Thank you so much. . The events that led to the Loomis Fargo heist started with Ghantt entering a relationship with fellow employee Kelly Campbell. The Gaston Gazette interviewed Ghantt, whos now in his late 40s and living as a free man in Florida. On the evening of October 4, 1997, one man loaded $17.3 million in cash from the vaults of Loomis, Fargo & Co. into the back of a van. 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 group's demise. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. 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. Since he was the only employee unaccounted for the following day, they checked the tapes for clues. We are talking about the 1997 Loomis Fargo heist. They swept the surrounding counties, locating Kelly Campbell and Eric Payne in their homes. I knew it was over then, Ghantt said. When Loomis Fargo employees could not open the vault the following day, they called authorities, and the investigation was started. Gaston County residents remember how that worked out. It was one of those things everyone (at Loomis Fargo) joked about, but in time, it became serious. Popular Lake Norman pub set to reopen after a major face lift. Ghantt:I hate to say it, but I had six years of sitting in a box to think about my life. However, they didnt heed their own advice. 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. . Actor Owen Wilson plays him in the movie, which includes the real names of all the major players. Ghantt went on to explain that he rarely even looks at his debt statement to the government, but believes the IRS says he still owes them $3.8 million. Ghantt was charged in connection with the robbery reported Oct. 5 at Loomis, Fargo & Co. He had just returned to his home in Jacksonville, Florida when he agreed to talk about the heist, his life now, and what went wrong with a group of friends who thought they could get away with stealing $17 million cash. He is an uncomplicated man stuck in a monotonous life. In that time, I realized most of my problems were because of me. Elizabeth Holmes has second child, seeks to delay prison David Ghantt was sentenced to seven years in prison and Steven Chambers was sentenced to 11. David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) is unfulfilled in his life, unhappy with his work -- and that work is driving the armored car bringing thousands of dollars to and from banks every day. 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. Ghantt:We're both North Carolina boys so we had a lot to talk about from the very beginning. In the end, he carried as much as he could and just tossed it into the van. No hard feelings. Before long, the tales of high living by Chambers and his now former wife, Michelle, led the thieves to be labeled either the "Cramer Mountain Hillbillies" or "The gang that couldn't steal straight." He rarely went to the nearby beach, she said. He attended the big Los Angeles premiere and enjoyed being a part of it. The van used to move the money was later located a few miles from the warehouse. During the hearing, Culler recounted his client's difficult personal life: her parents' divorce when she was 2 or 3 years old; a teenage stay in a Baptist Children's home; a teenage pregnancy; and various medical conditions. The FBI heard about the plot and agents knew they could no longer wait. Ghantt believed the new employee would make a good replacement for his wife, but the feelings were not necessarily reciprocated. . Loomis Fargo & Company was established in 1997 by the consolidation of Wells Fargo Armored Service and Loomis Armored Inc. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. This technically made it a bank robbery and a federal offense. She recruited an old friend, Steve Chambers, a convicted criminal who was once an FBI informant. Here you'll find all collections you've created before. One day, the two employees were in the break room and got to talking about the news of the day a massive bank heist that just occurred in Florida by someone at their company. "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. . . David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) is slowly creeping by in life driving an armored truck.His life is at a stall and he's slowly dwindling down into the trash life that was destined for him. MAIL. It was over. Defense lawyer Andy Culler sought a seven-year, three-month sentence. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars-worth of temptation. 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. Instead, he was plotting to kill Ghantt - and burning through a great deal of cash. ``There are many people with those factors who don't resort to crime,' he said. David gets Steve to confess to planning the heist. You have to remember that it's Hollywood and they'll take what was a minor event and they'll blow it up and make it as funny as they can.". Over 88% of the money has been recovered since the heist. But neither of those things would matter after he met Kelly Campbell. After Ghantts release from prison, he took up a job as a construction worker. Kelly : No, Rio. 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. 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 FBI investigation was able to connect Ghantt to Campbell quickly. Campbell, 29, had pleaded guilty to charges of bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder. Authorities were notified of the robbery in the morning, when employees couldnt open the vault. 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. Shortly after, investigators found Ghantt's pickup truck abandoned at the warehouse. David Ghantt, Kelly Campbell, and their friends stole an astonishing $17.3 million. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars-worth of temptation. As Campbell would later explain, If David got killed, there couldnt be any finger pointing. What the men didnt know was that the FBI was listening to their phone call. However, he was released for good behavior after serving only five of them. 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 . David Ghantt was the Treasury Supervisor for Loomis Armored Cars, Fargo & Co. Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect 25 Feb/23. This was all the evidence the authorities needed. 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. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. He misses Tonys Ice Cream in Gastonia, and he discusses how he tells employers about his criminal history. Then Campbell turned his attention to her boyfriend. Fact check: Is there much truth to the new Masterminds movie? Steve Chambers would keep the rest. What we know. The Chambers traded in their trailer for a $635,000 mansion in Cramer Mountain - bought with mostly $20 . Afterward, outside the courthouse, her parents said the length was about what she had expected. ``I'm glad she didn't get nine years,' said Sandra Floyd, her mother. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. We spoke with the inside man, David Ghantt, to get the real story . The others, though, went no farther than Cramer Mountain. While they had initially agreed to control their spending for a year or two, Chambers had no intention of following those rules. Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. 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. The plan went off with few problems, but after Ghantt was safely in Mexico, his partners were left storing large amounts of cash. 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 . 2021 museumfacts.co.uk | All rights reserved. To connect Chambers to them was more difficult. One day, Campbell met up with Steven Chambers, an old high school classmate and a small-time crook. ``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. 1997, with David Ghantt, a Loomis supervisor who stole . They knew Steve Chambers had worked as an informant in the past, and were nervous he would smell out an undercover. Consequently, they called the police. More than 2 million dollars are still missing to this day. Of course, I went on a spending spree. I hope everyone has moved on. When Ghantt called Campbell asking for more money, a plan was set in motion to take him out. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. The police, in turn, called the FBI since 95% of the money handled at the facility was owned by banks. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. I started just chucking it as fast as I could, he said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me.. Driving away, he said he felt a mix of fear, confidence and excitement that he outsmarted the FBI. When to set your clocks for daylight saving time, A raw bar, Asian restaurant, ice cream shop and arcade debut at Concord food hall. Deputies in Davidson County rushed to help a 69-year-old man they'd found unresponsive in his house following a welfare check. More than 20 people ended up in the FBI's dragnet. Later, they also arrested Nathans older brother. (I) bought jewelry, bought a van, Campbell recalled of her own spending. 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