But neither of those things would matter after he met Kelly Campbell. As Ghantt was the only employee absent, he was marked as the obvious suspect. She also . The FBI says Chambers hired a hit man to tie up the ultimate loose end -- Ghantt. First, they tapped the Chambers phone, and began listening in on February 11th, 1998. The images of the aftermath the huge house on Cramer Mountain with its leopard-print carpet, the blue barrels full of money, the lonely hotel room in Playa del Carmen where Ghantt ate M&Ms instead of going to the beach endured long after 21 people were convicted for their connections to the heist. But last Oct. 4, when he still hadn't gotten home by 2:30 a.m., she called his parents in Hendersonville. They knew Steve Chambers had worked as an informant in the past, and were nervous he would smell out an undercover. An armored car driver suspected of taking $17 million from his company's vault has been captured in Mexico after a manhunt of nearly five months. ``None of these defendants , in this court's opinion, are capable of making substantial restitution, no matter what they do, or no matter what they try,' Mullen said. En marzo del 97, la empresa fue vctima del llamado "robo del siglo": un empleado se . It was one of those things everyone (at Loomis Fargo) joked about, but in time, it became serious. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist (No Ratings Yet) . David Ghantt: [after the loaded gun in the back of his trousers goes off] Oh, that burns! ``I'm glad she didn't get nine years,' said Sandra Floyd, her mother. No regrets. He has no contact with any of those convicted with him in the crime, including his former wife, and doesn't plan to see the movie, he said. The money weighed as much as a compact car and he did it all by himself. The bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. SEARCH. He was also married, but none of those things would matter after he met Kelly Campbell. 04/10/2017 9:02. . Authorities said they hired a man named Michael McKinney to meet up with Ghantt and kill him, under the guise that he was planning to give Ghantt more of the money he was owed. The feds say these six were involved with David Scott Ghantt, and were sharing the loot from Ghantt's $17 million armored-car-company heist in . When he was done, the man drove off to a nearby printing press, where the money was distributed into private vehicles amongst a handful of people. Note: No quotes were altered, although in some cases additional quotes were added to the questions as Ghantt expanded on his thoughts. Its easy to get somebody to do something if you know that they are that infatuated with you.. Today's guest author is David Ghantt. David Ghantt was a nuisance to Steve Chambers and Kelly Campbell, John Wydra, a retired FBI agent who handled the case, told Super Heists.. That 3-carat ring came back to haunt Michele Chambers at Tuesday's hearing. Ghantt says he operates a bulldozer for a small company. 20 years ago, on the night of October 4, 1997, David Scott Ghantt loaded $17.3 million of cash from the bank vault in Charlotte, North Carolina he was employed to supervise into a van. Deputies in Davidson County rushed to help a 69-year-old man they'd found unresponsive in his house following a welfare check. "I was unhappy with my life. Ghantt:I've always known that story had potential to be a comedy or a drama. Not many people can say they stole $17 million from their employer and had Zach Galifianakis play them in a movie. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. From the start, David Ghatt was considered to be a prime suspect. MAIL. 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. David ist einer der Mnner, die fr Banken Unsummen an Dollars von A nach B fahren. Afterward, outside the courthouse, her parents said the length was about what she had expected. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. . During a layover in Florida, they learned that Ghantt was already on his way back to the U.S. with authorities, but they flew to Cancun anyway and rented a car to reach Playa del Carmen, a resort town. Kelly : No, Rio. 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 . Ghantt made his way to Mexico, where he hid for several months. Ghantt:I don't think he ever really meant to harm me. Since Ghantt was the supervisor, he sent his co-worker home first. Your daily dose of History. Kelly Campbell: Oh, my gosh. He has been open about the heist and his life and had no qualms about it. In total, 24 people were convicted and all but one of the accused pleaded guilty. After Ghantts release from prison, he took up a job as a construction worker. To find out more about how the thieves got caught and how long they landed behind bars, tune in the Super Heists on CNBC on Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT. }, First published on March 2, 1998 / 2:20 PM. They didnt stop there, they then proceeded to buy luxury cars, big-screen TVs and other extravagant items. 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 . The next morning, Loomis Fargo employees were unable to open the vault. Ghantt:It baffles me to this day. David Ghantt: Oh, God! Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily . Everything came crashing down on an early March morning in 1998. Michelle Chambers received a few more months than Ghantt, because she had violated several bond conditions. He misses Tonys Ice Cream in Gastonia, and he discusses how he tells employers about his criminal history. David Ghantt had been a model employee for an armored car company before pulling off the second biggest cash heist in U.S. history, fleeing with more than . Robbing the 7-Eleven and getting $40 bucks and a pack of Marlboros was not for me. By Sue Anne Pressley. This company managed the transportation of large amounts of money between banks in North Carolina. Kelly Campbell is scheduled to be sentenced in October. Masterminds.2016.MULTi.1080p.BluRay.x264-CINeHD. Ghantt met up with the other members of the plot and offloaded the cash. 3 million in cash from the Charlotte, North Carolina . 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. . Since he was the only employee unaccounted for the following day, they checked the tapes for clues. Secondly, Where is David Scott Ghantt now? Two days later, the FBI found the Loomis Fargo armored van. View contact info: Address, Phone, Email & Photos. He left for the border, winding up at the popular Yucatan Peninsula resort island. The plot revolves around Ghantt who teamed up with his former loomis co-worker Kelly Campbell. The 2016 comedy movie, Masterminds is based on the story of the Loomis Fargo Heist. The FBI investigation was able to connect Ghantt to Campbell quickly. While listening in, they uncovered another more sinister alleged plan to kill Ghantt. The FBI believed that David Ghatt was in danger because Chambers wanted to kill him using a hitman named Michael McKinney. Le seul rayon de soleil dans son existence banale, c'est sa jolie collgue, Kelly Campbell. A third surveillance tape was carelessly left behind, and the company was able to identify the man who robbed the vault as David Ghantt. . Consequently, they called the police. There, lessons of , "The Wall Street Journal just so happened to have a supportive op-ed ready to publish within hours of the meeting. I hope everyone has moved on. I ride motorcycles and fish -- normal guy, Ghantt told Counts. According to an affidavit, at least some of the suspects spent large sums of money following the robbery. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Authorities say Steve and Michele Chambers moved from a mobile home into a $635,000 house three weeks after the theft. Curiously, Payne had recently paid of his Visa in one payment and had been driving around new and rented vehicles for the past weeks. To be brutally honest, it was that morning, Ghantt replied. Ghantt:Since I still owe the federal government money I can't get paid. Heres how to catch up on one of the Charlotte areas strangest stories. The plan of the Loomis Fargo heist was for Ghantt to commit an actual robbery and then flee to Mexico City, where he would stay until enough time passed to enter the United States. February 18, 1999. A guard at an armored car company in the Southern U.S. organizes one of the biggest bank heists in American history. Nathan, Steves cousin, was found in a mobile home the Chambers had abandoned. Kelly Campbell: [looks at his buttocks] I think that bullet just went straight between your cheeks. Based on the October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery. Campbell, 29, had pleaded guilty to charges of bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder. That first day in prison was scary, Ghantt said. When the FBI recorded a phone call from Ghantt in Mexico, the final connection was made. This technically made it a bank robbery and a federal offense. Question: What made you, Chambers and the others think you could get away with this? Guided by federal sentencing rules, prosecutors had requested a sentence of nine years for Michele Chambers. Along with Ghantt and Campbell, there were eight others, including Campbell's former high school friend Steve Chambers and his wife, Michelle. The 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, 1997, by vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt, his married girlfriend Kelly Campbell (a former Loomis co-worker), Steve Chambers, his wife Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobbies and four other co-conspirators. Authorities also are looking for evidence in connection with a possible conspiracy to kill Ghantt, Perry said. I knew I was going to be the prime suspect. David Scott Ghantt, 28, was arrested Sunday on an island off the Mexican coast, near the resort city of Cozumel, FBI spokesman William Perry said today. Ghantt:It's a comedy. The man at the center of that heist was David Scott Ghantt. The plan was for Ghantt to commit the Loomis Fargo heist and then quickly leave the country for Mexico. Gaston County residents remember how that worked out. The FBI heard about the plot and agents knew they could no longer wait. The plan was to maintain a low profile and wait for things to cool off, allowing Ghantt to return to the states and collect his cut. All six were charged with aiding, abetting and counseling the commission of a bank larceny and being accessories after the fact, and hindering Ghantt's apprehension. 