They had initially agreed to control their spending for a year or two, in the belief that the government would vigorously track the spending habits of any and all suspects for at least a year before relenting. Unfortunately, he failed to disable the third camera. Twice a week over the next 12 months, we will take you back to the winter of sheep cloning and the summer of Con Air. Ghantt started at Loomis Fargo in 1994, and soon worked his way up from an armored car driver to a vault supervisor. The FBI knew they needed to make their move. WebFILE - 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 I had to go in there and tell her the whole story, and she was real cool about it. Retro CharlotteFBI security footage of David Ghantt in the midst of the Loomis Fargo heist. I learned something that was valuable at the time: Most criminals never leave a 250, maybe 300-mile circle from their home base. Exciting. This robbery was the second-largest cash robbery on U.S. soil at the time, as only seven months earlier, on March 29, 1997 in Jacksonville, Florida, Phillip Noel Johnson stole $18.8 million from the Loomis Fargo armored vehicle he was driving.October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery. WebTo that end, Campbell brought in her childhood friend Steve Chambers, who was characterized in the local press as a small-time drug dealer and a local fence for stolen They picked me, he says with a rueful tone. Chambers got 11 years. He also took various measures to change his appearance, such as shaving, after a patron at a restaurant pointed out to him that he "looked like the man who robbed a bank of $20 million. I hit the local library the thing that we used to do before Google, Ghantt says with a small laugh. If you can see the obvious flaw in this plan, namely that Chambers would have no reason whatsoever to actually wire Ghantt any money, then congratulations. Scary. By comparison, Ghantt served seven years in prison and was fined $26,000. In spite of Chambers assurance that the money was, you know, totally not illegally acquired, the teller remained suspicious, especially because the stacks of cash still had Loomis Fargo wrappers on them. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. 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. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. We spoke with the inside man, David Ghantt, to get the real story. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. The platform is designed to engage citizens and government leaders in a discussion about what needs improvement across the country. When he landed in Cancun, his first stop was Walmart. I mean, cause greed is a funny animal. I mean, it was dark, Ghantt explains. Going south, nobody really looks at what youre shipping. As it turned out, Ghantt was zipping up his scuba suit in Mexico. Bubbling under the surface, however, was a deep frustration at the way he was treated. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. I was working sometimes 75-80 hours a week at $8.15 an hour. Then he and Campbell drove 90 miles to Columbia, South Carolina, where Ghantt planned to purchase a ticket to Mexico so he could be out of the country before news of the robbery broke the next morning. The Loomis Fargo heist became something of a media lightning rod. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females. The Antwerp diamond heist, dubbed the heist of the century, was by far the largest diamond heist.Antwerp diamond heist. The best states in the U.S. come from coast to coast. In 1997, six men pulled off what remains the biggest cash heist in the history of the United States. WebAydin Properties > Uncategorized > real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. 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. He completed his prison sentence in November 2006. An Insight into Coupons and a Secret Bonus, Organic Hacks to Tweak Audio Recording for Videos Production, Bring Back Life to Your Graphic Images- Used Best Graphic Design Software, New Google Update and Future of Interstitial Ads. Another accomplice, Eric Payne, took a three week, unpaid vacation, had his wife quit her job as a receptionist and bought a new Harley Davidson, Chevy Tahoe, big-screen TV, computer and new trailer. A Comprehensive Guide. Twenty-one people were charged and convicted in the robbery, one of the biggest heists in U.S. history. [15], "David Ghantt" redirects here. As soon as you put that first bag of stolen money in that van, theres no going back. All the while, Ghantt prepared himself for the task at hand. And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? What ACT target score should you be aiming for? As it turns out, the heist did in fact go as well as you might expect. 