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The gang made numerous mistakes.
How Did David Ghantt, Kelly Campbell, Steve Chambers Steal More Than The trainee didn't yet know how the place worked, a fact David planned to use to his advantage. Seven p.m. came and went, and so did 7:20. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) During one overnight shift, a bumbling conspiracy of thieves just west of Charlotte stole more than $17 million from Loomis Fargo. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Chambers had told Campbell to do whatever she needed to do to get Ghantt to commit the robbery. 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. 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,. When I put that cash in the back of the car, by the time I got to the office the whole car smelled like that. Now one of the most wanted men in America with the FBI hot on his heels, Ghantt must figure out how to get his money, get away from a hit man, and get even. He hated his job and his bosses, he'd lost hope in his marriage, he wasn't going to advance at Loomis, and he couldn't afford to quit to enroll in college. It took me going to prison to realize I was a bag of worms, and it took me years of work to be somebody worthy to come back into our society, he said. In total, 24 people were convicted and all but one of the accused pleaded guilty. "So he stays behind and moving over two thousand pounds of . Probably very egotistical of me, I thought, Yeah, sure, I can beat them, theyre college smart and thats about it, Ghantt said. OWLS director fired in wake of new board taking over, New rules will require flood history disclosure in real estate, North Carolina recreational spring flounder season canceled for 2023, Supreme Court seems ready to sink student loan forgiveness, Beach commission gets update on search for new sources of sand for beach nourishment. The actual crime itself required none of Hollywood's imagination. He allegedly hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. For the defendants in the Loomis Fargo heist, its allure was irresistible. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. He realized his bosses would know he had worked that day and that he was missing, but maybe without a video they would think he'd been held at gunpoint and taken hostage, or even better, that he'd been killed. So its one thing to go from up here, thought, to action, he said. Discover some of the worlds strangest ancient places. To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court.
The real 'Masterminds' Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Pink, Mr. Blue, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde. Since Ghantt was the supervisor, he sent his co-worker home first. FBI video shows the agency searching that home and finding drawers full of cash. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. They hadn't slept together or even fooled around much, but he was ready to commit. But what the bank didnt tell Michelle, and Michelle didnt know, was that one of those forms get filled out if you ask about it, or if its close to $10,000 or if they suspect that any part of that transaction is suspicious, Wydra said. A couple by the names of Steve and Shelley Chambers also became people of interest in the investigation due to their extreme sudden increase in spending. The Star-Ledger, 06/15/2015On October 4, 1997, an amateurish gang robbed Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, NC of $17 million, the second largest heist in U.S. history. Over the next two weeks, David thought about it. They also bought aBMW Z3with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 statue of aNative American. He realized his life wouldn't improve unless he did something drastic. The only other employee with him on this day was a trainee. (LogOut/ : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft [Jeff Diamant] on Amazon.com. Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. Steve Chambers and his wife were living in a trailer and upgraded to what would today be a multi-million-dollar mansion at Cramer Mountain. The $17 million was stolen last Oct. 4 from the armored-car company's vault in Charlotte. Loomis Fargo, the nation's largest privately held armored- car company, used vans to transport hundreds of millions of dollars a day belonging to banks and other businesses, stocking automated teller machines and storing money in the Loomis vault between deliveries. He had joined the army and earned an honorable discharge, but because of defense-industry cutbacks he hadn't been able to find a good job for himself. 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 . Hes a family man with a wife and daughter.
6-Year Sentence For Kelly Campbell | The Seattle Times He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. This month marked 25 years since one of the biggest armored car heists in U.S. history. He was a hard worker, smart enough, and had graduated from high school. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. A report by the General Accounting Office found that as of budget year 2016, $110 billion in restitution ordered by the federal courts was outstanding and that more than 90% of the amount had been classified as uncollectible.. them. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]. The hillbilly outfit did more that just drop a few breadcrumbs. Aprs de nombreux seconds rles comiques au cinma, elle parvient percer en co-crivant et tenant le rle principal de la It, too, has changed hands several times. Learning from this error, David planned to leave the stolen money behind with his coconspirators while he fled to Mexico. Loomis has received $978,983.79, according to Sally Butcher, an assistant clerk in the federal courts of the Western District of North Carolina who specializes in criminal debt. Winds light and variable. If we can sit on the money for a year, maybe two, it could work.". 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. Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain. That was taking the long view. The FBI heard about the plot and agents knew they could no longer wait. In August 1997, Campbell informed Ghantt about an old high school friend of hers named Steve Chambers, who could assist Ghantt to execute a massive cash robbery of the Loomis Fargo vault in one night. FBI video shows agents searching the Cramer Mountain home and finding stacks of cash. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. David's vision for all of this actually derived more from books than from movies. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. 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. "its a great readsuspenseful, often funny, just the thing for those wondering what it might feel like to have, as these hapless, small-town criminals did, literally too darn much cash lying around. "
America's Dumbest Heist! (True Crime Documentary) | Real Stories - 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. For people earning $8.15 an hour David's salary the jokes came naturally. That first day in prison was scary, Ghantt said. ", "I don't need any more friends," she'd shot back. true story that has captivated American audiences on the news and now on the big screen in the major motion picture, Masterminds. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. contact us to submit an unexplained mystery article, or to join the team on the email address below. They swept the surrounding counties, locating Kelly Campbell and Eric Payne in their homes. Who all wanted a Rambo movie which explored his time training as a green beret and his time serving in Vietnam as a prequel to first blood WATCH Antebellum 2020 FULL MOVIE.
