This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. En marzo del 97, la empresa fue vctima del llamado "robo del siglo": un empleado se . stockpile guns, Timeline puts Murdaugh at crime scene, SC prosecutor says in trial closing after Moselle visit, Get ready for less sleep in Charlotte. David sneaks in and rescues Kelly. Along with Ghantt and Campbell, there were eight others, including Campbell's former high school friend Steve Chambers and his wife, Michelle. 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. #inline-recirc-item--id-91a2c54e-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { They both made jokes about their work and how they would rather rob the place than continue with their underpaid job. The eight accomplices were also apprehended. Kelly Campbell: Oh, my gosh. According to an affidavit, at least some of the suspects spent large sums of money following the robbery. Its a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I went down and talked to them, got to meet Zach Galifianakis and the director, Ghantt said. Ghantt went on to explain that he left for his flight to Mexico with about $25,000, and that two or three deliveries of extra money was made to him by the man Chambers would pay to kill him. Needless to say that things didn't go as planned. In less than a month after the heist, Chambers and his wife moved out of their trailer and relocated into a 7,000-square-foot, $635,000 mansion. The bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. Because Ghantt was the only employee who wasn't there that morning, he became the obvious suspect. I wish them all a happy life and that's about it. In the coming years, a movie was made about the Loomis Fargo heist, called the Masterminds. All rights reserved. 04/10/2017 9:02. . He had said, then reflecting on the events: "I wouldn't have thought about it before, but one day life kind of hit me in the face. That's the kind of movie they wanted to make. A third surveillance tape was carelessly left behind, and the company was able to identify the man who robbed the vault as David Ghantt. Question: Are you happy that Wilkesboro-nativeZach Galifianakis plays you in the movie? Ghantt:I've always known that story had potential to be a comedy or a drama. Ghantt began to complain vocally. He insisted that Chambers send more money, while Chambers was actually plotting to have Ghantt killed. However, he had not perceived the weight of a large sum of money. Of course, I went on a spending spree. David Ghantt received a sentence of over seven years. Question: Are you surprised that Hollywood took this on as a movie? Subsequently, he was to take out as much cash as he could and load it up in a van. Over 88% of the money has been recovered since the heist. On the fateful day of Oct. 4, 1997, Davit Ghantt decided to proceed with the Loomis Fargo heist. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. They knew Steve Chambers had worked as an informant in the past, and were nervous he would smell out an undercover. First, they tapped the Chambers phone, and began listening in on February 11th, 1998. 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. One of them was a former Loomis employee. No attempted murder charges had been filed. Ghantt: My cut was supposed to be about $5 million, but that's not what I ended up with. Ghantt continued to languish in Mexico, having spent most of the $25,000 he took with him to a Cancun resort. I knew it was just a matter of time. Looking back at the Loomis heist. They both made jokes about their work and how they would rather rob the place than continue with their underpaid job. 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. ``I'm glad she didn't get nine years,' said Sandra Floyd, her mother. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM 1998 and ACTORS IN MOVIE. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. 2021 museumfacts.co.uk | All rights reserved. Chambers promised to wire him money in Mexico until the investigation blew over and Ghantt could return to . "I've moved on with my life," he said Tuesday. From the start, David Ghatt was considered to be a prime suspect. Elizabeth Holmes has second child, seeks to delay prison The FBI recovered several million dollars in a van found in Mecklenburg County, but about $14 million in cash is still missing, authorities said. 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. He has been open about the heist and his life and had no qualms about it. In fact, they got carried away and upgraded to a sudden lavish lifestyle. While they had initially agreed to control their spending for a year or two, Chambers had no intention of following those rules. It all went down in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the man at the center of that heist, David Scott Ghantt, now lives in Jacksonville. Just days after agreeing to the plan, the group set a day to carry out the robbery. If you go from a mobile home to a mansion, that's going to attract attention. 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. ``There are many people with those factors who don't resort to crime,' he said. 1998 The Associated Press. Authorities began to hone in on the group and put a wire tap on Campbell's phones. 