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12) Loomis Fargo heist- The aftermath Ultimately, eight co-conspirators were indicted for the Loomis Fargo bank heist. Lacking a college degree, he found that his army skills felt meaningless in the 1990s job market. Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. Despite being caught on camera wheeling the money from the vault to the getaway van, David Ghantt makes off to Mexico before the FBI can blink. He loves his motorcycle and enjoys going fishing and, while hes sorry for the past, hes not ashamed to talk about it. A parrot tattoo on her right ankle. 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. Except for the kiss in the pickup truck a few weeks before the heist, Kelly had kept things platonic. 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. He hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. Cool interesting stuff features everything odd, weird, bizzare, strange or unusual. For example, Steve Chambers and his wife were living in a. After marrying Tammy in 1992, he worked fueling airplanes at the airport in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The woman on the phone was Kelly Jane Campbell, and David had a mad crush on her. Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. 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. David didn't appreciate her tone. 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. You can garnish wages. 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. The bag held his mobile phone and handgun. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. From there, the money was moved from the armored car to private vehicles. As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or I ride motorcycles and fish -- normal guy, Ghantt told Counts. Conversations about stealing from the company weren't rare for Loomis employees. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. Of course the problem was, the money belonged to someone else. 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. That sounds like a lot of money until its compared to the $18,930,201.26 the group was ordered to pay. 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. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. And then I realized that a lot of people knew who I was and they had followed the case.. In order to receive more evidence, the FBI decided to listen. Steve decided to send his cousin, Nathan with money down to Mexico as a ruse, while Mike the bodyguard would follow behind to take care of Ghantt. They succeeded in removing $17 million from the safe. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. They had met in December 1995 on one of her first days at Loomis. For the defendants in the Loomis Fargo heist, its allure was irresistible. But after a year, they cut it down to two agents. 2023 Cox Media Group. By this time, agents knew where he was and had a general idea who the other players were, so they went to every bank in town to see if any of them rented a safe deposit box. Library Journal "highly entertaining." The plan to rob Loomis Fargo was spawned by Campbell and her friend Steve Chambers, during a casual bonfire at Chambers' home. About the worst he had done as a teenager was stealing a construction company's Porta-Jon with a friend, tying it to the back of a pickup truck, and driving around for about fifteen minutes. It was David who was hours away from committing the most daring act of his life, and she was going off about Steve being a serious guy? So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all., WSOC TV facebook feed(Opens a new window), Part 2: Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago, ALSO READ: 14-year-old boy robbed at gunpoint while waiting for bus in east Charlotte, mom says, ALSO READ: Leader of $3M check theft, bank fraud scheme in Charlotte area sentenced to prison, ALSO READ: Man released from jail, accused of robbing banks while wearing electronic monitor, police say, ALSO READ: Suspect from south Charlotte bank robbery found, CMPD says, NCSHP arrest driver accused of nearly hitting 2 students at bus stop in Statesville, CMS delays opening of new school meant to ease overcrowding, Mooresville orders removal of memorial at park after teens death, Chick-fil-A announces app data breach, tells customers how to protect personal information, Charlotte woman celebrates $1 million scratch-off prize, WSOC - TV Public File Contact / Program Director, WAXN - TV Public File Contact / Program Director. Later that year, he saw a newspaper ad for a job at Loomis Fargo. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. shaka wear graphic tees is candy digital publicly traded ellen lawson wife of ted lawson real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist 25 Feb/23 (No Ratings Yet) He and Tammy could have one or two meals each week that he really liked, but the rest were hot dogs or Hamburger Helper. Former Loomis employee David Scott Ghantt is accused of stealing the money. The building was configured so vans could drive inside and pull up next to the vault. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. The case had gotten national publicity and was the subject of numerous articles, documentaries and even a movie. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. And they could barely afford the minimum payments, given the power bills, phone bills, car insurance bills, and home payments they had to meet. That was the thing that sticks in my mind to this day.. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft . Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. Outside of the building, Ghantt met up with Campbell, Chambers, and others who were involved in the plot, and drove off to a printing business called Reynolds & Reynolds in northwest Charlotte. Unexplained Mysteries and Strange Things,Cool Interesting stuff has been online since early 2011. The robbery was committed by David Scott Ghantt who was the vault supervisor and accomplices Kelly Campbell, Steve Chambers, Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobies, and other four members. It wasn't how much you stole that mattered most; it was that you had stolen in the first place. 