Two days after theyd robbed the Loomis Fargo truck the very same day the police found the abandoned van in the woods Steve and Michelle Chambers walked into a bank and deposited their cut of the stolen money into their account. Most high schools offer a variety of history classes, so make sure youre taking the right ones for you. According to local author David Aaron Moore, the plan went like this: Ghantt would go to work as normal, leave at the same time as the last employee and return to the vault, where he would load carts with bags of money before puttingthem into a van. Not only was Ghantt the only unaccounted for employee the morning after the heist, there was also footage of Ghantt moving the cash into the back of the Loomis Fargo van. Its easy to get somebody to do something if you know that they are that infatuated with you.. I knew that if we could stay off the radar for about a year, we could basically live a vacation life, Ghantt said. It affects everybody different. They got to work planning the straightforward heist that would rely on Ghantts existing access to the vault, fewer staff at the warehouse on the weekends, and the ability to use one of the companys armored trucks to make the successful getaway. When he landed in Cancun, his first stop was Walmart. Nine other relatives and friends were also charged with money laundering, as they had co-signed for safe deposit boxes used to store some of the money; prosecutors opted to charge them on the grounds that they should have known the money was obtained illegally. David Ghantt was a technical consultant for the film, but due to outstanding court-ordered restitution for his part in the heist he was not paid. (I) bought jewelry, bought a van, Campbell recalled of her own spending. Michelle, meanwhile, purchased new breasts for herself, along with a $43,000 diamond ring and a new convertible BMW Z3. Her sentence was delayed until Jan. 1 so she could spend the holidays with her family. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. The best states in the U.S. come from coast to coast. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. I flew from Atlanta to New Orleans. Ask questions; get answers. All but one of the indicted pleaded guilty. WebNo products in the cart. 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. Who pulled off the biggest heist in history? There was a third person with them, too, a man named Eric Grant. And I knew that by that time, Id be in Cancun no matter what. Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. On Monday, October 6th, the FBI agents who were investigating the robbery located the Loomis Fargo van abandoned in the woods. 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. Hello, federal suspicious activity report. The two struck up a friendship during work that would continue after Campbell left the With the plan in place, Ghantt sent a newly employed co-worker home early (reportedly at 6 p.m) who had been assigned to train with him. Ultimately, though, the heist wasnt Ghantts idea, which meant he didnt decide who else was involved. But as he later recalled to the media, as soon as he stepped through those big-box doors, he realized he was flush with cash, and he didnt need to shop at Walmart ever again. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. In the end, eight co-conspirators were indicted for the Loomis Fargo heist. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. More than 95% of the cash that stolen was accounted for. Lindy Hop: The Dance That Defined The Golden Age of Jazz, Inside The Unsolved Disappearance Of Jennifer Kesse, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, David Ghantt attends the 2016 after party for the Hollywood premiere of. According to Campbell, Chambers could help Ghantt execute a massive cash robbery of the vault at Loomis Fargo in one night. Theres less security. He was like OK, yeah, we can do that, she recalled. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out Ten days later, the group was indicted for bank larceny and money laundering. He stayed at a luxury hotel and took scuba diving lesson. Former Cramerton Police Chief David Young soon got wind of the Chambers excessive spending spree and reached out to the FBI. Robbing the 7-Eleven and getting $40 bucks and a pack of Marlboros was not for me. Officials suspected that the extravagant purchases stemmed from the fact that all involved got far more money than they anticipated and literally didnt know how to spend or get rid of it, which is perhaps backed up by the fact that Chambers wife once walked into a Belmont Wachovia with $200,000 in a briefcase wanting to know how much she could deposit without the bank reporting it to officials. On Oct. 4, Ghantt sent home the employee he was training and disabled two security cameras near the vault in preparation for the heist. I work construction. the Loomis Fargo heist Campbell knew theyd need the help of the warehouses vault supervisor, who just happened to have a crush on her, and she called Ghantt to ask for his help. Truth be told, Ghantt had something of a crush on Campbell, and so, he told her exactly how hed pull off such a heist. Websacramento drug bust; montage los cabos wedding cost. 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. Ghantt has never explained where that money went. The details of the heist itself, coupled with the missteps the crew made after stealing the money, attracted the attention of writers and movie producers. Directed by Jared Hess and written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer and Emily Spivey, the film stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Jason Sudeikis. Investigators also found Ghantt's pickup truck, abandoned at the warehouse. Its kind of like that. On his way out, he grabbed the surveillance video, hoping to cover his tracks. Heist: The Oddball Crew behind the $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft Jeff Diamant 12 Audio CD 9 offers from $5.86 About the Author Jeff Diamant covered the heist for the Charlotte Observer. hilary farr design assistant 9, Juin, 2022 WebLoomis Fargo Robbery There is a vault reserved for only the most outrageous, preposterous, and far-fetched real life stories. I learned something that was valuable at the time: Most criminals never leave a 250, maybe 300-mile circle from their home base. 