0:00. David ist einer der Mnner, die fr Banken Unsummen an Dollars von A nach B fahren. Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. $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. Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis . David Ghantt had been a model employee for an armored car company before pulling off the second biggest cash heist in U.S. history, fleeing with more than $17 million in untraceable bills in 1997. In the first couple of weeks, they had heard both Steve and Shelley bragging about their new-found fortune, and spending remarkable amounts of money. Thank you! .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { 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. 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 and happy. Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. 1997, with David Ghantt, a Loomis supervisor who stole . Ghantt:I don't think he ever really meant to harm me. Chambers essentially put a hit on Ghantt. ENTERTAINMENT. Steve decided to send his cousin, Nathan with money down to Mexico as a ruse, while Mike the bodyguard would follow behind to take care of Ghantt. That was the most painful truth to come to. When Loomis Fargo employees could not open the vault the following day, they called authorities, and the investigation was started. Her husband, Steve Chambers, whom prosecutors have called the main defendant, began serving an 11-year sentence earlier this year. Well, we bring to you a bank heist so ridiculous and poorly planned, that you will think I can plan a better heist!. Ghantt went on to explain that he rarely even looks at his debt statement to the government, but believes the IRS says he still owes them $3.8 million. And theres the story of then-Observer reporter Joe DePriests race to Mexico to catch Ghantt as he was getting arrested. 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. During the next few months they bought a BMW-Z3 roadster and tens of thousands of dollars in antiques, furniture and decorations. 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 . That movie, Masterminds was filmed in 2014. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. 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. He then began loading $17 million in unmarked bills inside a company van before driving away. I started just chucking it as fast as I could, he said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me.. 3 million in cash from the Charlotte, North Carolina . He was like OK, yeah, we can do that, she recalled. Masterminds.2016.MULTi.1080p.BluRay.x264-CINeHD. Ghantt:Since I still owe the federal government money I can't get paid. We are talking about the 1997 Loomis Fargo heist. David Ghantt, Kelly Campbell, and their friends stole an astonishing $17.3 million. What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads I felt stiff and one day the jokes during the break about the robbery of that place suddenly didn't look so obvious. Ghantt and seven others eventually pleaded guilty in federal court to charges . There, lessons of , "The Wall Street Journal just so happened to have a supportive op-ed ready to publish within hours of the meeting. ``None of these defendants , in this court's opinion, are capable of making substantial restitution, no matter what they do, or no matter what they try,' Mullen said. 2023 Cox Media Group. He was doing what the rest of us were doing making bad decisions. David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) is unfulfilled in his life, unhappy with his work -- and that work is driving the armored car bringing thousands of dollars to and from banks every day. LRM had an exclusive phone . The images of the aftermath the huge house on Cramer Mountain with its leopard-print carpet, the blue barrels full of money, the lonely hotel room in Playa del Carmen where Ghantt ate M&Ms instead of going to the beach endured long after 21 people were convicted for their connections to the heist. To be brutally honest, it was that morning, Ghantt replied. His partners, who planned to stay behind, agreed to send him his full cut of the money after the heat from investigators had died down. jim martin death couples massage class san diego beaver falls football real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. After the Loomis Fargo heist, when the arrests were made, Ghantt and seven others pleaded guilty in federal court to the charges. 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. Afterward, outside the courthouse, her parents said the length was about what she had expected. Loomis Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina found itself the target of a robbery on October 4 th, 1997 by one of their vault security guards, David Ghantt and his girlfriend, Kelly Campbell who had been a former employee at the time.Along with Ghantt and Campbell were eight others including a former high school friend of Campbells, Steve . 