loomis fargo heist kelly campbell{ keyword }

Jeff Diamant was a reporter for the Charlotte Observer when the heist took place. They succeeded in removing $17 million from the safe. Of course the most famous thing inside the home was a velvet Elvis portrait. That was taking the long view. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. 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. While David Ghantt trusted Steve Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Is this really about the needs of the poor? Was the temptation too much? 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, . remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. Although the FBI investigation was able to quickly connect Ghantt to Campbell, connecting Ghantt to Chambers was a more difficult task. David didn't appreciate her tone. "Everything's gonna be all right," she told him. 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. Ghantt went to Mexico leaving the money with his cohorts, thinking that he could get his share back when he needed it. 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.. 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. My knee-jerk reaction was to be angry, and then the sarcastic ass side of me started laughing about it, Ghantt said. All of the co-defendants were arrested the next day, about six months after the heist. Discover the truth behind unexplained ancient mysteries, UFO mysteries, secret locations and paranormal events. The towns booming construction industry attracts workers from around the country. The Loomis Fargo Heist Over the next months, Ghantt, Campbell, and Chambers developed a plan. He ejected the two VCR tapes that he knew had recorded him stealing the money, took them, and prepared to leave. That way, outsiders couldn't see money being loaded. Then, keeping with the plan, Ghantt took $50,000 (the maximum that could be taken across the border by law without further authorization) with him and left for Mexico, winding up at the popularYucatan Peninsularesort ofCozumel. Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. 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. You can garnish wages. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Not every agent has a case like that, he said. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. The only other employee with him on this day was a trainee. But this time on the phone, Kelly wasn't joking. The old man me would never survive that, Id have a heart attack.. "Just think about it," she said. Then they returned it. For people earning $8.15 an hour David's salary the jokes came naturally. 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. They located Steve and Shelley Chambers in their newly-purchased home at the top of a hill. First, they tapped the Chambers phone, and began listening in on February 11th, 1998. 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. Former Loomis employee David Scott Ghantt is accused of stealing the money. 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. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. "I was unhappy with my life. she asked. Who all wanted a Rambo movie which explored his time training as a green beret and his time serving in Vietnam as a prequel to first blood WATCH Antebellum 2020 FULL MOVIE. At about 6:40 p.m., he went back inside. Except for the kiss in the pickup truck a few weeks before the heist, Kelly had kept things platonic. Working by himself, Ghantt would commit the robbery and then flee for Mexico, leaving the bulk of the cash with Chambers. 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. In 1994, they moved to Gastonia, North Carolina, where they had grown up, and David took a job driving a forklift. The property has changed hands several times since then. 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. Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. just generally being a jerk. 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.. "What would it take to convince you to do it?" Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves 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. 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. David placed their odds of success at 85 percent, a confidence inspired by faith not just in his planning but also in his feelings for Kelly. A third surveillance tape was carelessly left behind, and the company was able to identify the man who robbed the vault as David Ghantt. 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. I appreciate your kind words! 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? Another name the FBI had become very interested in is Eric Payne. 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. He is a graduate of Yale and has worked for the Connecticut Post, the Associated Press, and the Palm Beach Post. Its in the ether. When they hung up, she called his pager and left the code 1-4-3, beeper-speak for "I love you," based on the number of letters in each word. But you cant get blood from a stone,, Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. Its attracted workers like Ghantt. They hadn't slept together or even fooled around much, but he was ready to commit. sole discretion of the site administrators and repeat offenders may "I'm busy," he said. He shut the empty vault and set its timer so the vault could not be opened for two or three days. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. After hanging up on her, David returned to work. He realized his life wouldn't improve unless he did something drastic. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. The van used to move the money was later located a few miles from the warehouse. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. 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. Growing up, David had been a nice kid, a decent student who was at worst a minor troublemaker and prankster. Still facing possible unknowns of other people involved, the FBI needed to gather more information without the suspects getting suspicious of them. The plan was still on, but David remained steamed. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. How he and his wife had trouble communicating. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. He and his wife, Michele, moved from theirmobile homeinLincoln Countyto a luxury house in the wealthy Cramer Mountain section ofCramerton. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. He knew it would mean leaving Tammy. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. The plan to rob Loomis Fargo was spawned by Campbell and her friend Steve Chambers, during a casual bonfire at Chambers' home. 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. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. 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. Sunny. 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. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. Charlotte Observer"more than a crime story, and one that's worth reading." 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. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. 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. 2023 Cox Media Group. 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. An additional tip reached the FBI when Michelle Chambers made a large deposit at a bank. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. 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. Cool interesting stuff features everything odd, weird, bizzare, strange or unusual. 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. 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. 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. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. That movie, Masterminds, was filmed in 2014. 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. In the end, the FBI was able to capture the original gang in five months, snaring 21 individuals for their participation in the crime. He knew his mother would be traumatized, shocked, and appalled. They swept the surrounding counties, locating Kelly Campbell and Eric Payne in their homes. be blocked or permanently banned without warning. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. But what the bank didnt tell Michelle, and Michelle didnt know, was that one of those forms get filled out if you ask about it, or if its close to $10,000 or if they suspect that any part of that transaction is suspicious, Wydra said. Hed never really been in trouble, he wasnt a career criminal, said retired FBI agent John Wydra. 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. Ghantt had fled to Mexico with $50,000 in cash, leaving the rest of the money with Steve Chambers. Seven p.m. came and went, and so did 7:20. 