David Ghantt And The Ridiculous Loomis Fargo Heist The walk-in vault was a fortified gray room, more wide than long, with shelves, cabinets, desks, and multiple pushcarts stocked with shrink-wrapped cash. However, Chambers had no intention of following those rules, believing the FBI would never connect him to Ghantt. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Then, he proceeded to load 2,800 pounds of cash into a van. In his youth, his mother had taken him to Sears and JCPenney, but as a man he shopped at Walmart, and while he knew there was nothing wrong with that, he wished he could afford more. But they'd stayed in touch, and now they were poised to attempt a crime like almost no other. Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. About the worst he had done as a teenager was stealing a construction company's Porta-Jon with a friend, tying it to the back of a pickup truck, and driving around for about fifteen minutes. 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. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. A former FBI agent who helped crack the case sat down with Channel 9 Reporter Glenn Counts to talk about the clues that led to solving the crime, and how the group got caught. Yet their lives seemed far easier and better than his. He hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. He hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. They located Steve and Shelley Chambers in their newly-purchased home at the top of a hill. None of the suspects had been in any serious trouble before this. 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. (LogOut/ The case had gotten national publicity and was the subject of numerous articles, documentaries and even a movie. Spunk. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Its said the current owner now has it in storage in Phoenix, Arizona. Worlds Biggest Heists London Hatton Garden 200m Diamond Robbery, Easter 2015. 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. 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. The supervisor liked him and gave him the job. He shut the empty vault and set its timer so the vault could not be opened for two or three days. Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. "Everything's gonna be all right," she told him. 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. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. He has a regular life now, but 25 years ago, Ghantt was the mastermind behind the third-largest bank robbery in U.S. history. One number is working in Campbells favor. He was on a budget for clothes, even for work boots; he had recently needed to check seven stores before finding a pair in his price range. The money weighed as much as a compact car and he did it all by himself. The $17 million Loomis Fargo heist in Charlotte, North Carolina, was the second largest armored car robbery in U.S. history. The plan was still on, but David remained steamed. The friend was Steve Chambers, and Kelly said he knew his way around the world of crime. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. 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. At about 6:40 p.m., he went back inside. When Ghantt called Campbell asking for more money, a plan was set in motion to take him out. Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. Tuesday marked 25 years since a group of buddies pulled off the third-largest money grab in U.S. history -- the Loomis Fargo heist. David said he needed Kelly to drive to Loomis before the theft that night to remove a duffel bag from his parked pickup truck. Their only intimate physical contact had been kissing on a mid-September night when they had driven her pickup truck to a field behind a shooting range in Gaston County to discuss their plans and the theft's chance of success. Kelly called, using David's own cell phone, to ask where he was already, because she and the others were waiting outside for him. Instead he became paranoid, especially after Steve Chambers put a contract out on his life. Libraries without that edition should consider purchasing this entertaining and lightly edited version, which reads like a fast-paced novel. Have a youtube channel or website similar? In David's eyes, Johnson's big mistake was that he did it alone. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said.
Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 Now, at 7:45 p.m., with all the money finally inside the van, his aching muscles could take a breather. They had to be extremely careful not to tip off the group, as they could lose potential conspirators or more information important to a conviction. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. Enforcement of this policy is at the And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth.. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. she asked. In 1994, they moved to Gastonia, North Carolina, where they had grown up, and David took a job driving a forklift. Since then, there have been numerous articles, books, documentaries and even a movie about this gang -- the gang that couldnt shoot straight. Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. She will never get beyond the debt. You can seize property. Discover the truth behind unexplained ancient mysteries, UFO mysteries, secret locations and paranormal events. They also purchased expensive cars, jewelry and a breast enhancement or two. But after a year, they cut it down to two agents. To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. But after one visit, she asked a teller How much can I deposit before you have to report it to the feds? followed by Dont worry, it is notdrug money, the bank filled out asuspicious activity report, which ultimately reached the FBI. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. A parrot tattoo on her right ankle. She sounded incredulous. David didn't appreciate her tone. Growing up, David's family went to Disney World, sent him to religious school, and shopped at places he couldn't afford as a self-supporting adult. Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. 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. All but one took plea deals, including Ghantt, who was sentenced to seven years in prison. Campbell used to work for Loomis and continued the friendship with Ghantt, eventually hooking him up with Chambers. He put on his best pair of jeans, a button-down shirt, and his nicest cowboy boots. VERDICT The first edition of this work was published in 2002. CHARLOTTE If you didnt live in the Charlotte area 25 years ago, you might not believe it. The Chambers home is now gated, which means Channel 9 crews cant drive up to it like we used to. RELATED: When you have money, you just have different problems: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later, How I held it together is beyond me, Ghantt said. I ride motorcycles and fish -- normal guy, Ghantt told Counts. Sun, sand and beaches are all part of why Jacksonville is a popular destination. One day, Campbell was speaking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. just generally being a jerk. He said at first, they were very proud of what they had been able to do. I think if you remember some of her early photographic opportunities, shall we put it that way, she was sort of laughing, not seeming to take it seriously.. It wasn't how much you stole that mattered most; it was that you had stolen in the first place. And once he started, he didn't stop with one cartful. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. He tried again to make the back gate rise, to no avail.