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. Question: You went to Mexico. Six other people also were arrested, including a couple who suddenly moved from a trailer to a $635,000 house. In this action comedy based on true events, David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) discovers the true meaning of adventure far beyond his wildest dreams. organizes one of the biggest bank heists in American history. To connect Chambers to them was more difficult. In real-life, Ghantt, then 27, used his access to swipe $17 million, later fleeing to Mexico with $25,000 of it stashed into the legs of pantyhose that he wore as a money belt; while he waited . "I'm glad I've grown out of that.". They didnt stop there, they then proceeded to buy luxury cars, big-screen TVs and other extravagant items. Let me see! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Kelly Campbell: [looks at his buttocks] I think that bullet just went straight between your cheeks. The others, though, went no farther than Cramer Mountain. Galifianakis can pull off broad comedy effortlessly, a skill which catapulted him to . Ghantt:It baffles me to this day. The next day, before Mike was able to leave the country, the FBI arrested him in his hotel room. Upon viewing it the investigators saw exactly what had taken place that night. Everything came crashing down on an early March morning in 1998. She is a self-proclaimed "super-self-aware person" and this is her first guest post on the blog. Kelly Campbell, a former firm employee, pleaded guilty to bank larceny, money laundering, and murder conspiracy charges earlier this year. 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.". Ultimately, eight co-conspirators were indicted for the Loomis Fargo bank heist. You should definitely start your own blog, I highly recommend it. You have permission to edit this article. 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. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. 5 min read. David gets Steve to confess to planning the heist. Hes a family man with a wife and daughter. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). When things calmed down, Ghantt was to re-enter the U.S., and the money was split up among all co-conspirators. In August 1997, Campbell told Ghantt about an old high school friend of hers, Steve Chambers. Despite working for a company that regularly relocates millions of dollars, David Ghantt himself was underpaid. He walked out with $17.3 million in cash and a movie-ready story. What we know. This was why he devised a plan for the Loomis Fargo heist. This caused them just to leave the cash they could not take with them in the back of the van. Founder With Four Million Fake Customers Tricked JPMorgan Out Of $175 Million, Police Search For More Than 70 Bodies After Woman Claims Dad Was A Serial Killer, Mother Turned Her Own Son In To Police As She Was Afraid He Would Attack School. It was over. Kelly : Oh, it's a real magical place. Steven Chambers, left, and David Scott Ghantt leave federal court. All were convicted, and while some received probation for money laundering, many others did a hard time. They swept the surrounding counties, locating Kelly Campbell and Eric Payne in their homes. At the time . This story was originally published October 1, 2017, 6:44 PM. Man died Wednesday. The Gaston Gazette interviewed Ghantt, whos now in his late 40s and living as a free man in Florida. Surveillance tapes and photographs showed a man who the FBI believes is Ghantt taking bags of money and putting them onto a cart in the vault at Loomis, Fargo's offices in Charlotte. Three of the 21 defendants in the case haven't been sentenced. The events that led to the Loomis Fargo heist started with Ghantt entering a relationship with fellow employee Kelly Campbell. Even if Campbell denies the relationship was ever romantic, the FBI evidence says otherwise. 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 . It was here that the money was moved from the armored car to private vehicles. David Ghantt : Oh, Rio, yeah, yeah. I wanted to make a drastic change and I went for it," Ghantt said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Despite being caught on camera wheeling the money from the vault to the getaway van, David Ghantt . David Ghantt : I've never even been to the airport but about twice in my life. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. In addition, six other people, some of whom had been spending large amounts of money, were arrested Monday in North Carolina in connection with the case, Perry said. Then Campbell turned his attention to her boyfriend. Explain? So its one thing to go from up here, thought, to action, he said. Ghantt ended up doing more than five years in prison, Chambers did more than 11 years. 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.An FBI criminal investigation (which became international in scope) ultimately resulted in the arrest and conviction of eight people . Everything came crashing down on an early March morning in 1998 outside the courthouse, mother! Life and had no qualms about it 5 million, but that 's going to attention! 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