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At one point, the hoodlum shows up and Ghantt is wearing a Jerome Bettis Pittsburgh Steelers jersey; the hoodlums favorite team is the Steelers, and he caves and tells Ghantt that McKinney wants him dead. . "I thought he was goofing around.". "I've learned that I'm a fortunate man," he said. Ghantt ultimately agreed to the plan, largely, due to a mountain of credit-card debt and in hopes of changing his life for the better. But after a year, they'll cut it down to two agents. Even still, he was 27, married and struggling to provide for his family. Loomis Fargo Defendants Owe as Much as They Stole in 1997 Looking back at the Loomis heist - Gaston Gazette Scary. Or that hed gotten lucky gambling. 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. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist seeing a woodpecker after someone dies lectomano que significa. The pager entry was 1-4-3. 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. To protect themselves, David and Steve didn't meet or talk. They set the date, Oct. 4, a Saturday when David knew he could be alone in the building after his shift. 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. "Things I always wanted to do, but never had the time or the money," he said. Inside were, along with other personal items, his keys and wedding ring. "He showed me a lot of money," McKinney said. DUMB & - The Washington Post Agents began picking up signs that David definitely had help: The abandoned Loomis van with $3.3 million in small bills still inside, and phone records showing that somebody beeped him while he stole the money, using David's own cell phone. I mean, cause greed is a funny animal. That October, the Chamberses' bank accounts ballooned. He and his wife, Tammy, lived in a mobile home in Kings Mountain, N.C. Money was always tight. No regrets. He wouldn't give me the opportunity to say anything else. Speaking of his co-defendants, Ghantt says hes not currently in contact with any of them. Kelly told the FBI she had done drugs with David but denied knowing about the theft. Depression had led to smoking a lot of marijuana and taking Prozac, a combination she figures affected her judgment. Heres your money. Then he turns around and leaves., The problem was, it was nowhere near the amount Ghantt had expected: Im looking at it, and theres maybe $8,000. The cash was covered with dog food. Zaron Burnett is an investigative journalist and longform features writer based in Los Angeles. Before long, the FBI had wiretaps on the ringleader, Steve Chambers, and then they waited for the right time to make their arrests. Or is the loot buried in somebody's yard? "As soon as you start, you realize there's no going back," David recalled. . David was excited, jabbering about their future together. Filming in the Asheville area starting in early July, and is. Man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago now a 'normal guy "He was in tears. Kelly Loomis Facebook, Instagram & Twitter on PeekYou Question: Any contact with Steve Chambers or any of the others involved with the heist? He was also a former FBI informant who had tipped the bureau off to a planned robbery of a Loomis Fargo armored truck that never came to fruition. David kissed his sleeping wife on the cheek on the morning of Oct. 4. The van door opened. 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, the international fugitive, lived it up, too--for a while. This was in the 1990s the Columbia Airport back then was closed at around 9:30, 10 oclock. He flew in an ultra-light plane. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. Im on the phone with Kelly [Campbell], and Im like, Hey, I really was expecting a package to arrive. If you were one of the much-smaller-than-expected group of people who caught Masterminds at the theater this weekend, and are looking for a fact-check of the events depicted on screen, here are some of the highlights of our chat with Diamant. Contact Us | Loomis US And so, he told her, Google my name. That was pretty awesome., It felt like a dream vacation until he started running out of money. Instead of lobster, the man who stole $17 million survived on home-cooked pasta and grilled cheese sandwiches. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. Few who were living in the area at the time can forget the "Velvet Elvis" painting Chambers had hanging in his mansion or the tales of cosmetic surgery, BMW convertibles and other signs of excess. His wife, Tammy, was as shocked as Loomis officials. Steve, who had sworn Kelly, Eric and Scott to secrecy the night of the theft, named them all to the FBI. 