David got a kick out of her. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. Loomis Fargo Defendants Owe as Much as They Stole in 1997 Her case closes in 2025. His collection case closes in two years. 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. 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. Lacking a college degree, he found that his army skills felt meaningless in the 1990s job market. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded. 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. David Ghantt And The Loomis Fargo Heist: The Outrageous True Story It wasn't how much you stole that mattered most; it was that you had stolen in the first place. He waffled on the heist idea three or four times from late August to mid-September. WOMAN GETS TIME IN LOOMIS HEIST - Greensboro News and Record 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. Spunk. Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain. It was the second-largest. His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. Some of that money is just gone. Accompanying her was Steve Chambers, who, though unemployed, had recently moved . But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The phone calls began to get more intense when Steve and Eric got suspicious of a man who was running hismouth about them and the vault job over in Charlotte. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. It was 2:00 p.m. on October 4, 1997, and tension was building between two planners of what would rank high among the largest heists in United States history. The real 'Masterminds' They also bought aBMW Z3with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 statue of aNative American. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. 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. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Kristen Wiig plays Kelly, who really wasn't that into David, but convinced him to take a fortune from Loomis Fargo in the fall of '97. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. If a prank seemed dangerous, David backed out. He even had to watch what he bought at the grocery store. Sun, sand and beaches are all part of why Jacksonville is a popular destination. Campbell was another employee at Loomis Fargo and she and Ghantt quickly struck up a relationship, one that Campbell denies was ever romantic though FBI evidence says otherwise, and one that continued after she left the company. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. He was on a budget for clothes, even for work boots; he had recently needed to check seven stores before finding a pair in his price range. He quickly found out when you have money, you just have different problems, Wydra said. 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. David said he needed Kelly to drive to Loomis before the theft that night to remove a duffel bag from his parked pickup truck. The theft at the time the second-largest cash robbery in U.S. history has been the brunt of mocking movies and books, mostly on how the thieves, who had little money to begin with, could not control their spending habits once they did. I made a joke once that was the hardest Id ever worked for Wells Fargo -- yeah, its a lot of work, Ghantt said. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. That movie, Masterminds, was filmed in 2014. (LogOut/ Some of the biggest numbers remaining on the Loomis collection board, as is the case with Campbell, belong to those who played the biggest role in the crime: David Ghantt, the Loomis employee who loaded all that money 2,800 pounds in all into the back of a company van before escaping to Mexico, has paid just under $50,000 of the $3.81 million he was assessed. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. 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. 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. In this outrageously entertaining book, Jeff Diamant, the Charlotte Observer's lead reporter on the case, offers the definitive inside account of this astonishing. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. A third surveillance tape was carelessly left behind, and the company was able to identify the man who robbed the vault as David Ghantt. As beads of sweat formed under his red hair, he loaded up another cart and repeated the process. David told Kelly they would have to control themselves and not spend the money too quickly, because the FBI could electronically trace a suspect's recent spending activity through bank papers, credit card records, and land transactions. Low 46F. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) "Are you serious?" Have a youtube channel or website similar? You have permission to edit this article. I actually loved reading through this post. David and the trainee left the warehouse. He knew it would mean leaving Tammy. The plan was for Ghantt to commit the actual robbery and then quickly leave the country forMexico but to leave the bulk of the cash with Chambers. The hillbilly outfit did more that just drop a few breadcrumbs. They kept several furnishings from the previous owners, including avelvet Elvis. The October 4 shift was lasting longer than expected, due to delays involving pickups and deliveries. Four-wheeling. RELATED: When you have money, you just have different problems: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later, How I held it together is beyond me, Ghantt said. Meanwhile, Ghantt's gang spent wildly and paid their family members and friends to hide money. This website uses cookies and some data tracking to improve your experience and serve adverts, We assume you're ok with this, you can opt-out if you wish. And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth.. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later 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. "I'll need help moving the money, getting a new ID, and leaving the country," he told her. Some of the biggest numbers remaining on the Loomis collection board, as is the case with Campbell, belong to those who played the biggest role in the crime: - David Ghantt, the Loomis employee who loaded all that money 2,800 pounds in all into the back of a company van before escaping to Mexico, has paid just under $50,000 of the $3.81 million he was assessed. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. And Kelly thought he was funny. Sure enough, she called a few days later, around September 16. The stated plan was for her to move to Mexico to be with him after the theft. He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. Driving away, he said he felt a mix of fear, confidence and excitement that he outsmarted the FBI. He'd already done enough, he realized, to get himself fired and arrested, even if the gate prevented him from moving the money outside the building. It, too, has changed hands several times. she asked again. He hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. Ghantt had worked with the branch since 1994, and had been promoted from a driver to the vault supervisor. From there, the money was moved from the armored car to private vehicles. Still facing possible unknowns of other people involved, the FBI needed to gather more information without the suspects getting suspicious of them. They assumed that whoever was involved would keep the cash in a safe place, like a safe deposit box. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). But they'd stayed in touch, and now they were poised to attempt a crime like almost no other. 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. The real story behind the second largest bank heist in history, which The old man me would never survive that, Id have a heart attack.. And they hit the jackpot -- FBI video shows agents recovering most of the stolen cash. Steve's a serious guy.". Enforcement of this policy is at the But being the vault supervisor at Loomis Fargo had one perk -- exposure to tons of cash. 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. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. The figures can be astounding. But if you did, youll never forget it. >> 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.. Loomis has received $978,983.79, according to Sally Butcher, an assistant clerk in the federal courts of the Western District of North Carolina who specializes in criminal debt. "I'm busy," he said. 2023 Cox Media Group. Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. I appreciate your kind words! What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done. 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. 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. The defendants received sentences ranging from probation for several relatives to over 11 years in federal prison for Steve Chambers. 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 . 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. 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. He angrily hung up the phone at Loomis, Fargo & Co., his soon-to-be former employer in Charlotte, North Carolina. true story that has captivated American audiences on the news and now on the big screen in the major motion picture, Masterminds. 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. Down in Jacksonville, a Loomis Fargo employee took $18 million from an armored van he was driving. He knew his mother would be traumatized, shocked, and appalled. And then I realized that a lot of people knew who I was and they had followed the case.. 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. Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997 Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Temptation to do something that you think you normally wouldnt do can change a lot of minds when its that kind of cash, and thats what it was., (WATCH BELOW: VIDEO: The Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later). Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. just generally being a jerk. There was no reason to leave anything, he felt. 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. He was a hard worker, smart enough, and had graduated from high school. More than 2 million dollars are still missing to this day. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. High around 65F. How Did A Model Employee Manage To Steal More Than $17 Million - Yahoo! Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later 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. The Charlotte area's economy was booming all around him, and he felt passed over. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. They also purchased expensive cars, jewelry and a breast enhancement or two.