>> 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.. His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. That sounds like a lot of money until its compared to the $18,930,201.26 the group was ordered to pay. The trainee didn't know to check to make sure it was closed. And they could barely afford the minimum payments, given the power bills, phone bills, car insurance bills, and home payments they had to meet. He ejected the two VCR tapes that he knew had recorded him stealing the money, took them, and prepared to leave. The defendants received sentences ranging from probation for several relatives to over 11 years in federal prison for Steve Chambers. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. In the first couple of weeks, they had heard both Steve and Shelley bragging about their new-found fortune, and spending remarkable amounts of money. Sunny. Ghantt, in order to conserve this money, curtailed his spending. The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. How did they get away with stealing more than $17 million? 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.. She'd left Loomis in November 1996 to take a job elsewhere as a security guard.
Man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago now a 'normal guy Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. He said at first, they were very proud of what they had been able to do. It's still the hot topic . If we work together, we can all have plenty of pie.. Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft . He and Tammy could have one or two meals each week that he really liked, but the rest were hot dogs or Hamburger Helper. 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. But things didnt quite work out that way. 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. 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.. Jim Gronquist was Campbells defense attorney. Stealing from Loomis Fargo could make him rich, if he got away with it. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. Its in the ether.
How Did David Ghantt, Kelly Campbell, Steve Chambers Steal More Than 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. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. The Loomis Fargo Heist Over the next months, Ghantt, Campbell, and Chambers developed a plan. In the movie: Campbell invites Ghantt to a restaurant under the auspices of a date, but then springs the idea of the heist on him, as Chambers and two associates join the conversation from an . Ghantt had struck up a relationship with a fellow Loomis Fargo employee, Kelly Campbell; they continued to maintain contact even after Campbell left the company. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. Ghantt had fled to Mexico with $50,000 in cash, leaving the rest of the money with Steve Chambers. But after a year, they cut it down to two agents. "I've got a friend," she said, "who can hook you up with a new ID.". The towns booming construction industry attracts workers from around the country. The 2016 comedy movie, Masterminds is based on the story of the Loomis Fargo Heist. Steve had hired a bodyguard named Mike McKinney. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Kelly had approached David with the idea in the summer, knowing he had a crush on her and winning him over with the promise that a shady friend of hers with Mafia ties would help them. Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. He called Kelly to say he was coming and hopped into the driver's seat of the loaded Loomis van. The figures can be astounding. Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain.
Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997 The Chambers home is now gated, which means Channel 9 crews cant drive up to it like we used to. His eyes widened and he stopped breathing as he realized that something as mundane as a malfunctioning gate might ruin their entire plan. 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. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. They had initially agreed to control their spending for a year or two, in the belief that the government would vigorously track the spending habits of any and all suspects for at least a year before relenting. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. Change). Authorities were notified of the robbery in the morning, when employees couldnt open the vault. The inspiration behind the major motion picture Masterminds starring Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Sudeikis! The friend was Steve Chambers, and Kelly said he knew his way around the world of crime. The Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later 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, former FBI agent John Wydra said.
6-Year Sentence For Kelly Campbell | The Seattle Times If we can sit on the money for a year, maybe two, it could work.". Their most important conversation occurred one afternoon in August 1997 after Kelly paged him at work. None of the suspects had been in any serious trouble before this. Jeff Diamant was a reporter for the Charlotte Observer when the heist took place. The corporation handled armored transportation, ATM maintenance and other cash handling services, and had millions of currency stashed in the vault of the North Carolina branch. 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 bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. It has a certain feel, a smell and weight to it.
The real 'Masterminds' Heist! "Just remind Steve," he said, "that I might be trouble my own self." 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. 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. 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. It wasn't how much you stole that mattered most; it was that you had stolen in the first place. He quickly found out when you have money, you just have different problems, Wydra said. Charlotte Observer"more than a crime story, and one that's worth reading." Seven p.m. came and went, and so did 7:20. 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. He hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. 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. Ms. Campbell worked at Loomis for 11 months, leaving in November 1996, according to court papers. Husband and wife Steven and Michelle Chambers, whose conspicuous consumption of a luxury home, a BMW convertible, breast implants and a $600 wooden Indian, among other purchases, helped the FBI solve the crime, were assessed $3.81 million and $4.8 million, respectively. 2023 Cox Media Group. 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. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. Hed never really been in trouble, he wasnt a career criminal, said retired FBI agent John Wydra. It just happened to fall on my desk.. By now, you probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve Chambers and his wife Michelle, and Kelly Campbell. What it does is put a ball and chain on that person for the rest of their lives, they are walking around and they are basically an indentured servant, Gronquist said. 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. Ghantt said he believes in redemption, and that his mistake 25 years ago brought him all the things that are important in his life today. I dont know if Steve would have done it himself, but he definitely was capable of buying someone to do it for him and I think that was going to happen if we didnt step in and arrest Ghantt, Wydra said. : The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft. Of course, this would all be a radical departure for him, and thoughts of his wife and parents did give him pause. The building was configured so vans could drive inside and pull up next to the vault. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later Steve Chambers and his wife were living in a trailer and upgraded to what would today be a multi-million-dollar mansion at Cramer Mountain. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program.