'Masterminds' Review: Loomis Fargo Robbery Where Are They Now? - Pajiba real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. Meanwhile, Michele Chambers was laughing and saying, repeatedly, "Look at all this money!" Not many people can say they stole $17 million from their employer and had Zach Galifianakis play them in a movie. He had stolen $17 million from Loomis Fargo. When neighbors asked where they got their money, Steve said hed played in the NFL. Just under $14 million sat in an outbuilding behind his home, inside blue steel barrels. I told the lead investigator I was glad to see him.. The plan called for David to leave the vault door ajar, then maneuver a few minutes alone at the end of his shift, long enough to loot the cash, then pass it to Kelly and Steve. He figured Tammy wouldn't go for it, and though his marriage had been troubled, he wasn't certain he wanted to leave her. Looking for Kelly Loomis? I had a four-hour layover there, and then from New Orleans to Cancun.. Kelly said she had reason to believe Steve might be able to pull off a heist. Question: Are you happy that Wilkesboro-nativeZach Galifianakis plays you in the movie? . At the Halloween party, though, Kelly gave in to Steve, and agreed it had to be done. Steve bought a truck, a Rolex and a motorboat. . As he and Kelly met in a field behind a shooting range to refine the plan, she allowed him to believe she was falling for him. He goes, My name is Bruno. Actor Owen Wilson plays him in the movie, which includes the real names of all the major players. 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. Called Masterminds, the 2016 film stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson. Its everything thats coming north.. Question: Should people go see this movie? 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. They paid for all of it in cash. Chambers, now 32, didn't grant an interview for this article, but last year, in response to written questions, he said the biggest lesson he learned was: "Family is more important and valuable than money. David didn't even know Steve's name. Three weeks after the theft, Steve and Michele moved from their Lincoln County mobile home to a $635,000 house in a gated Cramerton, N.C., neighborhood. Basic and voluntary life insurance plan. At the end of one session, they wound up kissing outside the pickup. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. Key benefit components include: Health insurance plans. 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. He had a favorite restaurant, Zandunga, which had a mariachi band each night and a view of the Caribbean. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. October was "a blast," he said. You're an idiot.'". 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.. Eric watched. If you want to go ahead and go, I got it. "I've moved on with my life," he said Tuesday. There had been no signs. 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. Im a very deliberate person. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. He played high school football at Mays High School in Atlanta, and college football at Georgia Tech . Zach always plays that bumbling kind of lunatic, but hes not, Ghantt says. . Truth was, David wanted more than help leaving, he wanted company. At the party, Steve invited Michele's stepfather, truck driver Dennis Floyd, to the basement to play pool. Job Search - Career Portal - Dayforce HCM 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 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. I flew from Atlanta to New Orleans. These days, the 52-year-old husband and father lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where he works at a heavy equipment rental agency. "It wasn't me, it was Steve," she says she told him. It was unclear whether anyone will get that money, authorities said. shes now Miss USA. 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the year that everything happened 1997. The bash had a Cinderella theme, with a three-tiered cake that looked like a castle. 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. That week, the FBI designated the theft its 142nd "major case," putting it on a list--begun in the 1970s--that includes such other infamous crimes as the World Trade Center bombing. Question: Are you surprised that Hollywood took this on as a movie? Except the person he offered $150,000 to mule $2.5 million down to Ghantt in Mexico turned him down and instead went to the FBI. But as soon as he drove off, I went right back in and opened the vault. ". Steve Chambers has told agents the missing cash was stolen from a shed in Lincoln County. It's about the 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery also known as the "hillbillly heist" the second largest cash robbery in the history of the United States. Things went from bad to worse when, in November, Michelle strolled into a bank with a briefcase filled with 200 grand and asked the manager, How much can I deposit without the bank reporting the transaction? When she showed the bank manager that she really had the money to invest, the cash was still bound in Loomis Fargo wrappers. Hes well thought-out. Our Benefits. David quickly realized he was the intended victim. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP), Police: Officer Who Shot Black Man Retired 'In Bad Standing', 3 Kansas City Officers Who Were Shot Released From Hospital, 1 Killed When Business Jet Encounters Severe Turbulence. That's the kind of movie they wanted to make. 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. The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. Question: You were a consultant? More than 20 people ended up in the FBI's dragnet. And that's OK with Ghantt, who's just a few weeks shy of his 47th birthday, out of federal prison for more than a decade, married with a 9-year-old daughter . The FBI's final challenge is finding the remaining $2 million. Before long, the tales of high living by Chambers and his now former wife, Michelle, led the thieves to be labeled either the "Cramer Mountain Hillbillies" or "The gang that couldn't steal straight." 