2023 www.gastongazette.com. He had sent home early a newly hired employee and then proceeded with the loading of the funds. Her sentence would've been ``substantially' less if she hadn't kept it, officials said. I knew that if I did something like that, I would take a huge amount of money, Ghantt said of the brash robbery on an upcoming episode of, To find out more about how the thieves got caught and how long they landed behind bars, tune in the, Rebel Wilson 'collapsed' after Ramona Agruma proposal: 'I was so overwhelmed', Amy Grant recalls being 'so scared' to return to touring following serious bike accident, Travis Scott being sought by NYPD after alleged nightclub assault, Zachary Levi talks Shazam! future after DC shake-up: 'I'll keep playing this role as long as I can', Get your Din Djarin on with this replica 'Mandalorian' helmet. Thank you! FINANCE. The office in Charlotte would be the victim of Ghantt in the year of the opening. Loomis Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina found itself the target of a robbery on October 4 th, 1997 by one of their vault security guards, David Ghantt and his girlfriend, Kelly Campbell who had been a former employee at the time.Along with Ghantt and Campbell were eight others including a former high school friend of Campbells, Steve . CHARLOTTE Tuesday marked 25 years since one of the biggest armored car heists in U.S. history, and it all went down in Charlotte. 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. Thank you so much. She recruited an old friend, Steve Chambers, a convicted criminal who was once an FBI informant. Even when Ghantt left, they continued to maintain contact. The old man me would never survive that, Id have a heart attack.. Ghantt:I hate to say it, but I had six years of sitting in a box to think about my life. Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. Three of the 21 defendants in the case haven't been sentenced. Man died Wednesday. David Ghantt was the Treasury Supervisor for Loomis Armored Cars, Fargo & Co. Kelly Campbell, a former firm employee, pleaded guilty to bank larceny, money laundering, and murder conspiracy charges earlier this year. They both made jokes about their work and how they would rather rob the place than continue with their underpaid job. Steve Chambers would keep the rest . We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. The friends and neighbors of Steve and Michelle Chambers became suspicious soon after the news broke that . Ghantt was working as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo in Charlotte in 1997, earning about $8 an hour and tired of his humdrum life. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { For Christmas, Steve Chambers gave his wife a $43,000 diamond ring. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later David Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. The action takes place in 1997 and is centered on a small town in North Carolina, where David Ghantt (Galifianakis), an armored-car driver, falls desperately in love with his colleague Kelly . Robbing the 7-Eleven and getting $40 bucks and a pack of Marlboros was not for me. He and his wife, Michelle, moved from their mobile home in Lincoln County to a luxury house in the wealthy Cramer Mountain section of Cramerton. You should definitely start your own blog, I highly recommend it. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM 1998 and ACTORS IN MOVIE. Galifianakis can pull off broad comedy effortlessly, a skill which catapulted him to . 1998 The Associated Press. He has been open about what he did and how he believes it changed him for the better. David Ghantt, el "cerebro" del golpe. ``There are many people with those factors who don't resort to crime,' he said. He is an uncomplicated man stuck in a monotonous life. David Ghantt : Oh, Rio, yeah, yeah. Chaque jour, c'est la mme routine : au volant de son camion blind, il transporte des millions de dollars qui ne lui appartiennent pas. In fact, they got carried away and upgraded to a sudden lavish lifestyle. The only person not to plead guilty in the case, former Gastonia attorney Jeff Guller, ended up doing eight years for money laundering. Loomis Fargo & Company was established in 1997 by the consolidation of Wells Fargo Armored Service and Loomis Armored Inc. The robbers left it behind as they simply didnt have room for all that cash. In less than a month after the heist, Chambers and his wife moved out of their trailer and relocated into a 7,000-square-foot, $635,000 mansion. Ultimately, even though the film is a slightly exaggerated version of the actual events, it is not far from reality. But when he's convinced by his work crush, Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig) and her accomplices to join in a far-fetched plan to rob a bank vault, David soon throws everything on the line for love, money, and a . 25 Feb/23. I was relieved emotionally because I knew there was a good chance my luck might run out, Ghantt said. We spoke with the inside man, David Ghantt, to get the real story . But his partners soon began to get greedy and were spending large amountswith Chambers and his wife, Michelle, even buying an exclusive mansion in cash. That's the kind of movie they wanted to make. The movie, about a famous Charlotte bank . Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. David Ghantt struck up a friendship with Kelly Campbell, a coworker who saw eye to eye with him. It was committed by David Ghantt and the heist subsequently inspired the comedy movie Masterminds. 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