Heist!: The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft - amazon.com People dont seem to understand human nature. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. All of the co-defendants were arrested the next day, about six months after the heist. While Ghantt trusted Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. Now and again I run into blog posts that tends to make me want to get started on bloggin myself. All of the defendants are out of prison -- the longest sentence was 11 years. But they'd stayed in touch, and now they were poised to attempt a crime like almost no other. David and Steve had never met, but Steve had already secured somebody else's birth certificate and social security card for him and given it to Kelly to pass along. Current price is $11.49, Original price is $14.99. David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis), an employee of Loomis Fargo, robbed his own vault, left the $17.3 million in cash with his co-conspirators, Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig) and Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson) and fled the country to Mexico. Steve's a serious guy.". More than half of the amount came from the seizure of a luxury home purchased by husband-and-wife defendants during their post-heist spending spree. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. They kept several furnishings from the previous owners, including avelvet Elvis. 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. He even had to watch what he bought at the grocery store. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. - 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. But with Kelly's new idea on the table, several dark realities converged on him. Some of that money is just gone. "I don't have time to mess with you. He had approached her inside the chain-link fence that surrounded the building and said with a flirty smile, "If you give me a cigarette, I'll be your friend. 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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 have permission to edit this article. Its a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I went down and talked to them, got to meet Zach Galifianakis and the director, Ghantt said. The woman on the phone was Kelly Jane Campbell, and David had a mad crush on her. All but one took plea deals, including Ghantt, who was sentenced to seven years in prison. His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. 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. So its one thing to go from up here, thought, to action, he said. The figures can be astounding. (LogOut/ Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. While David Ghantt trusted Steve Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. "I'm busy," he said. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. The world is full of unexplained events, strange mysteries, and mysterious legends. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. Michelle Chambers received a few more months than Ghantt, because she had violated several bond conditions. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. 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. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. This month marked 25 years since one of the biggest armored car heists in U.S. history. She sounded incredulous. Investigators also found Ghantts pickup truck, abandoned at the warehouse. They had met in December 1995 on one of her first days at Loomis. 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. For people earning $8.15 an hour David's salary the jokes came naturally. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. I was relieved emotionally because I knew there was a good chance my luck might run out, Ghantt said. Discover the truth behind unexplained ancient mysteries, UFO mysteries, secret locations and paranormal events. 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.. They also bought aBMW Z3with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 statue of aNative American. Ghantt went to Mexico leaving the money with his cohorts, thinking that he could get his share back when he needed it. He is a graduate of Yale and has worked for the Connecticut Post, the Associated Press, and the Palm Beach Post. A customs inspector, asking routine questions of bus passengers, focused her attention on him when his answers reminded her of Tommy Flanagan, the pathological-liar character played by Jon Lovitz on Saturday Night Live. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. be blocked or permanently banned without warning. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]. He loves his motorcycle and enjoys going fishing and, while hes sorry for the past, hes not ashamed to talk about it. "Are you serious?" LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Remember why you were elected! of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or The actual crime itself required none of Hollywood's imagination.
David Ghantt And The Ridiculous Loomis Fargo Heist She was five-foot-seven, had dirty-blond hair, and had worked with him for about a year at Loomis Fargo, until she left for another job in 1996. He has a regular life now, but 25 years ago, Ghantt was the mastermind behind the third-largest bank robbery in U.S. history. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. Have a youtube channel or website similar? Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps. Another name the FBI had become very interested in is Eric Payne. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Nathan, Steves cousin, was found in a mobile home the Chambers had abandoned. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. 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. 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. But that only tells part of the story. Getting that off his chest calmed him some, and the conversation returned to the plan. Still facing possible unknowns of other people involved, the FBI needed to gather more information without the suspects getting suspicious of them. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. 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. How he felt shorted by life. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. ", Johnson said, "Yeah, that's it.
October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery - Wikipedia There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. That movie, Masterminds, was filmed in 2014. Accompanying her was Steve Chambers, who, though unemployed, had recently moved . Ghantts spending in Mexico was extravagant at first. 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. The case had gotten national publicity and was the subject of numerous articles, documentaries and even a movie. 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.
(John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. true story that has captivated American audiences on the news and now on the big screen in the major motion picture, Masterminds. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. Learning from this error, David planned to leave the stolen money behind with his coconspirators while he fled to Mexico.
SEVEN NABBED IN CHARLOTTE HEIST\ - Greensboro News and Record Steve began talking about wiring money to overseas accounts, and even purchasing a nightclub. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges.
Figure in Loomis Heist Gets Prison | AP News 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. Sure to be in demand as the book has been made into a movie, Masterminds, to be released in August.Michael Sawyer, Pine Bluff, AR. "But you can still have a cigarette.". One number is working in Campbells favor. And once he started, he didn't stop with one cartful. David's vision for all of this actually derived more from books than from movies.
Loomis Fargo Defendants Owe as Much as They Stole in 1997 Its in the ether. Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter. 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. David and Kelly had driven to Rock Hill, South Carolina, and used the documents to obtain a fake ID that David would also rely on after the theft. Spunk. I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. 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. David was supposed to be showing him the ropes of the job, which included cash pickups and deliveries. He deserved better. David's share would be sent to Mexico, where he planned to hide and where he expected Kelly to join him. So the pieces were falling into place for investigators. You can garnish wages. 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.
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