Steve bought a truck, a Rolex and a motorboat. Her only brush with the law had been a DUI arrest. Is he telling the truth? You might as well go all the way now.". A third tape he didn't know about kept recording. One thing about teammates, in David's view: You could always trust them. For reasons that remain obscure, Robert spilled the beans to David. Exhibit A was that Steve had no steady job but plenty of cash. To 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 goods, to lead the team. So yeah, Im kind of proud of it.. "I was dumb," Ghantt said Wednesday, the eve before the movie hits screens nationwide. He took bus tours of Mayan ruins. Then he was driving in the darkness with a van full of cash. That time in prison was actually good for me. Some days, the robbery seems like a memory from a different life, a choice made by a different man. And going to see the Mayan ruins. In mid-November, McKinney carried $10,000 to Cancun but wound up spending most of it on himself. He gave the rest to Kelly. But it wasnt. While the agents initiated their investigation, the Chambers spent money as quickly as they could. You can garnish wages. In the meantime, the FBI was closing in looking to bust a total of 21 suspected accomplices. Kelly called David at. Scary. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. The figures can be astounding. To celebrate Halloween, about seven of Steve's friends, including Eric Payne and Kelly, gathered for a party at Steve's house. The audacity of the act was breathtaking. Its hilarious. In early December, Steve and Michele invited relatives to their daughter's sixth birthday party. There, Scott and Eric paced the floor as Steve tried to calm them down. Campbell, 29, had pleaded guilty to charges of bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder. You might as well take it all, Ghantt tells me. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. In that time, I realized most of my problems were because of me. He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. His collection case closes in two years. But it was the rural, Southern backgrounds of many of the key players, along with the many botched twists and bungled turns, that led the media to dub it the hillbilly heist.. Then, on a mid-September day, as he reviewed a credit card bill, David did some math. Now that Kelly believes she has found Jesus, she has become more analytical about her past. Ghantt was never in Chamberss presence until he actually handed off the money to him. Ghantt spent a solid hour moving what ended up being 2,700 pounds of cash more than an actual ton into an unmarked company van. Its really just a matter of timing, more than anything. And she says, How much do you think wed get out of there? I said, Ten to 15 million. But I didnt really know.. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. I learned something that was valuable at the time: Most criminals never leave a 250, maybe 300-mile circle from their home base. In early September 1997, Kelly found herself chatting on the phone with a friend who still worked at Loomis, a 27-year-old man who, despite being married, had made no secret of the fact that he had a crush on her. Still, she wasn't happy. 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. Instead of lobster, the man who stole $17 million survived on home-cooked pasta and grilled cheese sandwiches. But as soon as he drove off, I went right back in and opened the vault. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. Michele told her mother she and Steve had been saving gambling winnings for the down payment. Question: You were a consultant? The last time he called me, he said, Hey Ghantt, I just saw a big Loomis Fargo truck. It was the first Saturday in October. Why had he ever believed he'd get it? We spoke with the inside man, David Ghantt, to get the real story. There was, however, one problem with his plan. Once in a lifetime, Murdaugh verdict sends a Lowcountry message: No one is above the law | Opinion, Charlotte Waffle House found with live roach, unclean equipment during health inspection. Like David, Kelly was frustrated with her marriage. "We kept going, '1-4-3, 1-4-3,' " recalled Vic O'Korn, assistant special agent in charge of Charlotte's FBI office. David, now 30, says he's sorry he abandoned his wife--who he says still loves him--and his family. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. Federal prosecutors would ultimately charge 21 defendants in the case, including the Floyds, who were charged with (and pleaded guilty to) money laundering. Before long, the FBI had wiretaps on the ringleader, Steve Chambers, and then they waited for the right time to make their arrests. He'd even bragged that he'd killed people. Looking for Kelly Loomis? He approached a longtime friend, Eric Payne, who lived in a mobile home south of Belmont, N.C. Steve offered him $100,000 to help. They placed a bust of Caesar in the dining room. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Here's what Floyd recalls: After two games of pool, Steve told him, "You know, we do a lot of gambling. Ghantt started at Loomis Fargo in 1994, and soon worked his way up from an armored car driver to a vault supervisor. This story was originally published October 3, 2016, 9:12 PM. And youre like, Come on parachute. David was excited, jabbering about their future together. 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. Hidden in it was a 3 1/2-carat diamond ring that cost $43,000. "I said, 'I don't want him killed.' (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) The Associated Press, BY MICHAEL GORDON, The Charlotte Observer. No hard feelings. In real life: False. So the last third of the movie is almost entirely fiction. He would pay McKinney $250,000, half upfront. In a word, "Teamwork. In real life: False. On October 5, 1997, FBI agents gathered at the Loomis, Fargo & Co. warehouse in Charlotte, North Carolina, to watch a security videotape of a man loading stacks of cash into a pushcart and wheeling them from the vault. Careers. He couldn't even bear to stick around for the final tally--though when he left he didn't forget to take $6,000, the first cut of his expected $100,000 share. For her part, Kelly Campbell spent six years in federal prison. Jim Gronquist, Campbells defense attorney during the Loomis case, says the financial penalties levied against his client and her co-defendants are grossly excessive and unjust, particularly since most of the stolen Loomis money was actually recovered. David said he realized then, for the first time, he might not see the millions he thought he had coming to him. Heres what happened on Sunday nights episode. His wife, Tammy, was as shocked as Loomis officials. Though he never found the right moment to carry out the hit, McKinney did find time to make a friend--a shady character named Robert, to whom he revealed more than was prudent. Ghantt was in fact hiding out in Mexico using McKinneys I.D., which had been sold to Chambers months earlier. He rewarded Robert with $3,000 and vowed never to meet McKinney alone. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. Ghantt:It's a comedy. