A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. What kind of surprised me is how much the car smelled like money, like if you ever hold money up to your nose it has a distinct smell, Wydra said. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. There was no reason to leave anything, he felt. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. By now, you probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve Chambers and his wife Michelle, and Kelly Campbell. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. "I don't have time to mess with you. These cookies do not store any personal information. The police almost immediately called theFBI, since 95% of the money handled at the facility was owned by banks. "What would it take to convince you to do it?" ALSO READ: 14-year-old boy robbed at gunpoint while waiting for bus in east. If a prank seemed dangerous, David backed out. The only other employee with him on this day was a trainee. The figures can be astounding. - Husband and wife Steven and Michelle Chambers, whose conspicuous consumption of a luxury home, a BMW convertible, breast implants and a $600 wooden Indian, among other purchases, helped the FBI solve the crime, were assessed $3.81 million and $4.8 million, respectively. To visit friends.". 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. 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. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. CHARLOTTE If you didnt live in the Charlotte area 25 years ago, you might not believe it. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. He would then have the bulk of his share sent south of the border. Hed never really been in trouble, he wasnt a career criminal, said retired FBI agent John Wydra. So the original gang was all totally shocked, Wydra said. 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. she asked. Library Journal "highly entertaining." Low 46F. : The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. 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. Ghantt reported to Chambers that his supply of money was running low, but Chambers sent Ghantt just $8,000. 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 loot would later be divided among David, Kelly, and Steve. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. All of the co-defendants were arrested the next day, about six months after the heist. The inspiration behind the major motion picture Masterminds starring Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Sudeikis! We dont have the manpower to track all that (restitution) money down I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs., Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it,, You can garnish wages. They had met in December 1995 on one of her first days at Loomis. Jim Gronquist, Campbells defense attorney during the Loomis case, says the financial penalties levied against his client and her co-defendants are grossly excessive and unjust, particularly since most of the stolen Loomis money was actually recovered. Copyright The Nashua Telegraph | https://www.nashuatelegraph.com | 110 Main St, Ste 1, Nashua, NH 03060 | 603-882-2741, Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997, Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Ghantt met up with the other members of the plot and offloaded the cash. And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth.. The gang made numerous mistakes. Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. Once they were in custody, the overwhelming task of clearing out possessions possibly purchased with the stolen money began. 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. The gang made numerous mistakes. After marrying Tammy in 1992, he worked fueling airplanes at the airport in Hilton Head, South Carolina. 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. I actually loved reading through this post. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. One number is working in Campbells favor. People dont seem to understand human nature. David and Kelly had driven to Rock Hill, South Carolina, and used the documents to obtain a fake ID that David would also rely on after the theft. How he and his wife had trouble communicating. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Ms. Campbell worked at Loomis for 11 months, leaving in November 1996, according to court papers. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. Then they returned it. 2023 Cox Media Group. They hadn't slept together or even fooled around much, but he was ready to commit. He hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. Since Ghantt was the supervisor, he sent his co-worker home first. On the evening ofOctober 4, 1997, the Loomis Fargo & Co branch in Charlotte, North Carolina was in the process of being plundered. 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.. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. 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. Working by himself, Ghantt would commit the robbery and then flee for Mexico, leaving the bulk of the cash with Chambers. 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. As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. And once he started, he didn't stop with one cartful. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain. A parrot tattoo on her right ankle. David and Steve had never met, but Steve had already secured somebody else's birth certificate and social security card for him and given it to Kelly to pass along. The participants in the heist also spent lavishly on fancy jewelry, fancy cars and breast enhancement surgeries. 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. It should have been easy, but for some reason the gate didn't open for him. David didn't appreciate her tone. In the movie: Campbell invites Ghantt to a restaurant under the auspices of a date, but then springs the idea of the heist on him, as Chambers and two associates join the conversation from an . Tuesday marked 25 years since a group of buddies pulled off the third-largest money grab in U.S. history -- the Loomis Fargo heist. Later, they also arrested Nathans older brother. 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. The strange story of Mary Reeser Spontaneous Human Combustion. 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.. La vie de David Ghantt n'a rien de compliqu. Probably very egotistical of me, I thought, Yeah, sure, I can beat them, theyre college smart and thats about it, Ghantt said. They could talk about anything, even topics he couldn't discuss with his wife. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. Some of that money is just gone. The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. None of the suspects had been in any serious trouble before 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. For people earning $8.15 an hour David's salary the jokes came naturally. The stated plan was for her to move to Mexico to be with him after the theft. 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. 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. Sure to be in demand as the book has been made into a movie, Masterminds, to be released in August.Michael Sawyer, Pine Bluff, AR. 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.. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. (LogOut/ 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. Steve was a serious guy? Spunk. Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all., WSOC TV facebook feed(Opens a new window), Part 2: Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago, ALSO READ: 14-year-old boy robbed at gunpoint while waiting for bus in east Charlotte, mom says, ALSO READ: Leader of $3M check theft, bank fraud scheme in Charlotte area sentenced to prison, ALSO READ: Man released from jail, accused of robbing banks while wearing electronic monitor, police say, ALSO READ: Suspect from south Charlotte bank robbery found, CMPD says, NCSHP arrest driver accused of nearly hitting 2 students at bus stop in Statesville, CMS delays opening of new school meant to ease overcrowding, Mooresville orders removal of memorial at park after teens death, Chick-fil-A announces app data breach, tells customers how to protect personal information, Charlotte woman celebrates $1 million scratch-off prize, WSOC - TV Public File Contact / Program Director, WAXN - TV Public File Contact / Program Director. The property has changed hands several times since then. The Charlotte area's economy was booming all around him, and he felt passed over. And then I realized that a lot of people knew who I was and they had followed the case.. Campbell left her job in the summer of 1997, but she would later use Ghantt's feelings for her to her own advantage to get him to agree to carry out the multi-million-dollar heist. The investigation ultimately resulted in the conviction of eight people directly involved, as well as sixteen others who had indirectly helped them. At that point, Kelly and David had known each other for two years. 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. Booklist "Librariesshould consider purchasing this entertaining and lightly edited version, which reads like a fast-paced novel." This website uses cookies and some data tracking to improve your experience and serve adverts, We assume you're ok with this, you can opt-out if you wish. 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. When some friends stole a stop sign from a busy intersection, David made them put it back. Heist! If we can sit on the money for a year, maybe two, it could work.". In addition, he also rented Mike his own apartment, paid him $400/weekly and bought him a gun. But this time on the phone, Kelly wasn't joking. When Ghantt called Campbell asking for more money, a plan was set in motion to take him out. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). He is a graduate of Yale and has worked for the Connecticut Post, the Associated Press, and the Palm Beach Post. 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. This technically made it abank robbery afederal offense. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Its in the ether. Theres no way to get it back,, And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. Campbell led Ghantt to think she loved him and they would flee to Mexico together, but she actually wanted to make a better life for herself in the U.S. With the plan in place, Ghantt sent a newly hired employee he had been assigned to train home early (reportedly, at 6 p.m.) and then proceeded to load a little more than $17.3 million in cash (approximately $11 million of which was in$20 bills) into the back of a company van. https://www.charlotteagenda.com/67457/loomis-fargo-heist-masterminds-movie/, http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/article104506876.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_1997_Loomis_Fargo_robbery#Company, http://retroclt.blogspot.com/2014/07/loomis-fargo-heist.html, . Campbell and her husband had always been just scraping by, however in the weeks following the robbery, the two seemed to have more money than they've ever had. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. This month marked 25 years since one of the biggest armored car heists in U.S. history. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. And they hit the jackpot -- FBI video shows agents recovering most of the stolen cash. Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy aToyota Siennaminivanin two cash installments. The 2016 comedy movie, Masterminds is based on the story of the Loomis Fargo Heist. At 2:20 p.m., the phone rang; it was Kelly again. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. 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. 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. Nathan, Steves cousin, was found in a mobile home the Chambers had abandoned. 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 . The next day, before Mike was able to leave the country, the FBI arrested him in his hotel room. David was supposed to be showing him the ropes of the job, which included cash pickups and deliveries. The unfairness gnawed at him, stirred by Kelly's questions. Asked the purpose of his visit, Johnson had replied, "To visit friends. 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. The site features a collection of unexplained, strange and odd mysteries. More than half of the amount came from the seizure of a luxury home purchased by husband-and-wife defendants during their post-heist spending spree. Michelle Chambers received a few more months than Ghantt, because she had violated several bond conditions. Action News Jax facebook feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax twitter feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax youtube feed(Opens a new window), JSO K9 escapes kennel, bites three people in Jacksonville neighborhood, To know Nancy was to love Nancy: St. Johns County woman killed in suspected DUI crash, JSO says missing child alert results in deadly drowning, Senator proposes bill giving state emergency jurisdiction over custody of kids with trans parents, Florida woman accused of killing terminally ill husband released from jail. David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis), an employee of Loomis Fargo, robbed his own vault, left the $17.3 million in cash with his co-conspirators, Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig) and Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson) and fled the country to Mexico. The old man me would never survive that, Id have a heart attack.. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: But where will they park? CHARLOTTE (AP) During one overnight shift, a bumbling conspiracy of thieves just west of Charlotte stole more than $17 million from Loomis Fargo. 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. A connection between each suspect began to emerge slowly, and as the intensity of spending grew, suspicion did as well. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. The actual crime itself required none of Hollywood's imagination. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.'. 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. Kristen Wiig plays Kelly, who really wasn't that into David, but convinced him to take a fortune from Loomis Fargo in the fall of '97. The plan was still on, but David remained steamed. Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing The robbery was committed by David Scott Ghantt who was the vault supervisor and accomplices Kelly Campbell, Steve Chambers, Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobies, and other four members. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. As an adult, he preferred Shakespeare, Tom Clancy, and any book he could find about the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He realized his life wouldn't improve unless he did something drastic. Expanded two-hour true crime story about the 1997 Loomis-Fargo armored car heist in North Carolina and the serio-comic fate of its bumbling underdog perpetra. Then, keeping with the plan, Ghantt took $50,000 (the maximum that could be taken across the border by law without further authorization) with him and left for Mexico, winding up at the popularYucatan Peninsularesort ofCozumel. By then, the FBI had become greatly concerned for Ghantts personal safety; they had learned of Chambersmurder for hirescheme. Still facing possible unknowns of other people involved, the FBI needed to gather more information without the suspects getting suspicious of them. So they went to Mexico and arrested Ghantt in order to protect him. Chambers had told Campbell to do whatever she needed to do to get Ghantt to commit the robbery. 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Marine Fisheries Commission advocates for water quality, North Carolina the only state allowing unnecessary killing of sea turtles, 'Pagan' bike gang leader in N. Carolina sentenced to prison, Deputy cleared in shooting death of Gloucester woman, Beaufort amends charter to allow four-year mayoral term. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. The van used to move the money was later located a few miles from the warehouse. He hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. More than 2 million dollars are still missing to this day. Tips had led the FBI to begin monitoring Chambers (and his wifes) activities, but it was not until the FBIrecorded a phone callfrom Ghantt in Mexico that the final connection was made. He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. You can garnish wages. The Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later We went on a mission to calculate exactly how much size-wise the money was, $11.3 million in $20 bills, and it weighed over 2,000 pounds, former FBI agent John Wydra said. Unexplained Mysteries - owned by Aliens since 2011. As a child, he had preferred reading to playing sports, and he would say, as an adult, that although he couldn't have told you "who was on first," he knew as a kid who the Egyptian god of the dead was. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. Their most important conversation occurred one afternoon in August 1997 after Kelly paged him at work. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft [Jeff Diamant] on Amazon.com. Breakdown by congressional district, States' push to define sex decried as erasing trans people, North Carolina Supreme Court hears felony voting rights case, North Carolina House GOP modifies rules on veto overrides, N. Carolina speaker, lawmaker uninjured after SUV rammed, UPS chooses Onslow County site for expansion, EPA orders 'pause' of derailment contaminated waste removal, My Sisters House: helping women in cycle of incarceration, Talent cycle keeps rolling for East boys basketball program, Carteret County Board of Education adopts resolution calling for flexibility in school calendar law, Emerald Isle to have public comment period on 2023-24 budget Tuesday night, Jury quickly finds Murdaugh guilty of murder of wife, son, After their genitals were cut, some women search for healing, N. 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Carolina House GOP again modifies rules on veto overrides, Murdoch says some Fox hosts 'endorsed' false election claims, Havelock officials warn public about alligator near Walmart, Cape Carteret buys new utility vehicle to aid in picking up litter, New taxi, shuttle business seeks license to operate in Morehead City, Report: Navy ships face growing maintenance delays, costs, Fisheries division to survey for-hire watermen, National Enquirer, ensnared in catch-and-kill is sold. Its said the current owner now has it in storage in Phoenix, Arizona. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. 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. He knew his mother would be traumatized, shocked, and appalled. This was several years before the advent of smartphones and the post-9/11 increase in federal surveillance of electronic communications, and public knowledge about this tracking was less widespread. In addition to their extravagant spending, Michelle Chambers made the mistake of loudly asking a bank teller how much cash she could deposit in her account without it being reported to the feds, and then said, its not drug money.. He couldn't understand the gap, why he wasn't more successful, why he couldn't at least match the financial stability of his father, who earned a comfortable salary driving a truck. personal/abusive/condescending attacks on other users or goading LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Remember why you were elected! There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. them. The woman on the phone was Kelly Jane Campbell, and David had a mad crush on her. The unsolved mystery of the Van Meter Visitor a winged creature! 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. But if you did, youll never forget it. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers, carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. He had approached her inside the chain-link fence that surrounded the building and said with a flirty smile, "If you give me a cigarette, I'll be your friend.