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. Another time, the day after a Christmas in the late 1980s, David and some friends planted all the discarded Christmas trees from the area in one neighbor's front yard. The participants in the heist also spent lavishly on fancy jewelry, fancy cars and breast enhancement surgeries. The $17 million Loomis Fargo heist in Charlotte, North Carolina, was the second largest armored car robbery in U.S. history. Instead he became paranoid, especially after Steve Chambers put a contract out on his life. He put on his best pair of jeans, a button-down shirt, and his nicest cowboy boots. In this outrageously entertaining book, Jeff Diamant, the Charlotte Observer's lead reporter on the case, offers the definitive inside account of this astonishing. The friend was Steve Chambers, and Kelly said he knew his way around the world of crime. But things didnt quite work out that way. To visit friends.". The police almost immediately called theFBI, since 95% of the money handled at the facility was owned by banks. Ghantts spending in Mexico was extravagant at first. Later that year, he saw a newspaper ad for a job at Loomis Fargo. David's share would be sent to Mexico, where he planned to hide and where he expected Kelly to join him. And after two years, the case is just a file. She will never get beyond the debt. If we can sit on the money for a year, maybe two, it could work.". 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. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. He also took various measures to change his appearance, such asshaving, after a patron at a restaurant pointed out to him that he looked like the man who robbed a bank of $20 million.. 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 has been a staff writer for the Star-Ledger in New Jersey since 2000. 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 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. 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. In addition, he also rented Mike his own apartment, paid him $400/weekly and bought him a gun. The stated plan was for her to move to Mexico to be with him after the theft. "I've got a friend," she said, "who can hook you up with a new ID.". They assumed that whoever was involved would keep the cash in a safe place, like a safe deposit box. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. The trainee didn't know to check to make sure it was closed. Spunk. He waffled on the heist idea three or four times from late August to mid-September. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. 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. Agents raided safe deposit boxes, where they recovered more than $11 million. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.'. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. Even with several vehicles, they underestimated how much space they would need and they had to leave $3 million behind. personal/abusive/condescending attacks on other users or goading 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 . Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). 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. 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. 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. Over 88% of the money has been recovered since the heist. "Don't double-cross us," the woman on the phone told David Ghantt. 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. The affidavit described Chambers as a former FBI informant who had provided information on another Loomis armored car robbery that never materialized. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. 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. When some friends stole a stop sign from a busy intersection, David made them put it back. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. 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. 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. 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Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. I gotta go.". The unsolved mystery of the Van Meter Visitor a winged creature! Change). There was a book published in 2002 as well, by author Jeff Diamant called,Heist! At that point, Kelly and David had known each other for two years. She had attitude. In Reservoir Dogs, released just five years earlier, the pawns in a robbery knew each other only by assigned colors: Mr. She had previously been making frequent small deposits to avert suspicion. But being the vault supervisor at Loomis Fargo had one perk -- exposure to tons of cash. VERDICT The first edition of this work was published in 2002. 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. When did you conclude Yeah, Im actually going to do this? Counts asked. 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. Thank you so much. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later While David Ghantt trusted Steve Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. Some of that money is just gone. Once they were in custody, the overwhelming task of clearing out possessions possibly purchased with the stolen money began. The unsolved crime mystery of Marilyn Sheppard. David got a kick out of her. 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. Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. FBI video shows agents searching the Cramer Mountain home and finding stacks of cash. Ghantt, in order to conserve this money, curtailed his spending. She'd left Loomis in November 1996 to take a job elsewhere as a security guard. 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. Steve began talking about wiring money to overseas accounts, and even purchasing a nightclub. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing The plan to. You can seize property. Pink, Mr. Blue, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde. The investigation ultimately resulted in the conviction of eight people directly involved, as well as sixteen others who had indirectly helped them. David knew this was important from having followed the recent news about a Florida man who had brazenly committed the biggest heist from an armored-car company in United States history, a loner named Philip Noel Johnson, who also had worked for Loomis. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. The reason David didn't know Steve's last name was so they couldn't identify each other to the police or FBI, should cops or G-men ever enter the picture. It should have been easy, but for some reason the gate didn't open for him. 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. As it neared its end, David stealthily left the vault door ajar. Its in the ether. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth.. He would then have the bulk of his share sent south of the border. When I put that cash in the back of the car, by the time I got to the office the whole car smelled like that. contact us to submit an unexplained mystery article, or to join the team on the email address below. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. You can seize property. Spunk. 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. It, too, has changed hands several times. Their most important conversation occurred one afternoon in August 1997 after Kelly paged him at work. He and Tammy could have one or two meals each week that he really liked, but the rest were hot dogs or Hamburger Helper. Who was she to be pressuring him? The Chambers home is now gated, which means Channel 9 crews cant drive up to it like we used to. FBI video shows the agency searching that home and finding drawers full of cash. It just happened to fall on my desk.. This technically made it abank robbery afederal offense. ALSO READ: 14-year-old boy robbed at gunpoint while waiting for bus in east. 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. Money. 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. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Clear skies. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. The FBI says Chambers hired a hitman to tie up the ultimate loose end -- Ghantt. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. They didnt expect it.. 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. Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. 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. 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. true story that has captivated American audiences on the news and now on the big screen in the major motion picture, Masterminds. In the parking lot, David sat in his pickup truck smoking a cigarette and waving good-bye as the trainee drove home. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such asscuba divingandparasailing. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. 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.. Probably very egotistical of me, I thought, Yeah, sure, I can beat them, theyre college smart and thats about it, Ghantt said. But with Kelly's new idea on the table, several dark realities converged on him. Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. As beads of sweat formed under his red hair, he loaded up another cart and repeated the process. His collection case closes in two years. 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.

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