However, he was running short of funds. But former Kings Mountain resident David Scott Ghantt can. It was here that the money was moved from the armored car to private vehicles. Instead, he was plotting to kill Ghantt - and burning through a great deal of cash. In this action comedy based on true events, David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) discovers the true meaning of adventure far beyond his wildest dreams. He had just returned to his home in Jacksonville, Fla., when he agreed to talk about the heist, his life now and what went wrong when a group of friends who thought they could get away with stealing $17 million cash. Steve and Michelle Chambers moved from a mobile home into the $635,000 house. He loves his motorcycle and enjoys going fishing and, while hes sorry for the past, hes not ashamed to talk about it. If I could get far enough away in a very short amount of time, my odds of getting away with it were pretty high, Ghantt said. ", GREENSBORO Jurors found TikTok star Jessica Middlebrook, known as towtruckjess on social media, not guilty of involuntary manslaughter Thu. Le seul rayon de soleil dans son existence banale, c'est sa jolie collgue, Kelly Campbell. Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect, Elizabeth Holmes has second child, seeks to delay prison, Where things stand in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial. Driving away, he said he felt a mix of fear, confidence and excitement that he outsmarted the FBI. I found the young woman who worked as a hotel receptionist and remembered many details about Ghantt: how he stayed in Room 101 eating M&Ms, chain-smoking Marlboro Lights, reading Superman comics and listening to the Eagles, DePriest wrote. He insisted that Chambers send more money, while Chambers was actually plotting to have Ghantt killed. David Ghantt, a Gulf War veteran, . He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. Afterward, outside the courthouse, her parents said the length was about what she had expected. Founder With Four Million Fake Customers Tricked JPMorgan Out Of $175 Million, Police Search For More Than 70 Bodies After Woman Claims Dad Was A Serial Killer, Mother Turned Her Own Son In To Police As She Was Afraid He Would Attack School. February 18, 1999. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). One day, David's girlfriend Campbell was talking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. The FBI continues to search for a missing $2 million from the theft. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { ". So I guess I have no regrets. Who all wanted a Rambo movie which explored his time training as a green beret and his time serving in Vietnam as a prequel to first blood WATCH Antebellum 2020 FULL MOVIE, Your email address will not be published. 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. The friends and neighbors of Steve and Michelle Chambers became suspicious soon after the news broke that . Their plan was fairly straightforward: Ghantt was to remain in the vault after his shift on the night of the heist, October 4, 1997. He then took the security tapes and sped off in his getaway van. 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. Its kind of out of sight, out of mind, she said of the reasoning. Ghantt began to complain vocally. When Ghantt was found in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, five months after the heist, DePriest and photographer Kent Johnson raced to the airport, according to Observer records. In all, agents arrested 24 people in the heist. Crimes, guns, suspensions and dropouts soar in NC public schools after the pandemic. Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. David Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. Additionally, all the stolen cash was recovered or accounted for, except for $2 million. As Ghantt was the only employee absent, he was marked as the obvious suspect. #inline-recirc-item--id-91a2c54e-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { Despite working for a company that regularly relocates millions of dollars, David Ghantt himself was underpaid. Deputies in Davidson County rushed to help a 69-year-old man they'd found unresponsive in his house following a welfare check. All were convicted. No regrets. Subsequently, he was to take out as much cash as he could and load it up in a van. How I held it together is beyond me, Ghantt said. Still facing possible unknowns of other people involved, the FBI needed to gather more information without the suspects getting suspicious of them. Just days after agreeing to the plan, the group set a day to carry out the robbery. The bandits had such a sudden influx of cash that they didnt know how to spend it. When to set your clocks for daylight saving time, A raw bar, Asian restaurant, ice cream shop and arcade debut at Concord food hall. After the Loomis Fargo heist, when the arrests were made, Ghantt and seven others pleaded guilty in federal court to the charges. The bank was robbed on Oct. 4, 1997, by one of their security guards, David Ghantt, and his girlfriend, Kelly Campbell, a former employee at the time. They also bought a BMW Z3 with cash and made several large purchases, not wanting to keep a low profile. Steve Chambers would keep the rest . The case had gotten national publicity and was the subject of numerous articles, documentaries and even a movie. The next day, before Mike was able to leave the country, the FBI arrested him in his hotel room. Once Ghantt loaded the large haul from the vaultwhich could have been close to $20 millioninto a truck, he planned to drive to a second location, then head straight to the airport and fly to Mexico. So he and some friends decided at the end of his Oct. 4 shift he would load a company van with more than 2,000 pounds of cash and just drive away. The bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. The judge said he would recommend that Michele Chambers be given mental health treatment in prison. $17.3 million in cash was robbed from the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis, Fargo & Co. on the evening of October 4, 1997. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars-worth of temptation. 