Tips had led the FBI to begin monitoring Chambers (and his wifes) activities, but it was not until the FBIrecorded a phone callfrom Ghantt in Mexico that the final connection was made.
The True Story of David Ghantt and the Loomis Fargo Heist - PrepScholar The investigation ultimately resulted in the conviction of eight people directly involved, as well as sixteen others who had indirectly helped them. 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. They kept several furnishings from the previous owners, including avelvet Elvis. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Worlds Biggest Heists London Hatton Garden 200m Diamond Robbery, Easter 2015. 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. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. 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. 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. It was released in 2016 and Wydra was invited to the premiere. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. contact us to submit an unexplained mystery article, or to join the team on the email address below. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Now and again I run into blog posts that tends to make me want to get started on bloggin myself. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. "Just think about it," she said. 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. The hillbilly outfit did more that just drop a few breadcrumbs. He wanted to leave his wife for her, and Kelly, who also was married, let him think she wanted the same. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. 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. The supervisor liked him and gave him the job. The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. Libraries without that edition should consider purchasing this entertaining and lightly edited version, which reads like a fast-paced novel. Action News Jax facebook feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax twitter feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax youtube feed(Opens a new window), JSO K9 escapes kennel, bites three people in Jacksonville neighborhood, To know Nancy was to love Nancy: St. Johns County woman killed in suspected DUI crash, JSO says missing child alert results in deadly drowning, Senator proposes bill giving state emergency jurisdiction over custody of kids with trans parents, Florida woman accused of killing terminally ill husband released from jail. This was several years before the advent of smartphones and the post-9/11 increase in federal surveillance of electronic communications, and public knowledge about this tracking was less widespread.
Masterminds (2016 film) - Wikipedia Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Lacking a college degree, he found that his army skills felt meaningless in the 1990s job market. However, Chambers had no intention of following those rules, believing the FBI would never connect him to Ghantt. The stated plan was for her to move to Mexico to be with him after the theft. He called Kelly to say he was coming and hopped into the driver's seat of the loaded Loomis van. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft . In addition to their extravagant spending, Michelle Chambers made the mistake of loudly asking a bank teller how much cash she could deposit in her account without it being reported to the feds, and then said, its not drug money.. The 2016 comedy movie, Masterminds is based on the story of the Loomis Fargo Heist. Heist! In addition, he also rented Mike his own apartment, paid him $400/weekly and bought him a gun. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. 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. 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. Their only intimate physical contact had been kissing on a mid-September night when they had driven her pickup truck to a field behind a shooting range in Gaston County to discuss their plans and the theft's chance of success. Its in the ether. Current price is $11.49, Original price is $14.99. He also stole both existing sets of vault keys and hurried into the manager's office, where three TV security screens and two VCRs were visible. 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. '. Steve began talking about wiring money to overseas accounts, and even purchasing a nightclub. A more immediate need was securing help to move the stolen money to safety the night of the crime. Working by himself, Ghantt would commit the robbery and then flee for Mexico, leaving the bulk of the cash with Chambers. CHARLOTTE (AP) During one overnight shift, a bumbling conspiracy of thieves just west of Charlotte stole more than $17 million from Loomis Fargo. In all, agents arrested 24 people in the heist. remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats Instead he became paranoid, especially after Steve Chambers put a contract out on his life. There was a book published in 2002 as well, by author Jeff Diamant called,Heist! 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. 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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. You can have your whole career and not have a case like that. Aprs de nombreux seconds rles comiques au cinma, elle parvient percer en co-crivant et tenant le rle principal de la Library Journal "highly entertaining." The site features a collection of unexplained, strange and odd mysteries. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. "About fourteen or fifteen million dollars," he said. 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In the parking lot, David sat in his pickup truck smoking a cigarette and waving good-bye as the trainee drove home. About six months before the Charlotte theft, on March 29, a total of $18.8 million was taken from Loomis, Fargo in Jacksonville, Fla., in what was believed to be the largest heist in U.S.. 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. A couple by the names of Steve and Shelley Chambers also became people of interest in the investigation due to their extreme sudden increase in spending. At 2:20 p.m., the phone rang; it was Kelly again. Campbell used to work for Loomis and continued the friendship with Ghantt, eventually hooking him up with Chambers. But he wasn't finished. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. But things didnt quite work out that way. 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 . 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, . Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. He was a hard worker, smart enough, and had graduated from high school. She will never get beyond the debt. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. 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. Chambers had no intention of wiring any money to Ghantt and intended to have him killed to keep him from implicating the others. A parrot tattoo on her right ankle. 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. Sure enough, she called a few days later, around September 16. 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. When some friends stole a stop sign from a busy intersection, David made them put it back. 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. The Loomis Fargo Heist Over the next months, Ghantt, Campbell, and Chambers developed a plan. "I've got a friend," she said, "who can hook you up with a new ID.". The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. "Everything's gonna be all right," she told him. He even had to watch what he bought at the grocery store. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The FBI was inadvertently aided by the gang members extravagant spending.
David Ghantt And The Ridiculous Loomis Fargo Heist It's been 20 years since the Loomis Fargo heist. - Charlotte Observer He put on his best pair of jeans, a button-down shirt, and his nicest cowboy boots. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. All of the defendants are out of prison -- the longest sentence was 11 years. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. 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. If we work together, we can all have plenty of pie.. It wasn't how much you stole that mattered most; it was that you had stolen in the first place. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. The police almost immediately called theFBI, since 95% of the money handled at the facility was owned by banks. Stealing from Loomis Fargo could make him rich, if he got away with it. I actually loved reading through this post. David Scott Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Later, they also arrested Nathans older brother.