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. Why do we feel its so necessary to treat people like this, to say, OK, well just ruin the rest of your life because you made a bad decision., Punishment should not last a lifetime. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. To be brutally honest, it was that morning, Ghantt replied. Most people are going to forgive you. The October 4 shift was lasting longer than expected, due to delays involving pickups and deliveries. Of course the most famous thing inside the home was a velvet Elvis portrait. Some of that money is just gone. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. The unfairness gnawed at him, stirred by Kelly's questions. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. He hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. 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.. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. "So he stays behind and moving over two thousand pounds of . In the parking lot, David sat in his pickup truck smoking a cigarette and waving good-bye as the trainee drove home. Winds light and variable. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. - 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. In 1994, they moved to Gastonia, North Carolina, where they had grown up, and David took a job driving a forklift. remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats 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. Prosecutors say a vault. (LogOut/ Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded. 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. - 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. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. But they'd stayed in touch, and now they were poised to attempt a crime like almost no other. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. She'd left Loomis in November 1996 to take a job elsewhere as a security guard. You can have your whole career and not have a case like that. 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. But you cant get blood from a stone,, Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. Working by himself, Ghantt would commit the robbery and then flee for Mexico, leaving the bulk of the cash with Chambers. Ghantt, in order to conserve this money, curtailed his spending. Was the temptation too much? She will never get beyond the debt. Michelle Chambers received a few more months than Ghantt, because she had violated several bond conditions. 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. Why do we feel its so necessary to treat people like this, to say, OK, well just ruin the rest of your life because you made a bad decision., Punishment should not last a lifetime. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The woman on the phone was Kelly Jane Campbell, and David had a mad crush on her. There was a book published in 2002 as well, by author Jeff Diamant called,Heist! Copyright The Nashua Telegraph | https://www.nashuatelegraph.com | 110 Main St, Ste 1, Nashua, NH 03060 | 603-882-2741, Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997, Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. You should definitely start your own blog, I highly recommend it. 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. 2023 Cox Media Group. The gang made numerous mistakes. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. 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. "I don't have time to mess with you. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. Two days later, when the FBI found the Loomis Fargo armored van, they discovered almost $3.3 million in cash left in the back of the van; it was later discovered that the thieves had miscalculated the sheer bulk of the small denomination currency, and that they simply left the cash that they could not take with them in the back of the van. contact us to submit an unexplained mystery article, or to join the team on the email address below. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. 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 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. ", Johnson said, "Yeah, that's it. The actual crime itself required none of Hollywood's imagination. The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. In Florida, a Loomis Fargo employee had pulled a gun on his coworkers and gotten away with $18 million, a move that FBI agents theorize Ghantt, Campbell and other employees all sat around talking about - and what they would do with that amount of money - for a while. "For the first year after a crime," he told her, "they're all over you, with six to ten agents. Human nature is a flexible part of life, Gronquist said. Accompanying her was Steve Chambers, who, though unemployed, had recently moved . "Are you serious?" You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. If we can sit on the money for a year, maybe two, it could work.". They also purchased expensive cars, jewelry and a breast enhancement or two. Spunk. So the pieces were falling into place for investigators. Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Yet their lives seemed far easier and better than his. Sun, sand and beaches are all part of why Jacksonville is a popular destination. 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. 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. We dont have the manpower to track all that (restitution) money down I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. For people earning $8.15 an hour David's salary the jokes came naturally. be blocked or permanently banned without warning. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. 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. 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 called Kelly to say he was coming and hopped into the driver's seat of the loaded Loomis van. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. The FBI heard about the plot and agents knew they could no longer wait. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]. 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). None of the suspects had been in any serious trouble before this. Ghantt was working as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo in Charlotte in 1997, earning about $8 an hour and tired of his humdrum life. But being the vault supervisor at Loomis Fargo had one perk -- exposure to tons of cash. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). Not every agent has a case like that, he said. This technically made it abank robbery afederal offense. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. CHARLOTTE If you didnt live in the Charlotte area 25 years ago, you might not believe it. "Don't double-cross us," the woman on the phone told David Ghantt. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. The plan to. She sounded incredulous. In the end, the FBI was able to capture the original gang in five months, snaring 21 individuals for their participation in the crime. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. How he and his wife had trouble communicating. ", "I don't need any more friends," she'd shot back. If it didn't work out, he could return to the United States later with a new identity. The supervisor liked him and gave him the job. The next day, before Mike was able to leave the country, the FBI arrested him in his hotel room. Thirty years! Afterward, she and David would talk just occasionally on the phone. His collection case closes in two years. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Driving away, he said he felt a mix of fear, confidence and excitement that he outsmarted the FBI. To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. Campbell and her husband had always been just scraping by, however in the weeks following the robbery, the two seemed to have more money than they've ever had. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. His eyes widened and he stopped breathing as he realized that something as mundane as a malfunctioning gate might ruin their entire plan. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. David was thin six-foot-one, one hundred sixty-five pounds and heaving the stacks onto the cart, pushing the cart toward the vault door, and then emptying its contents into the van was exhausting. 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. 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. Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with. Gronquist said. He played high school football at Mays High School in Atlanta, and college football at Georgia Tech . Campbell and her husband had always been just scraping by, however in the weeks following the robbery, the two seemed to have more money than theyve ever had. Who was she to be pressuring him? It just happened to fall on my desk.. Hed never really been in trouble, he wasnt a career criminal, said retired FBI agent John Wydra. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy aToyota Siennaminivanin two cash installments. Ghantt went to Mexico leaving the money with his cohorts, thinking that he could get his share back when he needed it. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. Over the next two weeks, David thought about it. At about 6:40 p.m., he went back inside. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. He stayed at it until the vault was empty. A former FBI agent 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. 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. 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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. The money weighed as much as a compact car and he did it all by himself. 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. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. 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. "But you can still have a cigarette.". Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth., White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money,, Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with., She will never get beyond the debt. 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. Charlotte Observer"more than a crime story, and one that's worth reading." He deserved better. 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 if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth.. There are many robberies registered in the history of America, but the Loomis Fargo Robbery is known to be the second largest robbery in the United States. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. The trainee didn't yet know how the place worked, a fact David planned to use to his advantage. As beads of sweat formed under his red hair, he loaded up another cart and repeated the process. It was the second-largest. LeVaughn Kelly Campbell (born July 23, 1980 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former football wide receiver. While Ghantt trusted Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. He and his wife, Michele, moved from theirmobile homeinLincoln Countyto a luxury house in the wealthy Cramer Mountain section ofCramerton. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. Another name the FBI had become very interested in is Eric Payne. The inspiration behind the major motion picture Masterminds starring Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Sudeikis! Chambers had no intention of wiring any money to Ghantt and intended to have him killed to keep him from implicating the others. David and the trainee left the warehouse. Investigators also found Ghantts pickup truck, abandoned at the warehouse. Meanwhile, Ghantt's gang spent wildly and paid their family members and friends to hide money. Learning from this error, David planned to leave the stolen money behind with his coconspirators while he fled to Mexico. It has a certain feel, a smell and weight to it. "Do you know how much there's gonna be?" He added that money can be a motivator for anyone. When some friends stole a stop sign from a busy intersection, David made them put it back.

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