They found Ghantts truck, and in it were his keys, some personal items and his wedding ring. They stocked a wine cellar. Agents noticed it two months later when it flowed to them through official channels, along with hundreds of similar reports involving other people. I don't blame him.". I didn't think I had the guts. But what did that mean? FBI agents recall surreal story of heist that inspired - WLOS Hidden in it was a 3 1/2-carat diamond ring that cost $43,000. He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. "He showed me a lot of money," McKinney said. It was an ear-biting, Pierce Brosnan-loving, comet-obsessed world, and were here to relive every minute of it. He had even scheduled a follow-up appointment at the dentist. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist - legal-innovation.com Where was Ghantt? Now two NC men face prison. In real life: False. When she realized Ghantt never came home from work the night before, she contacted the police and filed a missing persons report. I had to go in there and tell her the whole story, and she was real cool about it. I missed my wife. Steve tried keys on a side door. "I work construction. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist - molecularrecipes.com 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. At the sight of all that money, Scott and Eric had the same thought: They'd made the worst mistake of their lives. 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. Without really intending to, Kelly recalls, she turned the conversation to the possibility of a heist. About 200 keys dangled from it. "Every time my conscience would start bothering me," Kelly recalled, "I'd smoke another joint and forget about it.". Money'll turn your head, I don't care who you are. 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. Ghantt was apprehended in Mexico and returned to the United States in custody. He para-sailed, power-skied and scuba-dived. He had stolen $17 million from Loomis Fargo. I knew it was just a matter of time. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. ". Sandra Floyd, Michele Chambers's mother, remembers the first time she saw the house. One of them tapped him on the back. Question: Should people go see this movie? A version of this story originally appeared on CharlotteObserver.com. One day, Campbell was speaking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. They heard Michele brag about her $43,000 ring. I'll never pay it off on my paycheck." 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. Dental plans . Agents found out where Ghantt was living because Chambers had put out a hit on him, foolishly believing Ghantt was the only person the FBI had fingered for the crime. He had a favorite restaurant, Zandunga, which had a mariachi band each night and a view of the Caribbean. She never really worried about the moral end of it--she was focused only on getting what she wanted out of life, what so many others seemed to have in this booming part of the South. Kelly drove her pickup to a lot across the street from the Loomis building, on Suttle Avenue in Charlotte. David thought about it. That's the kind of movie they wanted to make. . And so, he told her, Google my name. See all of the stories here. . Ghantt:I don't think he ever really meant to harm me. He frequently entertained there, buying steaks for his guests. I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. To celebrate Halloween, about seven of Steve's friends, including Eric Payne and Kelly, gathered for a party at Steve's house. I learned something that was valuable at the time: Most criminals never leave a 250, maybe 300-mile circle from their home base. 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. 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. Ghantt:We're both North Carolina boys so we had a lot to talk about from the very beginning. The next week, they heard Steve plan to send Mike McKinney to Mexico to kill David Ghantt. They were the butt of a national joke. Kelly would only discover later that leading up to the heist, Steve had been writing bad checks, $17,000 worth, for which he would later be convicted. Ghantt:It baffles me to this day. They also left behind a life-changing fortune in small bills $3.3 million in fives and ones that they overlooked and the two videotapes that Ghantt had pulled from the security cameras at the bank. Masterminds (2016 film) - Wikipedia Steve was sentenced to 11 years 3 months in prison. All I needed was a change of pace.". 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. No hard feelings. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. Kelly had no problem fanning the flames of their old flirtation. Its everything thats coming north.. . 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. He didnt even really question me. Why had he ever believed he'd get it? And I said, Hey, man, I got this. He hated the sweet smell of the green ink, and the $8.15-an-hour salary. Kelly was lying. Just head on out. And so, he did. Until, that is, he decided to hell with it he was going to pull-off the second largest heist in U.S. history. 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. Hes well thought-out. They set the date, Oct. 4, a Saturday when David knew he could be alone in the building after his shift. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist seeing a woodpecker after someone dies lectomano que significa. 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. Hed be in contact. Despite a mega-watt cast featuring Zach Galifianakis and a handful of some of Saturday Night Lives biggest current and former stars, Masterminds, the comedy about Loomis Fargo robbery completely tanked at the box office in its opening weekend, bowing in sixth place with just $6.6 million. Question: How much of 'Masterminds' is true? On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. Starting Pay Rate: $15.50 per hour Shift: Monday - Friday from 1:00pm to 9:00pm Job Description As a Coin Processor, you work with your team to maintain inventory in our cash vaults for our Loomis customers. 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. shes now Miss USA. 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.. If you want me to leave, Ill leave. Then, Ghantt went into another room. Given his position at the bank, hed be the one to pull off the robbery, and he intended to be ready. I was burned out and just didn't know it. 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. I was looking at small sailboats and theyre not cheap, he tells me. Kelly had recently left a job driving an armored-car for Loomis, Fargo & Co. "He's the one who brought it up first," said Kelly, a year after her arrest. David Ghantt And The Loomis Fargo Heist: The Outrageous True Story "Love" has four. Instead of lobster, the man who stole $17 million survived on home-cooked pasta and grilled cheese sandwiches. The phone rang: Kelly had a problem. Steve had another conversation with Kelly about killing David. 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.". The top-ranked pie in North Carolina doesnt look like pie at all. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.. Or that it was an inheritance. 