WOMAN GETS TIME IN LOOMIS HEIST - Greensboro News and Record By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. He realized his bosses would know he had worked that day and that he was missing, but maybe without a video they would think he'd been held at gunpoint and taken hostage, or even better, that he'd been killed. "I don't have time to mess with you. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). Discover some of the worlds strangest ancient places. Though Wydra is retired, 25 years ago, he was an agent with the FBI. Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps. Perry identified the other six people arrested as Steve and Michelle Chambers; Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis employee; Michael L. McKinney; Thomas Nathan Grant; and Eric Haley Payne.. But being the vault supervisor at Loomis Fargo had one perk -- exposure to tons of cash. To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. The unfairness gnawed at him, stirred by Kelly's questions. Steve had hired a bodyguard named Mike McKinney. After discussing his job, his marriage, and his everyday struggles, they joked about Loomis and about how easy it would be to steal from the place. The Star-Ledger, 06/15/2015On October 4, 1997, an amateurish gang robbed Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, NC of $17 million, the second largest heist in U.S. history. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Getting that off his chest calmed him some, and the conversation returned to the plan. Eric Payne got out of prison in 2006 for his role in the heist and has since paid $11,357 on his $292,000 debt. Seven p.m. came and went, and so did 7:20. Ghantt reported to Chambers that his supply of money was running low, but Chambers sent Ghantt just $8,000. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. Afterward, everything became comical.
Feet Security Officer Bo Foot's Incident In Happy Town | ipl.org 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. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars worth of temptation. Oh were not going to talk to anybody, theyre not going to be able to convict us, that bravado happens in the beginning and then it often gets worn down by the reality, Gronquist said. The plan was to exit through the building's electronic back gate, which consisted of horizontal metal plates that opened at the touch of a button. 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. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. He could even be famous, perhaps joining the ranks of legendary master thieves.
Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 Chambers would then occasionally wire Ghantt money and see to his basic financial needs; when the heat was off, Ghantt was to re-enter the U.S. and the money would be split up among all of the co-conspirators. Her case closes in 2025.
Fact check: Is there much truth to the new 'Masterminds' movie? 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,. By now, you probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve Chambers and his wife Michelle, and Kelly Campbell. He played high school football at Mays High School in Atlanta, and college football at Georgia Tech . 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. The building was configured so vans could drive inside and pull up next to the vault. The unsolved crime mystery of Marilyn Sheppard. Heist! 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. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. You can garnish wages. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft [Jeff Diamant] on Amazon.com. We are happy to work with other website publishers. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter. The walk-in vault was a fortified gray room, more wide than long, with shelves, cabinets, desks, and multiple pushcarts stocked with shrink-wrapped cash. Then we went on a mission to calculate exactly how much size-wise the money was, $11.3 million in $20 bills, and it weighed over 2,000 pounds, Wydra said. The case had gotten national publicity and was the subject of numerous articles, documentaries and even a movie. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. Enforcement of this policy is at the I ride motorcycles and fish -- normal guy, Ghantt told Counts. The FBI became more suspicious after they interviewed Campbell for the third time. 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. The figures can be astounding. In March 1997, after Loomis Fargo & Company has been robbed of $18.8 million in Jacksonville by company security guard Philip Noel Johnson, Steve Eugene Chambers and Kelly Campbell, a former employee of Loomis, decides to rob the company. Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. The woman on the phone was Kelly Jane Campbell, and David had a mad crush on her. If a prank seemed dangerous, David backed out. sole discretion of the site administrators and repeat offenders may 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. But they'd stayed in touch, and now they were poised to attempt a crime like almost no other. "But you can still have a cigarette.". Jeff Diamant was a reporter for the Charlotte Observer when the heist took place. "I'm busy," he said. FBI video shows the agency searching that home and finding drawers full of cash. Its like, me and you sat down, I have access to pie, you like pie, all I want is my share of the pie. Hes a family man with a wife and daughter. ", Johnson said, "Yeah, that's it. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]. There was no reason to leave anything, he felt. (LogOut/ He stayed at it until the vault was empty. He deserved better. The towns booming construction industry attracts workers from around the country. There's just one hitch: Ghantt has entrusted the money to an oddball crew of accomplices who had wooed him into committing this massive theft in the first placeand who, he soon learns, are trying to take him out. Thirty years! According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24.
They assumed that whoever was involved would keep the cash in a safe place, like a safe deposit box. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Then one day, while reviewing his and Tammy's credit card bill, he did some quick math and realized that even if they met the minimum monthly payments, the bill would take thirty years to pay. You can seize property. The trainee didn't yet know how the place worked, a fact David planned to use to his advantage. I think if you remember some of her early photographic opportunities, shall we put it that way, she was sort of laughing, not seeming to take it seriously.. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers, carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. 2023 Cox Media Group. But this time on the phone, Kelly wasn't joking.
SEVEN NABBED IN CHARLOTTE HEIST\ - Greensboro News and Record In the end, the FBI was able to capture the original gang in five months, snaring 21 individuals for their participation in the crime. David was supposed to be showing him the ropes of the job, which included cash pickups and deliveries. He had since served time in prison for the crime and told our sister station WSOC-TV Channel 9s Glenn Counts he learned a valuable lesson while behind bars. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. In all, they recovered $6.6 million. 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 Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts.
6-Year Sentence For Kelly Campbell | The Seattle Times (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). The bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. His collection case closes in two years. Since then, there have been numerous articles, books, documentaries and even a movie about this gang -- the gang that couldnt shoot straight. The next day, before Mike was able to leave the country, the FBI arrested him in his hotel room. And once he started, he didn't stop with one cartful. Pink, Mr. Blue, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde. 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. NASCAR. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. 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.