He decided at that moment that if Kelly called again, he would go for it. Sure enough, she called a few days later, around September 16. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars worth of temptation. They could talk about anything, even topics he couldn't discuss with his wife. For example, Steve Chambers and his wife were living in a. How Did A Model Employee Manage To Steal More Than $17 Million - Yahoo! Now, at 7:45 p.m., with all the money finally inside the van, his aching muscles could take a breather. Each cart, holding about $2 million, was taking David seven or eight minutes to stack, push, and empty into the van, and there were about eight cartloads' worth in the vault. 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.. Its attracted workers like Ghantt. Campbell was another employee at Loomis Fargo and she and Ghantt quickly struck up a relationship, one that Campbell denies was ever romantic though FBI evidence says otherwise, and one that continued after she left the company. Now and again I run into blog posts that tends to make me want to get started on bloggin myself. Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. To visit friends.". David's vision for all of this actually derived more from books than from movies. This technically made it abank robbery afederal offense. But if you did, youll never forget it. 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 . He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. But things didnt quite work out that way. Former FBI agent John Wydra, 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. 6-Year Sentence For Kelly Campbell | The Seattle Times Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. Have a youtube channel or website similar? The real story behind the second largest bank heist in history, which The hillbilly outfit did more that just drop a few breadcrumbs. David would simply empty the vault and deliver the money to the others. 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. But that only tells part of the story. You can seize property. David and the trainee left the warehouse. Johnson had stolen $18.8 million earlier in the year, on March 19, 1997, only to be caught five months later, in late August, while crossing into Texas from Mexico to retrieve some of the money, which he'd hidden in a shed in mountainous western North Carolina. So its one thing to go from up here, thought, to action, he said. It wasn't how much you stole that mattered most; it was that you had stolen in the first place. But he wasn't finished. Diamant, a journalist who reported on the case at the time, goes into meticulous detail on how the heist was pulled off and its aftermath. These cookies do not store any personal information. In Gastonia, David would run into high-school classmates who had never struck him as especially smart. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. 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. They knew Steve Chambers had worked as an informant in the past, and were nervous he would smell out an undercover. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. It's still the hot topic . >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. 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. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. 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. Over 88% of the money has been recovered since the heist. "I'm busy," he said. Probably very egotistical of me, I thought, Yeah, sure, I can beat them, theyre college smart and thats about it, Ghantt said. 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. 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. He called Kelly to say he was coming and hopped into the driver's seat of the loaded Loomis van. When you have money, you just have different problems: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist - molecularrecipes.com Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. I was relieved emotionally because I knew there was a good chance my luck might run out, Ghantt said. 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. CHARLOTTE (AP) During one overnight shift, a bumbling conspiracy of thieves just west of Charlotte stole more than $17 million from Loomis Fargo. 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. So that was kind of like this once-in-a-lifetime thing, Wydra said. Another name the FBI had become very interested in is Eric Payne. The True Story of David Ghantt and the Loomis Fargo Heist - PrepScholar (LogOut/ The bag held his mobile phone and handgun. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. Sunny. 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. Kelly Campbell, who one day visited a Toyota dealership to purchase a minivan with twenty-dollar bills. 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. 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. He allegedly hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. "Just remind Steve," he said, "that I might be trouble my own self." 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, . Though much of the cash was already stacked on pushcarts in the vault, other stacks were on shelves or the floor, and they were heavy. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. They kept several furnishings from the previous owners, including avelvet Elvis. "Do you know how much there's gonna be?" Oh were not going to talk to anybody, theyre not going to be able to convict us, that bravado happens in the beginning and then it often gets worn down by the reality, Gronquist said. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later Former FBI agent John Wydra, 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. Money. Loomis Fargo employees could not open the vault the next morning, and called the police. EDITORIAL: Computer Science misses the need for digital literacy, N. Carolina legislators announce Medicaid expansion deal, EDITORIAL: Fighting political forces that sever family ties, Special-use to get overhaul: Commissioners, planners take a look, Cape Carteret seeking new police chief one month after hiring New Bern resident for post, How many in North Carolina are awaiting student loan debt relief? The plan was for Ghantt to commit the actual robbery and then quickly leave the country forMexico but to leave the bulk of the cash with Chambers. As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or 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. You should definitely start your own blog, I highly recommend it. Not every agent has a case like that, he said. 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. Jeff Diamant was a reporter for the Charlotte Observer when the heist took place. 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. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.. And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. The figures can be astounding. contact us to submit an unexplained mystery article, or to join the team on the email address below. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. Her case closes in 2025. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later 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. Who was she to be pressuring him? And they hit the jackpot -- FBI video shows agents recovering most of the stolen cash. Its like, me and you sat down, I have access to pie, you like pie, all I want is my share of the pie. 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. Discover the truth behind unexplained ancient mysteries, UFO mysteries, secret locations and paranormal events. What it does is put a ball and chain on that person for the rest of their lives, they are walking around and they are basically an indentured servant, Gronquist said. Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing 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. Thank you! ", "I don't need any more friends," she'd shot back. On the evening ofOctober 4, 1997, the Loomis Fargo & Co branch in Charlotte, North Carolina was in the process of being plundered. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. Also charged with money laundering were innocent relatives and friends who had co-signed safe deposit boxes. sole discretion of the site administrators and repeat offenders may Yet their lives seemed far easier and better than his. You can seize property. Pink, Mr. Blue, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde. Arrests Made in $17 Mil. N.C. Heist | AP News He added that he would be able to send the trainee home at about 6:00 p.m. and would then need about an hour to load the money from carts, shelves, and the floor into a Loomis company van. When they hung up, she called his pager and left the code 1-4-3, beeper-speak for "I love you," based on the number of letters in each word. You Save 23%. His collection case closes in two years. Then 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, Wydra said. Its in the ether. Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. That first day in prison was scary, Ghantt said. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. The woman on the phone was Kelly Jane Campbell, and David had a mad crush on her. Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. Ghantts spending in Mexico was extravagant at first. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. A more immediate need was securing help to move the stolen money to safety the night of the crime. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. 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. He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. Investigators also found Ghantts pickup truck, abandoned at the warehouse. Enforcement of this policy is at the For example, 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. In the grand scheme of things, the prison sentence for stealing $20 million wouldn't be much worse than for stealing just $500,000 maybe a few extra years behind bars. It was the second-largest. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Jim Gronquist was Campbells defense attorney. 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. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. The old man me would never survive that, Id have a heart attack.. Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. If the American Dream involved being better off as adults than your parents were, David was experiencing a version of the American Nightmare. Nathan, Steves cousin, was found in a mobile home the Chambers had abandoned. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. Not all of them, but some of them are going to forgive you, theyre going to overlook it., he said. It should have been easy, but for some reason the gate didn't open for him. And they could barely afford the minimum payments, given the power bills, phone bills, car insurance bills, and home payments they had to meet. Ghantt had fled to Mexico with $50,000 in cash, leaving the rest of the money with Steve Chambers. Agents raided safe deposit boxes, where they recovered more than $11 million. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 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. Friends of Campbell had also begun spending large amounts of cash. David told Kelly they would have to control themselves and not spend the money too quickly, because the FBI could electronically trace a suspect's recent spending activity through bank papers, credit card records, and land transactions. 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. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. Its in the ether. Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain. Inside the truck, they found Ghantts ring and surmised this as a sign of Ghantts intention to end his relationship with his wife. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. So they went to Mexico and arrested Ghantt in order to protect him. 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. The unfairness gnawed at him, stirred by Kelly's questions. The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. Curiously, Payne had recently paid of his Visa in one payment and had been driving around new and rented vehicles for the past weeks. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. 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 trainee didn't yet know how the place worked, a fact David planned to use to his advantage. The gang made numerous mistakes. Just after the last employees left that day, surveillance footage shows a man enter the vault, and begin to load more than 2,740 pounds in cash into a nearby van, totaling around over $17 million. 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.. He shut the empty vault and set its timer so the vault could not be opened for two or three days. Meanwhile, Ghantt's gang spent wildly and paid their family members and friends to hide money. Low 46F. He loves his motorcycle and enjoys going fishing and, while hes sorry for the past, hes not ashamed to talk about it. Ghantt said he believes in redemption, and that his mistake 25 years ago brought him all the things that are important in his life today. Kelly called, using David's own cell phone, to ask where he was already, because she and the others were waiting outside for him. "Are you serious?" remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats Ghantt went to Mexico leaving the money with his cohorts, thinking that he could get his share back when he needed it. The theft at the time the second-largest cash robbery in U.S. history has been the brunt of mocking movies and books, mostly on how the thieves, who had little money to begin with, could not control their spending habits once they did. 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. 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. 'Masterminds' Review: Loomis Fargo Robbery Where Are They Now? - Pajiba : The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft. That sounds like a lot of money until its compared to the $18,930,201.26 the group was ordered to pay. Growing up, David had been a nice kid, a decent student who was at worst a minor troublemaker and prankster. 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. While David Ghantt trusted Steve Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. 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. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. Some of that money is just gone. He and Tammy could have one or two meals each week that he really liked, but the rest were hot dogs or Hamburger Helper. Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. She had attitude. "Just think about it," she said. Still facing possible unknowns of other people involved, the FBI needed to gather more information without the suspects getting suspicious of them. Ghantt reported to Chambers that his supply of money was running low, but Chambers sent Ghantt just $8,000. 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. Once they were in custody, the overwhelming task of clearing out possessions possibly purchased with the stolen money began. 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. If a prank seemed dangerous, David backed out. There was no reason to leave anything, he felt. These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. NASCAR. The figures can be astounding. FBI video shows the agency searching that home and finding drawers full of cash. He realized his life wouldn't improve unless he did something drastic. He knew it would mean leaving Tammy. It was released in 2016 and Wydra was invited to the premiere. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later 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. Im married, I got one girl, shes 15 going on 30. They also bought aBMW Z3with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 statue of aNative American. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. The site features a collection of unexplained, strange and odd mysteries. The unsolved crime mystery of Marilyn Sheppard. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. In Reservoir Dogs, released just five years earlier, the pawns in a robbery knew each other only by assigned colors: Mr.