Not Ghantt. . But as soon as he drove off, I went right back in and opened the vault. "I was thinking, 'They aren't paying me enough,' " McKinney recalled. David thought about it. . They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. ". Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. Ghantt didn't actually meet Chambers until the night of the heist, though, according to Diamant, who would go on to write a book about it.The . He longed for the middle-class lifestyle of his childhood, with its private religious-school education and Disney World vacations. And then I could hear her laughing. "We're not the type that questions everything people tell us," Floyd said. Speaking of his co-defendants, Ghantt says hes not currently in contact with any of them. It wasn't known whether anyone would receive it. 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. "You" has three. Kelly drove David to the airport. and "I'm rich!". . He drove to the edge of the Loomis compound, which was surrounded by a chain-link fence. As he and Kelly met in a field behind a shooting range to refine the plan, she allowed him to believe she was falling for him. As with many recent historic events, this one had been caught on videotape, a fact that a few dozen Charlotte FBI agents would learn in a hastily organized Sunday morning meeting. I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. The FBI now knew Chambers had Loomis cash. Michele received the best gift of the night. Then, I started loading the van., Money, when bound in bulk and stacked in canvas bags, is heavier than you might expect. In December, agents got the tie-in they were looking for: Kelly Campbell had bought a $30,000 Toyota minivan with cash and registered it to one of Steve Chambers's aliases. . The platform is designed to engage citizens and government leaders in a discussion about what needs improvement across the country. When McKinney arrived in North Carolina, the plan had changed. "Think of how many women would have stood by. I wish them all a happy life and that's about it. From Mexico, David usually spoke with Kelly on the phone once a week, paying with calling cards. But Ghantt, who served as an unpaid consultant to the movie and attended the big Los Angeles premiere earlier in the week, has no such reservations. The best states in the U.S. come from coast to coast. Its in the ether. What made her do it? You've violated that trust. Question: How much of 'Masterminds' is true? He played high school football at Mays High School in Atlanta, and college football at Georgia Tech . He para-sailed, power-skied and scuba-dived. She asked about the limit for a cash deposit before "paperwork" was required. First, in January, he tried to get someone to take some millions down to Mexico. I knew I was going to be the prime suspect. When Ghantt was on the plane home from Mexico with the FBI, he admitted to the agents that while Campbell had been integral to why hed done it and that he did indeed have a crush on her it was never his true motivation. . In real life: False. "I was trying to figure out a way to [leave my husband] and take care of my kids without having to depend on him or any other man," Kelly said. And though she had been made night shift supervisor at Allied Security, she still felt she would never make the money she needed. Kelly said she had reason to believe Steve might be able to pull off a heist. "That would be living on the run, and I didn't want my kids to live that way. Based on a true story, the premise itself is fascinating, which makes Masterminds all the more a waste. I can take 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. David Ghantt, who pulled off the Loomis, Fargo & Co. vault robbery in 1997 and was sentenced to seven years in prison for the crime, served as a consultant for the film (in theaters Friday). About 20 ago, Campbell sent him a letter of apology, but he never responded. "It wasn't me, it was Steve," she says she told him. One day, Campbell was speaking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. I was expecting her to kick me out of the house., Years later, after they married and had a child together, they watched a movie based on the whole ordeal. The barrels were Steves idea, Ghantt says. 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. Steve had already paid McKinney $50,000 for the use of his ID. More agents waited outside to arrest them. Now he offered to pay him to carry cash to David--Steve said he was a friend hiding out after a bad drug deal, McKinney recalled. Some days, the robbery seems like a memory from a different life, a choice made by a different man. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. In real life: True. Why fans love it. "As soon as you start, you realize there's no going back," David recalled. I just had to call you., Today, Ghantt cant look back on the whole ordeal without some degree of pride. Back in North Carolina, Ghantts former accomplices were living high on the hog. When Chambers and the two Erics were done loading the stolen millions into barrels, they abandoned the van in the woods. I've got a good woman.". He learned to parachute. ', "He asked me if I'd mind holding some money for him. I mean, it was dark, Ghantt explains. Ghantt fled to Mexico. ];Kelly Jane Campbell [Misc. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers, carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4,. 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. That sounds like a lot of money until its compared to the $18,930,201.26 the group was ordered to pay. He kept looking over his shoulder. So I guess I have no regrets. But what did that mean? David told her he'd need help moving the money, getting a new ID and leaving the country. "I wanted to be more like my mom and dad were.". You're an idiot.'". ", "Even then . By March, Steve Chambers decided he needed to do something more drastic about Ghantt, making plans to send a hitman to Mexico to silence him for good. We need to set up some way for me to get my money. She said, We got it all worked out. [Kelly] told me, 'Just think about it.' In real life: False. I told them, Take it, box it up, and youll be able to ship it to me in Mexico. Back in the 1990s, you couldve probably boxed up a hot pink elephant and shipped it to Mexico; no one wouldve ever noticed. They didn't know it, but they were leaving $3.3 million behind. Her marriage--at which she was making another ambivalent effort after multiple separations--and even the jobs she'd been able to get with a diploma couldn't come close to providing the kind of life she dreamed about, the life she felt she deserved: a house in the country, a swimming pool, and enough cash so she didn't need to rely on men. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. "A lot of people out there had it worse than me, but . Question: Are you happy that Wilkesboro-nativeZach Galifianakis plays you in the movie? While the agents initiated their investigation, the Chambers spent money as quickly as they could. Although David was in on most of the planning, one discussion between Steve and Kelly was kept a secret. Question: You went to Mexico. I really enjoyed the little scuba diving trip. But few could have guessed how spectacularly the heist would go wrong after the criminals initially got away with it. At the Halloween party, though, Kelly gave in to Steve, and agreed it had to be done. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. Our success depends on our team members, and that's why it's important for us to offer an employee benefits program that is not only extremely comprehensive but also one of the best in the industry. Then another. Soon, the couple would be paying for something else, too: a hitman. When she realized Ghantt never came home from work the night before, she contacted the police and filed a missing persons report. . Kelly, using David's cell phone, kept beeping him. As soon as Corey left, I pretended like I was leaving. About 5:30 the next morning, McKinney knocked on David's door and dropped $8,500 on the bed. They paid for all of it in cash. Then another. To say nothing of their art purchases like the aforementioned velvet Elvis portrait and a painting of a bulldog dressed as General George S. Patton. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. 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. That time in prison was actually good for me. One of them tapped him on the back. But it was the rural, Southern backgrounds of many of the key players, along with the many botched twists and bungled turns, that led the media to dub it the hillbilly heist.. In February 1998, the FBI tapped their phones and listened to Steve discuss depositing $2.5 million in the Cayman Islands. Kelly called David at. Steve told me to tell [David] whatever was necessary to keep him happy.". If they could just sit on the money until then, he said, they'd be fine. . They obviously werent trying to get it right they were putting together what they believe is a better story, said Diamant. Its a yes: Clover teen shakes off nerves to earn American Idol golden ticket, Mail carrier cant believe his eyes after seeing NC lottery win. 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. At 6 that morning, FBI supervisor Rick Shaffer led 12 agents and several Gaston County police officers up a winding road on Cramer Mountain to Steve's home. His mobile home was nicely furnished, on eight acres with a stream in the back. Not until David was gone did Scott realize he didn't know which key to use. Basic and voluntary life insurance plan. The mystery 1-4-3 caller had been Kelly, though agents didn't know it yet. October was "a blast," he said. They ditched the Loomis van, then drove the cash-heavy Budget van to Steve's mobile home in Lincoln County, where his wife, Michele, waited with a calculator and rubber bands. My love for my family is by far the most important thing in my life. 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 . I didn't think I had the guts. Chambers did hire McKinney to kill Ghantt, but initially McKinney was making personal cash deliveries to Ghantt in Mexico on behalf of Chambers. He then began loading $17 million in unmarked bills inside a company van before driving away. They sweated, though the night was cool. David was sentenced to 7 1/2 years. You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-869-1823 or Twitter.com/TheGazetteKevin. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Some family members hid money in bank deposit boxes, other friends were asked to mule cash to the Cayman Islands. In the meantime, the FBI was closing in looking to bust a total of 21 suspected accomplices. Ghantt was scheduled to work a shift at the armored car company Oct. 4. So yeah, Im kind of proud of it.. This story was originally published October 3, 2016, 9:12 PM. . Depression had led to smoking a lot of marijuana and taking Prozac, a combination she figures affected her judgment. Filming in the Asheville area starting in early July, and is. He placed stacks of currency on a cart and wheeled it to the van about 15 feet away, inside the building. But after she left, she reached back out to Ghantt and brought up what theyd talked about that day in the break room. Theres no management around. Scott didn't want to, but then he remembered the hundred-grand payday. They soon realized David had stolen more money than would fit in their 55-gallon barrels. Steve tried keys on a side door. Kelly told the FBI she had done drugs with David but denied knowing about the theft. When McKinney realized Ghantt was wanted for the Loomis Fargo robbery, he backed off personally because he didnt want to be anywhere near a federal investigation. Though David had said earlier he thought there was $15 million in the vault, the sight of that much cash held them spellbound. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. Eventually, Steve made Kelly believe they could steal from Loomis and get away with it, she said. Looking for Kelly Loomis? Her case closes in 2025. He covers culture, politics, race, and other perplexing mysteries for MEL. Steve Chambers has told agents the missing cash was stolen from a shed in Lincoln County. "I thought he was goofing around.". She never really worried about the moral end of it--she was focused only on getting what she wanted out of life, what so many others seemed to have in this booming part of the South. First, they loaded the cash into blue 55-gallon barrels, and then they moved the barrels into a rental van. What made her abandon an ordinary existence to commit this spectacular, doomed crime? He pocketed the money and told Chambers and Campbell to send him his cut in Mexico. . He hadnt checked ahead of time if the airport had any available flights, let alone if it would even be open. He told her he wanted more of "his" cash. 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,. One number is working in Campbells favor. Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. Best States is an interactive platform developed by U.S. News for ranking the 50 U.S. states, alongside news analysis and daily reporting. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. He grabbed the tapes from two VCRs that connected to 16 security cameras. A couple weeks pass, and I call again, Hey, Id like to get some more money. (The conversation was depicted as 100 percent private on screen). Ghantt:Since I still owe the federal government money I can't get paid. It had been drilled into my head that if you give me a team of five good people, I can go anywhere, do anything," David explained. I didnt pick the heist team. Cool, I say. Visit us at Loomis.us. In mid-November, McKinney carried $10,000 to Cancun but wound up spending most of it on himself. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist (No Ratings Yet) . And to me, if it pisses them off, Im all for it.. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. After a Gulf War stint in the Army, David got married in 1992. He couldn't even bear to stick around for the final tally--though when he left he didn't forget to take $6,000, the first cut of his expected $100,000 share. Steve told her to send David to Atlanta on a bus and drive back to the trailer. That week, the FBI designated the theft its 142nd "major case," putting it on a list--begun in the 1970s--that includes such other infamous crimes as the World Trade Center bombing. Almost 19 years after Ghantt and a group of friends from Gaston County pulled off one of the largest cash heists in U.S. history, the movie "Masterminds" will play up the caper for laughs. Ghantt knew Chambers as Steve, but didnt find out that his last name was Chambers until the arrests were made. Key benefit components include: Health insurance plans. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. They picked me, he says with a rueful tone. Hidden in it was a 3 1/2-carat diamond ring that cost $43,000. By . Throughout the multi-year-long case and subsequent trials, journalists often referred to Ghantt and the others as trailer trash and hillbillies. Ghantt started at Loomis Fargo in 1994, and soon worked his way up from an armored car driver to a vault supervisor. Before David left for the airport, he had handed Scott an eight-inch key ring. The next day, he was sitting next to FBI agent Mark Rozzi on a US Airways flight to Charlotte. But former Kings Mountain resident David Scott Ghantt can. Should David be killed after he gave them the money? That's the kind of movie they wanted to make. Exciting. His name was Corey. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. 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. She'd heard his stories of other successful schemes, like getting refunds on phony tax returns, or operating a loan shark business. As with Kelly, the worst blotch on 29-year-old Eric's record until now was a driving-while-intoxicated conviction. Ghantt:It baffles me to this day. In March 1997, after Loomis Fargo & Company has been robbed of $18.8 million in Jacksonville by company security guard Philip Noel Johnson, Steve Eugene Chambers and Kelly Campbell, a former employee of Loomis, decides to rob the company. 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. She also must . Were others involved? He went deep-sea fishing. There was a third person with them, too, a man named Eric Grant. That day, FBI agents also would arrest Scott Grant and Eric Payne, who had spent his share of the money on a motorcycle and breast implants for his wife and two sisters. A third tape he didn't know about kept recording. No dry runs, no rehearsals. "I was dumb," Ghantt said Wednesday, the eve before the movie hits screens nationwide. Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing her. Just head on out. And so, he did. Despite a mega-watt cast featuring Zach Galifianakis and a handful of some of Saturday Night Lives biggest current and former stars, Masterminds, the comedy about Loomis Fargo robbery completely tanked at the box office in its opening weekend, bowing in sixth place with just $6.6 million. Here's what Floyd recalls: After two games of pool, Steve told him, "You know, we do a lot of gambling. By late November, McKinney made a third trip to Mexico, saying he'd help David move to Mexico City. shes now Miss USA. I'd probably change jobs. Ghantt and one other employee were the last to leave. Field Operations; Corporate; Why Loomis. Posted on . Starting Pay Rate: $15.50 per hour Shift: Monday - Friday from 1:00pm to 9:00pm Job Description As a Coin Processor, you work with your team to maintain inventory in our cash vaults for our Loomis customers. Loomis Fargo Defendants Owe as Much as They Stole in 1997, 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. The FBI, in fact, obtained the evidence they needed to bring down the major players, including Chambers, after catching them talking about the murder plot on the telephone via wiretap. I mentioned it to Kelly. They stocked a wine cellar. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) _ A woman who helped plan the $17 million robbery of armored car company Loomis, Fargo & Co. was sentenced Tuesday to nearly six years in prison and ordered to pay back more than $4 million. When he said, 'I'll give you $20,000 to hold a million,' I said, 'Sure.' Heres your money. Then he turns around and leaves., The problem was, it was nowhere near the amount Ghantt had expected: Im looking at it, and theres maybe $8,000. They were the butt of a national joke. He had even scheduled a follow-up appointment at the dentist. The Unexpectedly Sweet Story Behind Those Viral Semi-Truck Pregnancy Photos. But it wasnt. Purchases included a pool table, jewelry (including a $43,000 diamond ring), a minivan, $20,000 worth of cigars, and the 7,000-square-foot home on the side of Cramer. Or as he tells me, How many people in the United States havent thought about robbing a bank? He's a very likable person. Ghantt was missing and no one, not even his wife, knew where he was. The number of people involved had ballooned after Steve started asking friends and family to help him launder the stolen cash. It was an ear-biting, Pierce Brosnan-loving, comet-obsessed world, and were here to relive every minute of it. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Scott, 26, had a larceny conviction as a teenager, but he'd since cleaned up his act and now had a steady job, a daughter and a girlfriend. Steve had another conversation with Kelly about killing David. He had an endearing smile, a beautiful wife and two children. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. I don't want to be mean, but that's probably the dumbest thing they could do. I studied up on the FBI. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. Ghantt was never in Chamberss presence until he actually handed off the money to him. When he walked onto the plane, he was wearing big, tall cowboy boots, where hed stuffed a majority of the smuggled cash. Twelve hours later, at 6 that evening, Eric Payne drove a rented Budget van to his workplace, a graphics company on Performance Road in western Mecklenburg County called Reynolds & Reynolds, which was closed for the night and had a secluded parking lot where they intended to transfer the cash. Like David, Kelly was frustrated with her marriage. There were times when I drank really heavily.". David kissed his sleeping wife on the cheek on the morning of Oct. 4. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. There was in fact a basically similar conversation involving Chambers and Campbell that took place during a barbecue the Campbells were hosting. 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.
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