Heist: The Oddball Crew Behind the $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. 2023 Cox Media Group. Getting that off his chest calmed him some, and the conversation returned to the plan. My knee-jerk reaction was to be angry, and then the sarcastic ass side of me started laughing about it, Ghantt said. Ms. Campbell worked at Loomis for 11 months, leaving in November 1996, according to court papers. Before the robber left Loomis Fargo, he made a trip to the managers office to remove two surveillance tapes in order to conceal his identity.
25th anniversary of the incredible Loomis Fargo bank heist | wcnc.com 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. 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. As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or High around 65F. "About fourteen or fifteen million dollars," he said. He also stole both existing sets of vault keys and hurried into the manager's office, where three TV security screens and two VCRs were visible. He ejected the two VCR tapes that he knew had recorded him stealing the money, took them, and prepared to leave. David Scott Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. He and Tammy could have one or two meals each week that he really liked, but the rest were hot dogs or Hamburger Helper. 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. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. He deserved better. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats They kept several furnishings from the previous owners, including avelvet Elvis.
real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist - molecularrecipes.com The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. I made a joke once that was the hardest Id ever worked for Wells Fargo -- yeah, its a lot of work, Ghantt said. He knew it would mean leaving Tammy. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]. I gotta go.". It just happened to fall on my desk.. Thank you so much. There's just one hitch: Ghantt has entrusted the money to an oddball crew of accomplices who had wooed him into committing this massive theft in the first placeand who, he soon learns, are trying to take him out. We are happy to work with other website publishers. 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. But things didnt quite work out that way.
Heist!: The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft - amazon.com They could talk about anything, even topics he couldn't discuss with his wife. The principals here are David Ghantt, a driver for Loomis, Fargo and Co.; Kelly Campbell, the woman Ghantt had a crush on, and who convinced him to commit the crime; and Steve and Michele Chambers. Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997, Incident raises concerns about LGBTQ safety in Carteret County, Drug deal gone bad claims the life of former Marine, Man charged with DWI after SUV takes out gas pumps, fire hydrant in Morehead City, Norfolk Southern train derails in Lexington No hazmat, no anger, Beaufort Housing Authority to replace public housing apartments, New Gamer's Guildhall looks to build community, comradery, DA: 'A very dangerous individual' from Swansboro has been removed, EDITORIAL: Government derails in response to disasters, EDITORIAL: Traffic growth demands a third bridge addition, Commentary: Close look at family history disturbing, Commentary: Second Amendment subverts democracy, EDITORIAL: Attorney General Stein ignores his constitutional responsibility.
What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.'. Chambers had no intention of wiring any money to Ghantt and intended to have him killed to keep him from implicating the others. He also took various measures to change his appearance, such asshaving, after a patron at a restaurant pointed out to him that he looked like the man who robbed a bank of $20 million.. Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. A connection between each suspect began to emerge slowly, and as the intensity of spending grew, suspicion did as well. 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. In fact, he had recently finished a book about the FBI and felt it provided insight into the agency's investigative techniques, insight he thought could help the little gang succeed. Although the FBI investigation was able to quickly connect Ghantt to Campbell, connecting Ghantt to Chambers was a more difficult task. You Save 23%. These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. It was 2:00 p.m. on October 4, 1997, and tension was building between two planners of what would rank high among the largest heists in United States history. Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. By now, you probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve Chambers and his wife Michelle, and Kelly Campbell. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies.
Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. That was the thing that sticks in my mind to this day.. After marrying Tammy in 1992, he worked fueling airplanes at the airport in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. She was five-foot-seven, had dirty-blond hair, and had worked with him for about a year at Loomis Fargo, until she left for another job in 1996. So they went to Mexico and arrested Ghantt in order to protect him. He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. The Charlotte area's economy was booming all around him, and he felt passed over. Its attracted workers like Ghantt. Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing Ghantt went to Mexico leaving the money with his cohorts, thinking that he could get his share back when he needed it. He loves his motorcycle and enjoys going fishing and, while hes sorry for the past, hes not ashamed to talk about it. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. As beads of sweat formed under his red hair, he loaded up another cart and repeated the process. When some friends stole a stop sign from a busy intersection, David made them put it back. "For the first year after a crime," he told her, "they're all over you, with six to ten agents. I dont know if Steve would have done it himself, but he definitely was capable of buying someone to do it for him and I think that was going to happen if we didnt step in and arrest Ghantt, Wydra said. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such asscuba divingandparasailing. And they hit the jackpot -- FBI video shows agents recovering most of the stolen cash. In Reservoir Dogs, released just five years earlier, the pawns in a robbery knew each other only by assigned colors: Mr.