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. So much so that one suspicious neighbor called the FBI. . Should David be killed after he gave them the money? This real-life crime is the core of "Untitled Armored Car Project," which stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson and Kristen Wiig. "I've moved on with my life," he said Tuesday. He appeared happily matched with his high-spirited wife, Michele, and the two children from her first marriage. Tickle Me Kaczynski: How the Inventor of the Ultimate Elmo Toy Became a Unabomber Suspect, A Highly Questionable Cultural History of Richard Geres Ass Gerbil. There was a little voice in my head that said, 'Don't do it. I missed my wife. 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. He's a very likable person. Theres less security. I wanted to get as far away as I could. Chambers never held Campbell hostage by locking her in a shed on his property. Ghantt: My cut was supposed to be about $5 million, but that's not what I ended up with. Now he offered to pay him to carry cash to David--Steve said he was a friend hiding out after a bad drug deal, McKinney recalled. As soon as you put that first bag of stolen money in that van, theres no going back. So I guess I have no regrets. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. David thought about it. Not many people can say they stole $17 million from their employer and had Zach Galifianakis play them in a movie. The Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery was the $17.3 million cash robbery of the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis Fargo & Company on the evening of October 4, 1997, by armored car driver and vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt. Then, I started loading the van., Money, when bound in bulk and stacked in canvas bags, is heavier than you might expect. I don't blame him.". real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist (No Ratings Yet) . The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. What made her do it? Kelly was lying. ". Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. >> 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. 4,. A few of the Loomis restitution cases have already been closed either because the amount was paid in full or because the 20-year clock wound down. I hope everyone has moved on. ];David Scott Ghanntt [Misc.] Thats where they feel comfortable., This piece of information would become critical to his getaway plan. His mobile home was nicely furnished, on eight acres with a stream in the back. Thatd probably been the best thing for me to do, really. If you were one of the much-smaller-than-expected group of people who caught Masterminds at the theater this weekend, and are looking for a fact-check of the events depicted on screen, here are some of the highlights of our chat with Diamant. That was great. Although David was in on most of the planning, one discussion between Steve and Kelly was kept a secret. . Purchases included a pool table, jewelry (including a $43,000 diamond ring), a minivan, $20,000 worth of cigars, and the 7,000-square-foot home on the side of Cramer Mountain. The case resurfaced in the federal courts on Thursday, Sept. 1, when the U.S. Attorneys Office in Charlotte posted a public reminder in the case file of Loomis defendant Kelly Campbell that she had fallen behind in her restitution. shaka wear graphic tees is candy digital publicly traded ellen lawson wife of ted lawson real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist 25 Feb/23 (No Ratings Yet) Some family members hid money in bank deposit boxes, other friends were asked to mule cash to the Cayman Islands. Her husband gave her a brown teddy bear. About the same time, Kelly and McKinney received phone calls from agents who told them to open their doors. [Kelly] told me, 'Just think about it.' They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. I'd probably change jobs. Ghantt:It started out as a mental exercise and somewhere between the mental exercise and the actual event, it became serious. Thats nearly $11 million less than former Kings Mountain resident David Ghantt (played by Galifianakis in the film) helped steal from the vault where he worked in Charlotte back in October 1997. Though David had said earlier he thought there was $15 million in the vault, the sight of that much cash held them spellbound. ", "I wouldn't do it. But agents weren't ready to arrest Kelly and Steve. David quickly realized he was the intended victim. "He said, 'Yeah, right,' and turned his head. We got this guy named Bruno. I just had to call you., Today, Ghantt cant look back on the whole ordeal without some degree of pride. In February 1998, the FBI tapped their phones and listened to Steve discuss depositing $2.5 million in the Cayman Islands. In early November, Steve lured the real Mike McKinney, an ex-Marine, to North Carolina from his Illinois home. On Oct. 7, 1997, two FBI agents arrived at Kelly Campbell's home after two Loomis employees had told agents she and David had once dated. Alert: Obviously, spoilers abound. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. "He showed me a lot of money," McKinney said. Chambers went from a mobile home in Lincoln County to a mansion in Cramerton. 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, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing her. He para-sailed, power-skied and scuba-dived. Back then, it was one of the hotspots for hiding money. Ghantt planned to live off the interest for the rest of his life. She was the group's only contact with David, and she was smoking marijuana "like other people smoke cigarettes," she said. I said, Listen, You all need to get your shit together, or Im just going to walk over here to the government building and tell them who the fuck I am. That lit a little fire under her ass, for a bit.. "We had David Ghantt and Kelly Campbell tied together, and we had Steven Chambers and Eric Payne with unexplained wealth, but we didn't have a tie between them," Agent John Wydra said. It will be some time before she can commune with domestic animals again. No regrets. I wish them all a happy life and that's about it. And it turned Steve into he thought he was Don Corleone all of a sudden.. But in November, money ran low. It wasn't known whether anyone would receive it. And I think that makes it all the more funny, because it really offends my co-defendants. Inside the Mazda, Steve told Scott Grant to get out and help David. There were times when I drank really heavily.". He'd stay up all night, boosted by coffee, waiting for the sunrise over the ocean. shes now Miss USA. David Ghantt, who pulled off the Loomis, Fargo & Co. vault robbery in 1997 and was sentenced to seven years in prison for the crime, served as a consultant for the film (in theaters Friday). Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. 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 other co-conspirators. Question: Are you surprised that Hollywood took this on as a movie? When I call Ghantt to discuss his involvement in the Loomis Fargo heist, he confesses that hes feeling a bit tired from a day of honest labor. Exciting. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. At the sight of all that money, Scott and Eric had the same thought: They'd made the worst mistake of their lives. About 5:45 a.m., he got into his pickup and began the 45-minute drive to work in Charlotte.
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