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. Loomis Armored Shreveport, LA, 1124 Forum Dr, Shreveport, LA, USA Shreveport, LA, USA Req #1990. So yeah, Im kind of proud of it.. Not a documentary. After years of reflection and time in prison to work on himself, Ghantt was able to find a way to a better version of himself. But he tried to keep his face averted, so David wouldn't be able to ID him. "Think of how many women would have stood by. . As for his new wife, when the two just started dating, he was nervous about letting her know about his past, but he wanted to be honest. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. He hated his job, with its 12-hour shifts. Steve and Michele invited everyone back for a Christmas party, where they gave Michele's stepfather a special gift--the pickup truck he'd always wanted. I told them, Take it, box it up, and youll be able to ship it to me in Mexico. Back in the 1990s, you couldve probably boxed up a hot pink elephant and shipped it to Mexico; no one wouldve ever noticed. Soon, the couple would be paying for something else, too: a hitman. You might as well go all the way now.". 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. 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. With the help of Aldo, a Mexican waiter he had befriended, David found a beach apartment in Cancun. In real life: True. I can take it.". Heist!: The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft - amazon.com On his way out, he grabbed the surveillance video, hoping to cover his tracks. Kelly drove her pickup to a lot across the street from the Loomis building, on Suttle Avenue in Charlotte. Based on a true story, the premise itself is fascinating, which makes Masterminds all the more a waste. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. His new life in Mexico had begun. Steve tried keys on a side door. "I said, 'I don't want him killed.' It changes you. What made her do it? The phone rang: Kelly had a problem. . Too many questions remained: Where was the cash? David said he realized then, for the first time, he might not see the millions he thought he had coming to him. Everybody seemed stunned. Back in North Carolina, Ghantts former accomplices were living high on the hog. Ghantt was scheduled to work a shift at the armored car company Oct. 4. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. I think I always knew that, but lost my way for a while.". The Columbia airport had no available flights. The barrels were Steves idea, Ghantt says. Ghantt, meanwhile, was losing his patience and starting to make threats. Just head on out. And so, he did. She didn't plan to move to Mexico. Cool, I say. ', "He asked me if I'd mind holding some money for him. To celebrate Halloween, about seven of Steve's friends, including Eric Payne and Kelly, gathered for a party at Steve's house. There was a little voice in my head that said, 'Don't do it. Agents noticed it two months later when it flowed to them through official channels, along with hundreds of similar reports involving other people. While the agents initiated their investigation, the Chambers spent money as quickly as they could. Then Steve pushed Scott inside, and he began throwing plastic-wrapped bundles of tens, twenties, fifties and hundreds to Eric and Steve, who placed them in three blue 55-gallon barrels. Then he was driving in the darkness with a van full of cash. TWO TO ENTER GUILTY PLEAS IN ARMORED-CAR ROBBERY - Greensboro News and This time, David told McKinney the truth. When Ghantt was on the plane home from Mexico with the FBI, he admitted to the agents that while Campbell had been integral to why hed done it and that he did indeed have a crush on her it was never his true motivation. It was an ear-biting, Pierce Brosnan-loving, comet-obsessed world, and were here to relive every minute of it. In that time, I realized most of my problems were because of me. Still, she wasn't happy. Heist: The Oddball Crew Behind the $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft by ];Kelly Jane Campbell [Misc. 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) Theres no management around. I knew I was going to be the prime suspect. ". David trusted her. David, now 30, says he's sorry he abandoned his wife--who he says still loves him--and his family. I learned something that was valuable at the time: Most criminals never leave a 250, maybe 300-mile circle from their home base. These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. The last time he called me, he said, Hey Ghantt, I just saw a big Loomis Fargo truck. For her part, Kelly Campbell spent six years in federal prison. He said every year he files his taxes and the IRS takes all of his tax return. Ghantt:Since I still owe the federal government money I can't get paid. Ghantt worked at Loomis Fargos regional office vault in Charlotte. This is where it starts to unravel, Ghantt tells me with a wry laugh. 1997 Loomis Fargo Robbery - Strange Unexplained Mysteries No hard feelings. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. ", "Even then . He grabbed the tapes from two VCRs that connected to 16 security cameras.