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. In the meantime, the FBI was closing in looking to bust a total of 21 suspected accomplices. The You can read more at, Dilworth Coffee is coming to the Fifth Third Center. But it didnt really hit me until later., On March 2nd, when the FBI agents walked up to Ghantt in Playa del Carmen and told him he was under arrest, Ghantt was relieved. Web12) Loomis Fargo heist- The aftermath Ultimately, eight co-conspirators were indicted for the Loomis Fargo bank heist. We need to set up some way for me to get my money. She said, We got it all worked out. But neither of those things would matter after he met Kelly Campbell. Ghantt was missing and no one, not even his wife, knew where he was. Anonymous tips had the FBI monitoring Chambers calls. WebSteven Chambers [Misc. Hes going to start bringing you money. Alright. There was one problem: he forgot to remove the tape from the third security camera. Its kind of out of sight, out of mind, she said of the reasoning. What are the principles on which our Constitution is based? Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and Called Masterminds, the 2016 film stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson. His name was Corey. Ghantts wife was reportedly nothing like the bizarre, robotic fiance character in the film, for instance. Masterminds is a 2016 American comedy film based on the October 1997 Loomis Fargo Robbery in North Carolina. Instead, the two started hanging out on the beach together and became friends. The Latest Innovations That Are Driving The Vehicle Industry Forward, More than $100 million of property stolen, Diamonds, gold, silver and other type of jewelry. followed by "Don't worry, it is not drug money," the bank filled out a suspicious activity report, which ultimately reached the FBI. There are two ideas as to how the plan was created. Together with his wife, Chambers bought a new luxury home (upgrading from his mobile home), a BMW Z3, and some extravagant furnishings. David Ghantt struck up a relationship with fellow Loomis Fargo employee Kelly Campbell, and they continued to maintain contact even after Campbell left the company. Truth be told, Ghantt had something of a crush on Campbell, and so, he told her exactly how hed pull off such a heist. Is the movie Masterminds based on a true story? According to Campbell, Chambers could help Ghantt execute a massive cash robbery of the vault at Loomis Fargo in one night. The leader was Allen Pace, who turned out to be the worst safety inspector the Dunbar Armored trucking company ever employed. Soon, the couple would be paying for something else, too: a hitman. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such as scuba diving and parasailing. On his way out, he grabbed the surveillance video, hoping to cover his tracks. Dont worry, its not drug money.. Because lets be brutally honest: Theyre not wrong, okay? But because he still owes millions to the IRS, he couldnt be paid. To make a successful getaway, Ghantt had to lift nearly 2,800 pounds of currency. On Oct. 5, 1997, Ghantt carried out the heist during his regular shift after sending another employee home, stealing more than $17 million from the bank vault. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. As soon as Corey left, I pretended like I was leaving. They would then load as much cash as they could carry into a van. At first, I just blended in with the tourists and picked up a few translation books, Ghantt explains. Having only brought $50,000 in cash, however, Ghantt soon found himself short on funds. An additional tip reached the FBI when Michelle Chambers made a large deposit at a bank. His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. Will Mcintyre/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images. At 6:40 p.m., he headed to his car along with three other employees before returning to the depository, where hed propped open the door. I was just going to get the money into the van. You might as well take it all, Ghantt tells me. You can garnish wages. Her case closes in 2025. When the rest of the Loomis Fargo employees showed up the next morning and found that they couldnt open the vault, they called the police. WebNo products in the cart. It was an open-and-shut case and all authorities had to do now was to find the culprit and identify Ghantts accomplices. On Monday, October 6th, the FBI agents who were investigating the robbery located the Loomis Fargo van abandoned in the woods. I really enjoyed the little scuba diving trip. I told the lead investigator I was glad to see him.. The robbery of some $17 million quickly became one of the wildest bank heists of the last quarter century. Ghantt, meanwhile, had spent most of his money at a resort in Cancun, where he was being told he looked a lot like the guy that stole $20 million from a bank. We were two paychecks away from being homeless at any given time.. Speaking of his co-defendants, Ghantt says hes not currently in contact with any of them. Or as he tells me, How many people in the United States havent thought about robbing a bank? Webbird adoption adelaide real life kelly campbell loomis fargo. Things started to go south the night of the robbery. She just called me up on the phone and said, Hey, lets meet one day after work. And then, we were talking and she says, How do you feel about robbing Loomis Fargo? Ghantt tells me. By then Id figured out that Bruno was up to no good, and that Id probably never seen any more of my