", Johnson said, "Yeah, that's it. You can have your whole career and not have a case like that. Now one of the most wanted men in America with the FBI hot on his heels, Ghantt must figure out how to get his money, get away from a hit man, and get even. He hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. Each cart, holding about $2 million, was taking David seven or eight minutes to stack, push, and empty into the van, and there were about eight cartloads' worth in the vault. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.. "I'll need help moving the money, getting a new ID, and leaving the country," he told her. He had joined the army and earned an honorable discharge, but because of defense-industry cutbacks he hadn't been able to find a good job for himself. A former FBI agent who helped crack the case sat down with Channel 9 Reporter Glenn Counts to talk about the clues that led to solving the crime, and how the group got caught. Money. (LogOut/ On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. 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,. We dont have the manpower to track all that (restitution) money down I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. In 1994, they moved to Gastonia, North Carolina, where they had grown up, and David took a job driving a forklift. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). She sounded incredulous. 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. Nathan, Steves cousin, was found in a mobile home the Chambers had abandoned. You Save 23%. If it didn't work out, he could return to the United States later with a new identity. They located Steve and Shelley Chambers in their newly-purchased home at the top of a hill. He couldn't understand the gap, why he wasn't more successful, why he couldn't at least match the financial stability of his father, who earned a comfortable salary driving a truck. As a child, he had preferred reading to playing sports, and he would say, as an adult, that although he couldn't have told you "who was on first," he knew as a kid who the Egyptian god of the dead was. You should definitely start your own blog, I highly recommend it. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. Its like, me and you sat down, I have access to pie, you like pie, all I want is my share of the pie. And they hit the jackpot -- FBI video shows agents recovering most of the stolen cash. Well she was a pretty happy-go-lucky person, he said. David didn't appreciate her tone. Afterward, everything became comical. Loomis has received $978,983.79, according to Sally Butcher, an assistant clerk in the federal courts of the Western District of North Carolina who specializes in criminal debt. He knew his mother would be traumatized, shocked, and appalled. He worked close-by to where the van and over $3 million dollars had been ditched, and was friends with Steve Chambers. Except for the kiss in the pickup truck a few weeks before the heist, Kelly had kept things platonic. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later While David Ghantt trusted Steve Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. be blocked or permanently banned without warning. Booklist "Librariesshould consider purchasing this entertaining and lightly edited version, which reads like a fast-paced novel." The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. All of the primary players got fined millions of dollars --for example, Kelly Campbell was hit with more than $4 million, an amount that she will never come close to paying. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. If a prank seemed dangerous, David backed out. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Steve's a serious guy.". "For the first year after a crime," he told her, "they're all over you, with six to ten agents. As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. Spunk. >> 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.. The plan was still on, but David remained steamed. This website uses cookies and some data tracking to improve your experience and serve adverts, We assume you're ok with this, you can opt-out if you wish. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. In the end, the FBI was able to capture the original gang in five months, snaring 21 individuals for their participation in the crime. FBI video shows agents searching the Cramer Mountain home and finding stacks of cash. The plan to. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 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 theyve ever had. She had attitude. What kind of surprised me is how much the car smelled like money, like if you ever hold money up to your nose it has a distinct smell, Wydra said. The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. High around 65F. "its a great readsuspenseful, often funny, just the thing for those wondering what it might feel like to have, as these hapless, small-town criminals did, literally too darn much cash lying around. " He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such asscuba divingandparasailing. It was released in 2016 and Wydra was invited to the premiere. Some of that money is just gone. He could even be famous, perhaps joining the ranks of legendary master thieves. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. 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Marine Fisheries Commission advocates for water quality, North Carolina the only state allowing unnecessary killing of sea turtles, 'Pagan' bike gang leader in N. Carolina sentenced to prison, Deputy cleared in shooting death of Gloucester woman, Beaufort amends charter to allow four-year mayoral term. The plan was for Ghantt to commit the actual robbery and then quickly leave the country forMexico but to leave the bulk of the cash with Chambers. OWLS director fired in wake of new board taking over, New rules will require flood history disclosure in real estate, North Carolina recreational spring flounder season canceled for 2023, Supreme Court seems ready to sink student loan forgiveness, Beach commission gets update on search for new sources of sand for beach nourishment. Charlotte Observer"more than a crime story, and one that's worth reading." Loomis has received $978,983.79, according to Sally Butcher, an assistant clerk in the federal courts of the Western District of North Carolina who specializes in criminal debt. 