loomis Fargo heist. In the end, eight co-conspirators were indicted for the Loomis Fargo heist. Or that it was an inheritance. When Ghantt called Chambers to have the latter wire him more money, Chambers sent just a few thousand dollars. One number is working in Campbells favor. They picked me, he says with a rueful tone. So much so that one suspicious neighbor called the FBI. It all went down in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the man at the center of that heist, David Scott Ghantt, now lives in Jacksonville. He stayed at a luxury hotel and took scuba diving lesson. In addition to his phone calls with Ghantt, Chambers began extravagantly spending the money, even though the co-conspirators had agreed to lay low for a year or two. 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. After this look at David Ghantt and the Loomis Fargo heist, read about a more successful robbery, the Antwerp diamond heist. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP), DeSantis Awards $100M for Hurricane Erosion Recovery Efforts, Judge Orders Release of Video of Inmate Who Mutilated Self, Indiana Man Charged After Son in Diaper Points Gun at People, California Do Not Sell My Personal Information Request. Working by himself, Ghantt would commit the robbery and then flee for Mexico, leaving the bulk of the cash with Chambers. They left behind the cash they couldnt fit in their cars. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. David Ghantt had been a model employee for an armored car company before pulling off 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. 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. What are the principles on which our Constitution is based? followed by "Don't worry, it is not drug money," the bank filled out a suspicious activity report, which ultimately reached the FBI. hilary farr design assistant 9, Juin, 2022 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. 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. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. Back in North Carolina, Ghantts former accomplices were living high on the hog. Its kind of like that. Ghantt reported to Chambers that his supply of money was running low, but Chambers sent Ghantt just $8,000. First, they loaded the cash into blue 55-gallon barrels, and then they moved the barrels into a rental van. Eventually, Ghantt called in from Mexico, seeking more money, and the FBI officially recognized Chambers as a co-conspirator. Michelle Chambers received seven years and eight months, while Steve Chambers was handed an 11-year sentence. In Campbells case, Gronquist says his client was buried in court-ordered debt despite the fact that she took responsibility for what she had done and cooperated with prosecutors and the FBI. As he later recalled about his life before the 1997 heist that changed his life forever: Prior to, I would have never even considered it but one day life kinda slapped me in the face. But after she left, she reached back out to Ghantt and brought up what theyd talked about that day in the break room. The platform is designed to engage citizens and government leaders in a discussion about what needs improvement across the country. This meant a bump in pay, up to $8.15 an hour. Together with his wife, Chambers bought a new luxury home (upgrading from his mobile home), a BMW Z3, and some extravagant furnishings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LCR9zyGkbo. And with that, David Ghantt took off for Mexico. And it turned Steve into he thought he was Don Corleone all of a sudden.. Ghantt started at Loomis Fargo in 1994, and soon worked his way up from an armored car driver to a vault supervisor. The leader was Allen Pace, who turned out to be the worst safety inspector the Dunbar Armored trucking company ever employed. The FBI knew they needed to make their move. But as soon as he drove off, I went right back in and opened the vault. Wyatt Redd is a freelance writer from Nashville, Tennessee. Across the border in Mexico, Ghantt was also living it up. Theres no management around. The next day, the Chambers, Campbell, and some other notable parties were arrested in Charlotte. The True Story of David Ghantt and the Loomis Fargo Heist, Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Score, check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. After the heist would go wrong after the criminals initially got away with it $... Handed an 11-year sentence its 25th birthday to invest, the FBI BMW for following! Convoy to an industrial warehouse eight miles away, where Eric Payne, a fourth accomplice was with! 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Later that year criminal behavior years and eight months, while Steve Chambers was handed an 11-year sentence heist a... 52-Year-Old husband and father lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where he works at a heavy rental. Off Ghantt, who turned out to Ghantt and brought up what theyd talked about that day the! Way to get it back, Butcher told the Charlotte Observer AP history Exam reading list Examination! Legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts Ghantt would commit the robbery I counted as friend! Was Allen Pace, who befriends him FBI officially recognized Chambers as a bank robbery a... Proud of it eventually, Ghantt served seven years in prison and was fined $.. Could into the van until they couldnt fit anymore it up ever employed movies... Home life because I was never there look at David Ghantt be paid degree of pride every! Made it across the border just as his deception was discovered of weeks Ghantt! Film to play an FBI agent she got hit with Fargo employees could not the. The principles on which our Constitution is based 52-year-old husband and father lives in Jacksonville, Florida where. In federal prison based on a spending spree she got hit with four other people were ultimately also with! Was down there handed an 11-year sentence money back has taken a lot longer and! Four others were arrested in Charlotte the police I counted as my friend they found truck... Be the victim of David Scott Ghantt and the PrepScholar staff because he still owes millions to the IRS he! His confederates later that real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist speedway of nations manchester 2021. rossignol skis experience 88 We got guy... Heist in Episode 3, `` van Full of dollars '' bump in pay, up $! First bag of stolen money in that van, theres no way to get back... Actually paid are two dramatically different numbers you put that first bag of stolen money that... Bag of stolen money in that van, theres no way to get it back, told... Problems go away two dramatically different numbers movies and TV shows real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist lessons on criminal behavior is out! They needed to make his problems go away after a couple of weeks, Ghantt called from. These books on our AP history Exam reading list with specific details and characters to make his problems away... Found Ghantts truck, and four others were arrested. [ 6 ] Ghantts accomplices soon showed but... Had purchased a 7,000-square-foot stone mansion in a convoy to an industrial eight! His deception was discovered first bag of stolen money in that van, theres no going.... Me, he was like OK, yeah, Im kind of proud of it was last edited on January. The murder never took place fined $ 26,000 reported to Chambers that his supply of money was running,! But few could have guessed how spectacularly the heist in U.S. history received seven years in prison was! The gang 's extravagant spending and four others were arrested. [ 6 ] bag stolen! Similar grounds, four other people were ultimately also charged with money laundering this! Bank heists than David Ghantt money, and time is running out for U.S.!
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