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. Web>> 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 Hes going to start bringing you money. Alright. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. In the film, Jason Sudeikis plays a sadistic assassin hired to knock off Ghantt, who befriends him. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. Together, they drove in a convoy to an industrial warehouse eight miles away, where Eric Payne, a fourth accomplice was. I threw you out, and then threw the parachute after you. Naturally, Ghantt started to run out of cash and turned to Chambers, who was annoyed by his requests for more money. Some of that money is just gone. So I was glad it was over. WebThis real-life . Ive never taken offense to anything like that, he tells me. Because the money in the vault was largely from banks, the crime was technically a bank robbery and thus a federal offense. Ridicule of those involved in what remains one of the largest cash thefts in U.S. history would soon begin. When Chambers and the two Erics were done loading the stolen millions into barrels, they abandoned the van in the woods. Some amateur thieves might turn to movies and TV shows for lessons on criminal behavior. And I said, Hey, man, I got this. Ghantt didnt actually meet Chambers until the night of the heist, though, according to Diamant, who would go on to write a book about it. Then, I started loading the van., Money, when bound in bulk and stacked in canvas bags, is heavier than you might expect. As soon as Corey left, I pretended like I was leaving. 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. He was also married. Four more people were also charged with laundering, bringing the grand total to more than twenty. 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. Ill never pay it off on my paycheck, Ghantt said. Im on the phone with Kelly [Campbell], and Im like, Hey, I really was expecting a package to arrive. cheap beachfront property for sale in italy. If so,check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. [1] Tips had led the FBI to begin monitoring Chambers's (and his wife's) activities, but it was not until the FBI recorded a phone call from Ghantt in Mexico that the final connection was made. The bigger the amount, however, the bigger the damages to victims that likely will never be repaid: Amy Paynes collection account was closed in 2020 with her having paid $53,000 of the $274,000 she owed. 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, Did you know that the SAT offers subject exams, too? From the beginning, the FBIs prime suspect was David Ghantt. But I thought this is me being hard-headed Im going to ride this thing to the ground. And so thats what I did.. As he later recalled about his life before the 1997 heist that changed his life forever: Prior to, I would have never even considered it but one day life kinda slapped me in the face. David Ghantt was portrayed by Zackary Hatfield. Marshals Service auctioned off the purchased items in Charlotte, most of which came from the Chambers and Cramers. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars-worth of temptation. Outside the building, Ghantt met up with Campbell, Chambers, and others who were involved in the plot, and drove off to a printing business called Reynolds & Reynolds in northwest Charlotte. The Dunbar Armored robbery What are the principles on which our Constitution is based? I was working sometimes 75-80 hours a week at $8.15 an hour. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. He became the target of a nationwide FBI manhunt and was arrested five months later near the Mexican resort of Cozumel. The True Story of David Ghantt and the Loomis Fargo Heist, Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Score, check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. After years of reflection and time in prison to work on himself, Ghantt was able to find a way to a better version of himself. The whole town I was staying in was 98.9 percent Mexican, except for when the cruise ships were in, Ghantt recalls. [citation needed], It was later confirmed by the FBI that more than 88% of the stolen cash had been located or otherwise accounted for. Nah, it was always about the money, he told the agents. He completed his prison sentence in November 2006. Their combined salaries were less than $42,000. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP), DeSantis Awards $100M for Hurricane Erosion Recovery Efforts, Judge Orders Release of Video of Inmate Who Mutilated Self, Indiana Man Charged After Son in Diaper Points Gun at People, California Do Not Sell My Personal Information Request. 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. Theres some things I want to do., Ghantt planned on traveling from Mexico to the Cayman Islands, bypassing customs along the way. 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. 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 I just had to call you., Today, Ghantt cant look back on the whole ordeal without some degree of pride. Zaron Burnett is an investigative journalist and longform features writer based in Los Angeles. What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? WebSteven Chambers [Misc. Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: PrepScholar 2013-2018. Within two days, the investigators found the van with $3 million in cash and the security camera tapes inside. Just head on out. And so, he did. 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