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 . Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. Another surveillance videotape shows the man loading the bags into a company van. Not many people can say they stole $17 million from their employer and had Zach Galifianakis play them in a movie. SEARCH. And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth., (WATCH BELOW: The Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later). Three of the 21 defendants in the case haven't been sentenced. All were convicted, and while some received probation for money laundering, many others did a hard time. Chambers and his wife Michele moved out of a trailer and into a luxury mansion in a nice neighborhood. Gaston County residents remember how that worked out. "So it's one thing to go from up here, thought, to action," he said. 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. David Scott Ghantt speaks with Channel 9's Glenn Counts 25 years after the robbery. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. $17.3 million in cash was robbed from the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis, Fargo & Co. on the evening of October 4, 1997. Man died Wednesday. And theres the story of then-Observer reporter Joe DePriests race to Mexico to catch Ghantt as he was getting arrested. Ghantt:We're both North Carolina boys so we had a lot to talk about from the very beginning. Ghantt went on to explain that he left for his flight to Mexico with about $25,000, and that two or three deliveries of extra money was made to him by the man Chambers would pay to kill him. Chambers, who still lives in Gaston County and operates a gym, declined to comment. 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. However, they didnt heed their own advice. It still had almost $3.3 million in cash left in the back of the van. There was a book published in 2002 as well, by author Jeff Diamant called,Heist! The FBI heard about the plot and agents knew they could no longer wait. Note: No quotes were altered, although in some cases additional quotes were added to the questions as Ghantt expanded on his thoughts. 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. We spoke with the inside man, David Ghantt, to get the real story . Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing her husband. 25 Feb/23. When Ghantt called Campbell however, the FBI was able to track his location, and arrested him with the help of the Mexican police onMarch 1, 1998. David Ghantt : I've never even been to the airport but about twice in my life. Day 27 live updates: Murdaugh family weapons killed victims, SC prosecutor says in closing, Woman who caused death of Charlotte athlete takes plea deal + NC police depts. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily . 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. Im married, I got one girl, shes 15 going on 30. As Campbell would later explain, If David got killed, there couldnt be any finger pointing. Ghantt met up with the other members of the plot and offloaded the cash. FINANCE. Probably very egotistical of me, I though yeah, sure, I can beat them, theyre college smart and thats about it, Ghantt said. The 2016 movie Masterminds, starring N.C. native Zach Galifianakis, loosely interprets the facts of the heist in a goofy action comedy. His coworker Kelly Campbell began to listen. Looking back at the Loomis heist. I wanted to get as far away as I could. 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 . 5 min read. Before long, the FBI had wiretaps on the ringleader, Steve Chambers, and then they waited for the right time to make their arrests. If I hadn't done what I did the, the life I have now with my wife and child, I wouldn't have. Twenty years ago this Wednesday, a small group of people stole $17 million in cash from the main vault of a Loomis Fargo & Co. armored-car warehouse in west Charlotte. She's a great speaker and a great writer. You should definitely start your own blog, I highly recommend it. On October 4, 1997, at about 6:40 p.m, Ghantt successfully entered the vault and according to the plan starting loading up the cash in the van. During the next few months they bought a BMW-Z3 roadster and tens of thousands of dollars in antiques, furniture and decorations. Question: Do you ever think you could have been killed? It was unclear whether anyone will get that money, authorities said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Whisler said he didn't think those factors should result in a reduced sentence. He was eventually approached to be a consultant for the 2016 movie Masterminds, which is based on the Loomis Fargo heist. Question: Are you surprised that Hollywood took this on as a movie? With Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, Ross Kimball. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. Even if Campbell denies the relationship was ever romantic, the FBI evidence says otherwise. Secondly, Where is David Scott Ghantt now? Downtown Asheville was cast as a movie set this week, as a major motion picture production filmed in the city center on Tuesday and Wednesday. David Ghantt was a nuisance to Steve Chambers and Kelly Campbell, John Wydra, a retired FBI agent who handled the case, told Super Heists.. Within the next two days, investigators found an abandoned van with the security tapes and a staggering $3.3 million! When did you conclude yeah Im actually going to do this? Counts asked. The Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later The case had gotten national publicity and was the subject of numerous articles, documentaries and even a movie. The reason for this was because, after the Loomis Fargo heist, the thieves had miscalculated the sheer bulk of the small denomination currency. Ghantt:Since I still owe the federal government money I can't get paid. David gets Steve to confess to planning the heist. 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 . Along with Ghantt and Campbell, there were eight others, including Campbell's former high school friend Steve Chambers and his wife, Michelle. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Question: Any contact with Steve Chambers or any of the others involved with the heist? He has been open about what he did and how he believes it changed him for the better. It was the second-largest cash heist in U.S. history, and it wasnt solved right away. All Rights Reserved. They soon realised that their joke was not a far-fetched idea. The Gaston Gazette spoke with Ghantt, who is now in his late 40s and lives in Florida as a free man. He rarely went to the nearby beach, she said. Just outside of the building, David Ghantt met up with his girlfriend, Chambers, and others involved in the plot. Did you get paid? THE THIEVES WHO COULDN'T COPE WITH $17 MILLION. $17.3 million . The man at the center of that heist was David Scott Ghantt. In total, 24 people were convicted and all but one of the accused pleaded guilty. 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 CNBCs Super Heists, airing Monday at 10 p.m. Ghantt, a U.S. Army veteran, was living a relatively boring life working as the vault superintendent at a Loomis Fargo armored car warehouse just outside Charlotte, North Carolina making a relatively meager paycheck, when he crossed paths with Kelly Campbell. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. David Ghantt: [after the loaded gun in the back of his trousers goes off] Oh, that burns! If you go from a mobile home to a mansion, that's going to attract attention. David Ghantt, el "cerebro" del golpe. Michelle Chambers received a few more months than Ghantt, because she had violated several bond conditions. Consequently, they called the police. Besides wearing the ring, driving the BMW, and living in the new house, prosecutors say Michele Chambers helped others deposit millions of dollars in safe-deposit boxes in the area, and that she took $200,000 in cash into a Salisbury bank in November 1997 and came out with a $200,000 check. Once the heat from the robbery died down, Ghantt would return back to the United States and the cash would be evenly split among all of the co-conspirators. In August 1997, Campbell told Ghantt about an old high school friend of hers, Steve Chambers. 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. Agents found out where Ghantt was living because Chambers had put out a hit on him, foolishly believing Ghantt was the only person the FBI had fingered for the crime. Holding her hands behind her back, Michele Chambers was sentenced Tuesday to seven years and eight months in prison for her role in the $17 million heist from Loomis, Fargo & Co. She was also ordered to pay $4.8 million in restitution.It was the fourth-most severe sentence given in the case, which has 21 defendants. I knew I was going to be the prime suspect. Guillermo dos Santos Coelho. She recruited an old friend, Steve Chambers, a convicted criminal who was once an FBI informant. Chambers went from a mobile home in Lincoln County to a mansion in Cramerton. Now on the lam and in over his head, David must dodge the authorities, evade a hilarious hit man, Mike McKinney, and try to turn the tables on the ones he trusted most. When Ghantt called Campbell asking for more money, a plan was set in motion to take him out. The van used to move the money was later located a few miles from the warehouse. The Legend of the Green Man: Raymond Robinson, The Incredible Dunkirk Evacuation- in rare pictures, Elizabethan Food and Drink- Brief History & Key Facts, 10 Famous Female Warriors Who Made Their Mark On History, 15 Intriguing Facts About The Middle Ages. He would leave most of the money with Campbell and share it evenly when he returned with Campbell to leave him enough money to live. Question: What made you, Chambers and the others think you could get away with this? Down in Jacksonville, a . This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. The Chambers traded in their trailer for a $635,000 mansion in Cramer Mountain - bought with mostly $20 . It's based on the true story of David Ghantt (Galifianikas), a vault supervisor at the Charlotte Loomis Fargo depository in Uptown Charlotte that was involved in the second largest cash robbery in history, making off with $17.4 million ($25 million today). The plot revolves around Ghantt who teamed up with his former loomis co-worker Kelly Campbell. David Ghantt struck up a friendship with Kelly Campbell, a coworker who saw eye to eye with him. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis . It was nearly the perfect crime, but while Ghantt fled to Mexico to lay low, his partners lavish spendingand their own alleged plans for murderwould ultimately be the groups demise. David Ghantt worked as a vault supervisor for the armoured cash vehicles at the Charlotte, North Carolina branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. Ironically even though he worked for a company that moved millions of dollars every day, he was relatively underpaid. The towns booming construction industry attracts workers from around the country. The plan was for Ghantt to commit the Loomis Fargo heist and then quickly leave the country for Mexico. That 3-carat ring came back to haunt Michele Chambers at Tuesday's hearing. The judge said he doubted she would be able to pay the $4.8 million restitution, but said federal law required him to impose it. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. Campbell, 29, had pleaded guilty to charges of bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder. Campbellwho was married herselfrepresented something new and exciting. 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. Chambers also promised to join Ghantt in Mexico as soon as she could, but she admitted to Super Heists she never had any intention of actually making the trip. Michele Chambers declined to make a statement at the hearing. Few who were living in the area at the time can forget the "Velvet Elvis" painting Chambers had hanging in his mansion or the tales of cosmetic surgery, BMW convertibles and other signs of excess. Her husband, Steve Chambers, whom prosecutors have called the main defendant, began serving an 11-year sentence earlier this year. 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, . Since he was the only employee unaccounted for the following day, they checked the tapes for clues.
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