1997 Loomis Fargo Robbery - Strange Unexplained Mysteries Then he was driving in the darkness with a van full of cash. Dependent care account. [Kelly] told me, 'Just think about it.' According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. And after two years, you're just a file." Speaking of his co-defendants, Ghantt says hes not currently in contact with any of them. The platform is designed to engage citizens and government leaders in a discussion about what needs improvement across the country. Depression had led to smoking a lot of marijuana and taking Prozac, a combination she figures affected her judgment. No regrets. That sounds like a lot of money until its compared to the $18,930,201.26 the group was ordered to pay. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Although David was in on most of the planning, one discussion between Steve and Kelly was kept a secret. David trusted her. He had an endearing smile, a beautiful wife and two children. In early November, Steve lured the real Mike McKinney, an ex-Marine, to North Carolina from his Illinois home. David kissed his sleeping wife on the cheek on the morning of Oct. 4. An Ohio police officer who shot and killed a Black man as he lay in bed in his home last summer is no longer on the force, Three Kansas City police officers who were shot while serving a search warrant have been released from the hospital, Officials say one passenger died when a business jet experienced severe turbulence, forcing a landing at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. She declined to take a lie-detector test. His wife, Tammy, was as shocked as Loomis officials. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist - hankyboy.com They agreed that after the heist, David would immediately move to Mexico, alone, but Kelly would soon join him there, with her two children. 1997 Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle for sale at auction of items bought after Loomis, Fargo armored car facility heist by Steven Chambers, wife Michele, Kelly Jane Campbell & David Scott Ghanntt (Photo by Will And Deni McIntyre/Getty Images) Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. 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. 'Masterminds' Review: Loomis Fargo Robbery Where Are They Now? - Pajiba He had just returned to his home in Jacksonville, Fla., when he agreed to talk about the heist, his life now and what went wrong when a group of friends who thought they could get away with stealing $17 million cash. The cart held about $2 million, and the thief made multiple trips. LeVaughn Kelly Campbell (born July 23, 1980 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former football wide receiver. I studied up on the FBI. No dry runs, no rehearsals. He'd stay up all night, boosted by coffee, waiting for the sunrise over the ocean. Michele received the best gift of the night. They soon realized David had stolen more money than would fit in their 55-gallon barrels. Ghantt:I've burned that bridge years ago. When he was done, the man drove off to a nearby printing press, where the money was distributed into private vehicles amongst a handful of people. . Explain? What made her abandon an ordinary existence to commit this spectacular, doomed crime? She also assured the teller her cash wasn't drug money. Posted on . Ghantt:I hate to say it, but I had six years of sitting in a box to think about my life. They ditched the Loomis van, then drove the cash-heavy Budget van to Steve's mobile home in Lincoln County, where his wife, Michele, waited with a calculator and rubber bands. Get to me. Its that kind of excitement.. By late November, McKinney made a third trip to Mexico, saying he'd help David move to Mexico City. Going south, nobody really looks at what youre shipping. But McKinney never stopped trying to kill Ghantt although, initally, McKinney thought Chambers had paid for the hit over a drug deal gone bad, Diamant said. "But I had to know.". Some family members hid money in bank deposit boxes, other friends were asked to mule cash to the Cayman Islands. A couple weeks pass, and I call again, Hey, Id like to get some more money. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. Steve Chambers has told agents the missing cash was stolen from a shed in Lincoln County. 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. He told Steve he hadn't been able to find David. 2500 City West Blvd., Suite 2300 Houston, TX 77042. How Bridgerton restarted buzz about her ancestry. Kelly Campbell - Wikipedia A week later, another informant told the FBI that Eric Payne had quit his job at a printing company soon after the heist and was spending money he probably hadn't earned legally. Federal prosecutors would ultimately charge 21 defendants in the case, including the Floyds, who were charged with (and pleaded guilty to) money laundering. Michelle, meanwhile, purchased new breasts for herself, along with a $43,000 diamond ring and a new convertible BMW Z3. Key benefit components include: Health insurance plans. Its a yes: Clover teen shakes off nerves to earn American Idol golden ticket, Mail carrier cant believe his eyes after seeing NC lottery win. They loaded the wine cellar with Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Steve hung a velvet portrait of Elvis Presley in the basement. Called Masterminds, the 2016 film stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson. We spoke to the FBI agents who investigated the case who say the real-life. They planned to kill a man named David Ghantt, the guy who had made their extravagant new lifestyle a reality. A third tape he didn't know about kept recording. It was the first Saturday in October. So Im like, Can you get a move on with my money? After a couple of weeks passed, I get a phone call from Kelly: Okay, Brunos coming to you, blah, blah, blah. So I get a phone call from this guy, and I tell him where to meet me. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. I think I always knew that, but lost my way for a while.". These days, the 52-year-old husband and father lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where he works at a heavy equipment rental agency. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward after the theft. The first weekday after the heist, Michele Chambers, co-conspirator Steve's wife, walked into a NationsBank branch with a briefcase containing $5,000. And robbing a truck was dangerous. When neighbors asked where they got their money, Steve said hed played in the NFL. It wasn't known whether anyone would receive it. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Hes very articulate. Time passed, and Campbell eventually quit her job at Loomis Fargo. "That would be living on the run, and I didn't want my kids to live that way. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. . It's one of the biggest jokes at the place. For reasons that remain obscure, Robert spilled the beans to David. The audacity of the act was breathtaking. So yeah, Ghantt continues, I took a bus from there to Atlanta, and then I hopped a cab from the bus station to the airport in Atlanta., Back in North Carolina, his accomplices were working as fast as they could to hide the $17 million. Find 145 people named Kelly Loomis along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok profiles on PeekYou - true people search.