money. Dozens of FBI agents everywhere. The figures can be astounding. But thanks in part to the film, the outlandish story of David Ghannt and the Loomis Fargo heist will surely live on for years to come. How to Market Your Business with Webinars? In 97 me and my wife were just barely scraping by, Ghantt recalled in Mondays episode. Why do we feel its so necessary to treat people like this, to say, OK, well just ruin the rest of your life because you made a bad decision., Punishment should not last a lifetime. Chambers and his wife also made some cash payments on a few cars. When she realized Ghantt never came home from work the night before, she contacted the police and filed a missing persons report. [1], This robbery was the second-largest cash robbery on U.S. soil at the time, as only seven months earlier, on March 29, 1997 in Jacksonville, Florida, Philip Noel Johnson stole $18.8 million from the Loomis Fargo armored vehicle he was driving.[2]. speedway of nations manchester 2021. rossignol skis experience 88 Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. Soon everyone would know about the arrests in the $17 million Loomis Fargo heist. The FBI investigation was aided by the gang's extravagant spending. Best States is an interactive platform developed by U.S. News for ranking the 50 U.S. states, alongside news analysis and daily reporting. So yeah, Im kind of proud of it.. 9 Where did the masterminds live after the heist? (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) The Associated Press, BY MICHAEL GORDON, The Charlotte Observer. 4 What is the largest armored car robbery? Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Hes well thought-out. Even though they drove away with less than they had initially intended, they still had more than $17 million in hand. WebThe Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery was a robbery of $17.3 million in cash from the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis, Fargo & Co. on the evening of October 4, There was a third person with them, too, a man named Eric Grant. She had previously been making frequent small deposits to avert suspicion. Together, they drove in a convoy to an industrial warehouse eight miles away, where Eric Payne, a fourth accomplice was. Who are the actors in the movie Masterminds? David Ghantt And The Loomis Fargo Heist: The Outrageous True Story. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. But first they wanted to know if it was a robbery or a robbery-homicide. Ask questions; get answers. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. The plan went off with few problems, but after Ghantt was safely in Mexico, his partners were left storing large amounts of cash. Investigators also found Ghantt's pickup truck, abandoned at the warehouse. In total, 24 people were convicted and all but one of the I started just chucking it as fast as I could, he said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me.. October 26, 1999. There was, however, one problem with his plan. The film was produced by Brent Almond. ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score, How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, Is the ACT easier than the SAT? Hes very articulate. The reason Ghantt got involved wasalways the same: he realized that he couldnt make his credit card payments, and was thus unable to support his family. 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. But there was just one thing the group hadnt been counting on: the massive weight of that amount of cash. 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. And drastic it was. According to an Observer article, signs point to Campbells involvement stemming from the desire to experience what it was like to be rich. Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy a Toyota Sienna minivan in two cash installments. I just had to call you., Today, Ghantt cant look back on the whole ordeal without some degree of pride. wydd radio pittsburgh; dumb military bases He pocketed the money and told Chambers and Campbell to send him his cut in Mexico. Ill never pay it off on my paycheck, Ghantt said. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. First, in January, he tried to get someone to take some millions down to Mexico. He became the target of a nationwide FBI manhunt and was arrested five months later near the Mexican resort of Cozumel. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. And I think that makes it all the more funny, because it really offends my co-defendants. When neighbors asked where they got their money, Steve said hed played in the NFL. Hello, federal suspicious activity report. Given the presence of the surveillance tapes and a gun belonging to Ghantt, they started with Ghantts phone and pager records and discovered a pattern they attributed to an accomplice. Work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack 's Guide to 's! Surveillance video, hoping to cover his tracks worked out in that van, no... Says, How many people in the meantime, the Loomis Fargo totaling almost $ 19 million 's to. 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