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. Campbell led Ghantt to think she loved him and they would flee to Mexico together, but she actually wanted to make a better life for herself in the U.S. With the plan in place, Ghantt sent a newly hired employee he had been assigned to train home early (reportedly, at 6 p.m.) and then proceeded to load a little more than $17.3 million in cash (approximately $11 million of which was in$20 bills) into the back of a company van. In preparation for what lay ahead, David had backed an unmarked company Ford Econoline van near the vault entrance and opened the van's back door. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. '. The plan to rob Loomis Fargo was spawned by Campbell and her friend Steve Chambers, during a casual bonfire at Chambers' home. In August 1997, Campbell informed Ghantt about an old high school friend of hers named Steve Chambers, who could assist Ghantt to execute a massive cash robbery of the Loomis Fargo vault in one night. "Just remind Steve," he said, "that I might be trouble my own self." Her case closes in 2025. The principals here are David Ghantt, a driver for Loomis, Fargo and Co.; Kelly Campbell, the woman Ghantt had a crush on, and who convinced him to commit the crime; and Steve and Michele Chambers. Chambers had told Campbell to do whatever she needed to do to get Ghantt to commit the robbery. I made a joke once that was the hardest Id ever worked for Wells Fargo -- yeah, its a lot of work, Ghantt said. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Clear skies. Ghantt had fled to Mexico with $50,000 in cash, leaving the rest of the money with Steve Chambers. 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. He shut the empty vault and set its timer so the vault could not be opened for two or three days. she asked. At 2:20 p.m., the phone rang; it was Kelly again. She had previously been making frequent small deposits to avert suspicion. Friends of Campbell had also begun spending large amounts of cash. We dont have the manpower to track all that (restitution) money down I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs., Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it,, You can garnish wages. Conversations about stealing from the company weren't rare for Loomis employees. Its in the ether. Ghantt studied how to rob his employer and advised the others not to spend the money lavishly. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) them. The robbery was committed by David Scott Ghantt who was the vault supervisor and accomplices Kelly Campbell, Steve Chambers, Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobies, and other four members. At about 6:40 p.m., he went back inside. Authorities were notified of the robbery in the morning, when employees couldnt open the vault. Enforcement of this policy is at the Even with several vehicles, they underestimated how much space they would need and they had to leave $3 million behind. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. Thomas Grant, who served three years in prison for bank larceny, paid off restitution of $70,000; brother Eric Grant paid all of his $26,000; as did David Craig, $40,000; and Dennis and Sandra Floyd; $27,000. The Chambers home is now gated, which means Channel 9 crews cant drive up to it like we used to. But what the bank didnt tell Michelle, and Michelle didnt know, was that one of those forms get filled out if you ask about it, or if its close to $10,000 or if they suspect that any part of that transaction is suspicious, Wydra said. The friend was Steve Chambers, and Kelly said he knew his way around the world of crime. As it neared its end, David stealthily left the vault door ajar. How he and his wife had trouble communicating. Inside $3.3 million was located along with the two stolen surveillance tapes, apparently left due to the robber and his accomplices being sloppy, or in a hurry. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. He also took various measures to change his appearance, such asshaving, after a patron at a restaurant pointed out to him that he looked like the man who robbed a bank of $20 million.. And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth.. A report by the General Accounting Office found that as of budget year 2016, $110 billion in restitution ordered by the federal courts was outstanding and that more than 90% of the amount had been classified as uncollectible.. In fact, he had recently finished a book about the FBI and felt it provided insight into the agency's investigative techniques, insight he thought could help the little gang succeed. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) During one overnight shift, a bumbling conspiracy of thieves just west of Charlotte stole more than $17 million from Loomis Fargo. Jeff Diamant was a reporter for the Charlotte Observer when the heist took place. Since Ghantt was the supervisor, he sent his co-worker home first. The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. Loomis Fargo, the nation's largest privately held armored- car company, used vans to transport hundreds of millions of dollars a day belonging to banks and other businesses, stocking automated teller machines and storing money in the Loomis vault between deliveries. Four-wheeling. Later, they also arrested Nathans older brother. David would simply empty the vault and deliver the money to the others. For example, Steve Chambers and his wife were living in a. Learning from this error, David planned to leave the stolen money behind with his coconspirators while he fled to Mexico. Loomis Fargo employees could not open the vault the next morning, and called the police. Campbell left her job in the summer of 1997, but she would later use Ghantt's feelings for her to her own advantage to get him to agree to carry out the multi-million-dollar heist. uncanny, eerie, unnatural, preternatural, supernatural, unearthly, other-worldly, unreal, ghostly, mysterious, mystifying, strange, abnormal, unusual. The same applies to trolling, the use of multiple aliases, or You can garnish wages. Ms. Campbell worked at Loomis for 11 months, leaving in November 1996, according to court papers. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. The stated plan was for her to move to Mexico to be with him after the theft. An additional tip reached the FBI when Michelle Chambers made a large deposit at a bank. More calls between the two men, and also between Steve and Kelly Campbell, made it clear that the group was starting to turn on David Ghantt. Winds light and variable. It was David who was hours away from committing the most daring act of his life, and she was going off about Steve being a serious guy? The $17 million was stolen last Oct. 4 from the armored-car company's vault in Charlotte. Discover the truth behind unexplained ancient mysteries, UFO mysteries, secret locations and paranormal events. While Ghantt trusted Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. And then I realized that a lot of people knew who I was and they had followed the case.. The woman on the phone was Kelly Jane Campbell, and David had a mad crush on her. Worlds Biggest Heists London Hatton Garden 200m Diamond Robbery, Easter 2015. In August 1997, Campbell informed Ghantt about an old high school friend of hers named Steve Chambers, who could assist Ghantt to execute a massive cash robbery of the Loomis Fargo vault in one night. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: But where will they park? 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. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers, carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. They had to be extremely careful not to tip off the group, as they could lose potential conspirators or more information important to a conviction. She'd left Loomis in November 1996 to take a job elsewhere as a security guard. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. I gotta go.". of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or Then, he proceeded to load 2,800 pounds of cash into a van. He quickly found out when you have money, you just have different problems, Wydra said. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. He was the only employee unaccounted for the next morning, and videotapes recovered at the Loomis Fargo Charlotte office showed Ghantt removing cubes of cash and loading it into a Loomis Fargo armored van for over an hour. From there, the money was moved from the armored car to private vehicles. Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. His eyes widened and he stopped breathing as he realized that something as mundane as a malfunctioning gate might ruin their entire plan. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. The affidavit described Chambers as a former FBI informant who had provided information on another Loomis armored car robbery that never materialized. Prosecutors say a vault. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft [Jeff Diamant] on Amazon.com. Jeffrey Guller, who at 81 is by far the oldest of the Loomis defendants, still owes almost $1.1 million on his original court debt of $1.14 million and will remain on the governments books for another four years. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. Sunny. When some friends stole a stop sign from a busy intersection, David made them put it back. Steve decided to send his cousin, Nathan with money down to Mexico as a ruse, while Mike the bodyguard would follow behind to take care of Ghantt. You can seize property. 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. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. To visit friends.". CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kelly Campbell, the woman who helped plan the $17 million robbery of armored-car company Loomis, Fargo was sentenced yesterday to nearly six years in prison and ordered to. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. A third surveillance tape was carelessly left behind, and the company was able to identify the man who robbed the vault as David Ghantt. Asked the purpose of his visit, Johnson had replied, "To visit friends. Curiously, Payne had recently paid of his Visa in one payment and had been driving around new and rented vehicles for the past weeks. Accompanying her was Steve Chambers, who, though unemployed, had recently moved . Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. LeVaughn Kelly Campbell (born July 23, 1980 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former football wide receiver. Aprs de nombreux seconds rles comiques au cinma, elle parvient percer en co-crivant et tenant le rle principal de la The building was configured so vans could drive inside and pull up next to the vault. To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. We are happy to work with other website publishers. He waffled on the heist idea three or four times from late August to mid-September. Most people are going to forgive you. Diamant, a journalist who reported on the case at the time, goes into meticulous detail on how the heist was pulled off and its aftermath. She will never get beyond the debt. It wasn't how much you stole that mattered most; it was that you had stolen in the first place. These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. Have a youtube channel or website similar? Kelly Campbell, who one day visited a Toyota dealership to purchase a minivan with twenty-dollar bills. Inside the truck, they found Ghantts ring and surmised this as a sign of Ghantts intention to end his relationship with his wife. He called Kelly to say he was coming and hopped into the driver's seat of the loaded Loomis van. He and Tammy could have one or two meals each week that he really liked, but the rest were hot dogs or Hamburger Helper. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. Over the next two weeks, David thought about it. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.'. David was thin six-foot-one, one hundred sixty-five pounds and heaving the stacks onto the cart, pushing the cart toward the vault door, and then emptying its contents into the van was exhausting. 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. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Is this really about the needs of the poor? She will never get beyond the debt. The $17 million Loomis Fargo heist in Charlotte, North Carolina, was the second largest armored car robbery in U.S. history. But he wasn't finished. remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats By then, the FBI had become greatly concerned for Ghantts personal safety; they had learned of Chambersmurder for hirescheme. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. You have permission to edit this article. She had attitude. A more immediate need was securing help to move the stolen money to safety the night of the crime. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. Of course the most famous thing inside the home was a velvet Elvis portrait. Theres no way to get it back,, And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. (LogOut/ Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. Copyright The Nashua Telegraph | https://www.nashuatelegraph.com | 110 Main St, Ste 1, Nashua, NH 03060 | 603-882-2741, Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997, Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Later that year, he saw a newspaper ad for a job at Loomis Fargo. 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. RELATED: When you have money, you just have different problems: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later, How I held it together is beyond me, Ghantt said. Expanded two-hour true crime story about the 1997 Loomis-Fargo armored car heist in North Carolina and the serio-comic fate of its bumbling underdog perpetra. In addition, he also rented Mike his own apartment, paid him $400/weekly and bought him a gun. In the grand scheme of things, the prison sentence for stealing $20 million wouldn't be much worse than for stealing just $500,000 maybe a few extra years behind bars. Though Wydra is retired, 25 years ago, he was an agent with the FBI. 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. "Are you serious?" "I've got a friend," she said, "who can hook you up with a new ID.". Before the robber left Loomis Fargo, he made a trip to the managers office to remove two surveillance tapes in order to conceal his identity. All of the defendants are out of prison -- the longest sentence was 11 years. Despite being caught on camera wheeling the money from the vault to the getaway van, David Ghantt makes off to Mexico before the FBI can blink. The hillbilly outfit did more that just drop a few breadcrumbs. Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps. In the parking lot, David sat in his pickup truck smoking a cigarette and waving good-bye as the trainee drove home. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. 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. There was a book published in 2002 as well, by author Jeff Diamant called,Heist! Johnson had stolen $18.8 million earlier in the year, on March 19, 1997, only to be caught five months later, in late August, while crossing into Texas from Mexico to retrieve some of the money, which he'd hidden in a shed in mountainous western North Carolina. These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. "I'm busy," he said. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done. And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. 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. Ghantt, in order to conserve this money, curtailed his spending. Former Loomis employee David Scott Ghantt is accused of stealing the money. He tried again to make the back gate rise, to no avail. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars worth of temptation. Just after the last employees left that day, surveillance footage shows a man enter the vault, and begin to load more than 2,740 pounds in cash into a nearby van, totaling around over $17 million. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The case had gotten national publicity and was the subject of numerous articles, documentaries and even a movie. But they'd stayed in touch, and now they were poised to attempt a crime like almost no other. The bag held his mobile phone and handgun. He added that money can be a motivator for anyone. And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. If we can sit on the money for a year, maybe two, it could work.". The next day, before Mike was able to leave the country, the FBI arrested him in his hotel room. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. The figures can be astounding. Campbell used to work for Loomis and continued the friendship with Ghantt, eventually hooking him up with Chambers. As beads of sweat formed under his red hair, he loaded up another cart and repeated the process. Library Journal "highly entertaining." He hated his job and his bosses, he'd lost hope in his marriage, he wasn't going to advance at Loomis, and he couldn't afford to quit to enroll in college. "I was unhappy with my life. But with Kelly's new idea on the table, several dark realities converged on him. true story that has captivated American audiences on the news and now on the big screen in the major motion picture, Masterminds. That movie, Masterminds, was filmed in 2014. Former FBI agent John Wydra, who helped crack the case, sat down with Channel 9 Reporter Glenn Counts to talk about the clues that led to solving the crime, and how the group got caught. 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. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. Thank you! People dont seem to understand human nature. Pink, Mr. Blue, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. He added that he would be able to send the trainee home at about 6:00 p.m. and would then need about an hour to load the money from carts, shelves, and the floor into a Loomis company van.