The first weekday after the heist, Michele Chambers, co-conspirator Steve's wife, walked into a NationsBank branch with a briefcase containing $5,000. There was a little voice in my head that said, 'Don't do it. LRM had an exclusive phone interview with David Ghantt last week, the real-life culprit who pulled off the successful bank heist. Although the FBI investigation was able to quickly connect Ghantt to Campbell, connecting Ghantt to Chambers was a more difficult task. David Ghantt: The number one question is usually, What made you do it?. After meeting up with Chambers, Campbell, and some other co-conspirators, Ghantt hightailed it to Mexico with $50,000 in cash in his car. There were things in real life that my compatriots did that was pretty comedic and stupid. Accompanying her was Steve Chambers, who, though unemployed, had recently moved . I'd probably change jobs. On the evening of October 4, 1997, one man loaded $17.3 million in cash from the vaults of Loomis, Fargo & Co. into the back of a van. He said he put that amount of money in a storage building. WebBank name Loomis, Fargo & Co. on the evening of October 4, 1997, by vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt, his married girlfriend Kelly Campbell (a former Loomis co-worker), Steve Chambers, his wife Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobbies and David Ghantt: No, I havent talked to them in a very long time. He was also married. "He showed me a lot of money," McKinney said. Said Ghantt, one day life kinda slapped me in the face. . They soon realized David had stolen more money than would fit in their 55-gallon barrels. David Ghantt worked as a vault supervisor for the armoured cash vehicles at the Charlotte, North Carolina branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. Ironically even though he worked for a company that moved millions of dollars every day, he was relatively underpaid. . The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. David Ghantt: Mostly, it concerned for Zach [Galifianakis] to have the right shirt and carrying the right pistol. Ghantt had worked with the branch since 1994, and had been promoted from a driver to the vault supervisor. David Ghantt: When I first met Zach and sat down to talk about it, he said, You realize Im going to be playing a dumber, clumsier version of you. LRM: Do you enjoy the publicity for yourself? He para-sailed, power-skied and scuba-dived. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. Although David was in on most of the planning, one discussion between Steve and Kelly was kept a secret. "He said, 'Yeah, right,' and turned his head. David Ghantt normally came home between 6 and 8 p.m., and often he was late, his wife said. Eventually, Steve made Kelly believe they could steal from Loomis and get away with it, she said. 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. In 1994, they moved to Gastonia, North Carolina, where they had grown up, and David took a job driving a forklift. Well she was a pretty happy-go-lucky person, he said. He couldn't even bear to stick around for the final tally--though when he left he didn't forget to take $6,000, the first cut of his expected $100,000 share. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. Her husband gave her a brown teddy bear. 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. Man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago now a . Steve Chambers and Kelly Campbell, who had been friends on and off since growing up together in the mid-1980s, were at a cookout, playing cards and drinking Budweiser at Steve's Lincoln County, N.C., mobile home, Kelly recalled. Masterminds Quotes Play As Good or Evil Fight for the forces of good or take control of the Kandarian Demon to hunt Ash & others while possessing Deadites, the environmental objects & more as you seek to He was also married. The 2016 comedy movie, Masterminds is based on the story of the Loomis Fargo Heist. The FBI heard about the plot and agents knew they could no longer wait. Web29 David Ghantt Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. David complained it wasn't enough. Heres my last question for younot all of the stolen money was accounted forwhat do you think actually happened to the last few million dollars? . Kelly said she had reason to believe Steve might be able to pull off a heist. He wouldn't give me the opportunity to say anything else. David Ghantt worked as a vault supervisor for the armoured cash vehicles at the Charlotte, North Carolina branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. Ironically even though he worked for a company that moved millions of dollars every day, he was relatively underpaid. . Kelly says she underestimated the value of her life before the heist. In the game, David has to track down eight Visionaries, and the team has to play a game of cat and mouse. October was "a blast," he said. I pretty much let them have their way with it, as you say. The police almost immediately called theFBI, since 95% of the money handled at the facility was owned by banks. Too many questions remained: Where was the cash? Then he was driving in the darkness with a van full of cash. You said that was the number two question. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. There had been no signs. why is my tiktok sound delayed iphone; is lena from lisa and lena lgbtq; charleston county school district staff Meanwhile, outside Reynolds & Reynolds, Steve, Scott and Eric needed to move 2,748 pounds of cash, quickly, from the Loomis van into the Budget van. The FBI now knew Chambers had Loomis cash. She asked about the limit for a cash deposit before "paperwork" was required. Another surveillance videotape shows the man loading the bags into a company van. In early December, Steve and Michele invited relatives to their daughter's sixth birthday party. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. They left behind the cash they couldnt fit in their cars. Scott was so nervous, he said, that he couldn't help. WebThe 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, Also the Author of The Book of Dave: A New Path After a $17 Million Misstep https://t.co/qBMUgcNZ4F Campbellwho was married herselfrepresented something new and exciting. He flip-flopped on the heist idea three or four times. The crew was led by David Ghantt, a Loomis Fargo employee that drove the armored truck that transported cash to different locations. "Love" has four. About 5:45 a.m., he got into his pickup and began the 45-minute drive to work in Charlotte. Why would you want this story to be told and to enjoy this? In the following months, Steve persisted, even floating the notion of placing phony hand grenades on a Loomis truck to scare away the drivers, Kelly said. "I was thinking, 'They aren't paying me enough,' " McKinney recalled. Web1) David Ghantt is underpaid and unhappy. Custom Content. Learning about US history? Ghantt was captured Sunday in Mexico. These cookies do not store any personal information. It wouldn't work, Kelly told him. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. 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. "But, I hate to admit it, it doesn't faze me one bit. What was the number one question? I went in there to do a basic search. WebDavid Ghantt discovers the true meaning of adventure far beyond his wildest dreams. This article will teach you more about the SAT subject tests. The Internet was still new at the time. In Kukulcan Plaza in Cancun, Mexico, they had a small Internet caf. Twelve hours later, at 6 that evening, Eric Payne drove a rented Budget van to his workplace, a graphics company on Performance Road in western Mecklenburg County called Reynolds & Reynolds, which was closed for the night and had a secluded parking lot where they intended to transfer the cash. On Nov. 12, a confidential informant told the FBI about Steve Chambers's move from mobile home to mansion. I live down here in Jacksonville, Florida. Two days after the heist, the FBI found the missing van with $3.3 million of cash left in it. 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 wanted to change my life. Eventually, Ghantt would return to the United States and the full sum would be split up between the conspirators. She sounded incredulous. The bash had a Cinderella theme, with a three-tiered cake that looked like a castle. But after a year, they'll cut it down to two agents. Enforcement of this policy is at the Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy aToyota Siennaminivanin two cash installments. She didn't plan to move to Mexico. Here's how. Ghantt added, I really enjoyed the movie. When we worked together [for Loomis], we'd joke about it. ". LRM: Im curious. "Do you know how much there's gonna be?" "He was speechless," said Sandra Floyd. Kelly found herself standing beside David while they waited together for a bond hearing. At the party, Steve invited Michele's stepfather, truck driver Dennis Floyd, to the basement to play pool. David Ghantt: My standard answer now is [to say] that the person I was thenI am certainly not that person now. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Hes a family man with a wife and daughter. Should David be killed after he gave them the money? A more immediate need was securing help to move the stolen money to safety the night of the crime. As of now all these are just allegations contained in court documents. - 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. David got a kick out of her. Masterminds (2016) - Masterminds (2016) - User And robbing a truck was dangerous. Steve began talking about wiring money to overseas accounts, and even purchasing a nightclub. 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. At first, David Ghantt said, "I didn't take her seriously. Were others involved? Campbell will collaborate on live Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. Ghantt, who had been with the bank since 1994, was promoted from driver to vault supervisor in 1997, where he earned $360 a week and befriended Kelly Campbell (Wiig), who got Ghantt mixed up in the plans for the heist after she left Loomis. 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. 25th anniversary of the incredible Loomis Fargo bank heist To celebrate Halloween, about seven of Steve's friends, including Eric Payne and Kelly, gathered for a party at Steve's house. What concerned her was the chance of getting caught. I wasnt attracted to him or anything, but he was a nice guy, Campbell said. He figured Tammy wouldn't go for it, and though his marriage had been troubled, he wasn't certain he wanted to leave her. 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. Chambers wife, Michelle, bought a minivan in cash and began taking frequent trips to the bank to make deposits.

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