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. Worlds Biggest Heists London Hatton Garden 200m Diamond Robbery, Easter 2015. Its attracted workers like Ghantt. In preparation for what lay ahead, David had backed an unmarked company Ford Econoline van near the vault entrance and opened the van's back door. While David Ghantt trusted Steve Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. How he felt shorted by life. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. An additional tip reached the FBI when Michelle Chambers made a large deposit at a bank. Low 46F. 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. It was released in 2016 and Wydra was invited to the premiere. just generally being a jerk. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. Ghantt reported to Chambers that his supply of money was running low, but Chambers sent Ghantt just $8,000. Her case closes in 2025. 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. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. Working by himself, Ghantt would commit the robbery and then flee for Mexico, leaving the bulk of the cash with Chambers. Though Wydra is retired, 25 years ago, he was an agent with the FBI. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: But where will they park? He played high school football at Mays High School in Atlanta, and college football at Georgia Tech . The FBI says Chambers hired a hitman to tie up the ultimate loose end -- Ghantt. So its one thing to go from up here, thought, to action, he said. 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. she asked. Of course, this would all be a radical departure for him, and thoughts of his wife and parents did give him pause. He wanted to leave his wife for her, and Kelly, who also was married, let him think she wanted the same. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Steve had hired a bodyguard named Mike McKinney. The site features a collection of unexplained, strange and odd mysteries. In Campbells case, Gronquist says his client was buried in court-ordered debt despite the fact that she took responsibility for what she had done and cooperated with prosecutors and the FBI. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. ALSO READ: 14-year-old boy robbed at gunpoint while waiting for bus in east. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. "Just remind Steve," he said, "that I might be trouble my own self." He had since held one low-paying job after another. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. A report by the General Accounting Office found that as of budget year 2016, $110 billion in restitution ordered by the federal courts was outstanding and that more than 90% of the amount had been classified as uncollectible.. The FBI was inadvertently aided by the gang members extravagant spending. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. "About fourteen or fifteen million dollars," he said. 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. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. (LogOut/ she asked again. His collection case closes in two years. Campbell used to work for Loomis and continued the friendship with Ghantt, eventually hooking him up with Chambers. High around 65F. Not every agent has a case like that, he said. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. 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. 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. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. NASCAR. ", "I don't need any more friends," she'd shot back. In addition, he also rented Mike his own apartment, paid him $400/weekly and bought him a gun. Well they were in some sense celebrities, Gronquist said. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded. David and the trainee left the warehouse. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. 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. Moving the money into the van quickly proved an onerous task. Charlotte Observer"more than a crime story, and one that's worth reading." 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. The bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. 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. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. 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 Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. Afterward, everything became comical. The unsolved mystery of the Van Meter Visitor a winged creature! Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. Ghantts spending in Mexico was extravagant at first. 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. They knew Steve Chambers had worked as an informant in the past, and were nervous he would smell out an undercover. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. 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. He decided at that moment that if Kelly called again, he would go for it. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. Conversations about stealing from the company weren't rare for Loomis employees. In David's eyes, Johnson's big mistake was that he did it alone. 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. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. The figures can be astounding. More than 2 million dollars are still missing to this day. 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. Discover the truth behind unexplained ancient mysteries, UFO mysteries, secret locations and paranormal events. Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with. Gronquist said. Each cart, holding about $2 million, was taking David seven or eight minutes to stack, push, and empty into the van, and there were about eight cartloads' worth in the vault. 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. 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. Later that year, he saw a newspaper ad for a job at Loomis Fargo. Getting that off his chest calmed him some, and the conversation returned to the plan. He loves his motorcycle and enjoys going fishing and, while hes sorry for the past, hes not ashamed to talk about it. "For the first year after a crime," he told her, "they're all over you, with six to ten agents. 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. Before the robber left Loomis Fargo, he made a trip to the managers office to remove two surveillance tapes in order to conceal his identity. She will never get beyond the debt. Then, he proceeded to load 2,800 pounds of cash into a van. A more immediate need was securing help to move the stolen money to safety the night of the crime. Investigators also found Ghantts pickup truck, abandoned at the warehouse. Although the FBI investigation was able to quickly connect Ghantt to Campbell, connecting Ghantt to Chambers was a more difficult task. The property has changed hands several times since then. Its in the ether. 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. The movie was called Masterminds and stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson. 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. However, Chambers had no intention of following those rules, believing the FBI would never connect him to Ghantt. It's still the hot topic . Steve began talking about wiring money to overseas accounts, and even purchasing a nightclub. A third surveillance tape was carelessly left behind, and the company was able to identify the man who robbed the vault as David Ghantt. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. Probably very egotistical of me, I thought, Yeah, sure, I can beat them, theyre college smart and thats about it, Ghantt said. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. 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. Growing up, David's family went to Disney World, sent him to religious school, and shopped at places he couldn't afford as a self-supporting adult. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. In all, they recovered $6.6 million. And they hit the jackpot -- FBI video shows agents recovering most of the stolen cash. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. It all seemed unfair. 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. He couldn't understand the gap, why he wasn't more successful, why he couldn't at least match the financial stability of his father, who earned a comfortable salary driving a truck. Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. In his youth, his mother had taken him to Sears and JCPenney, but as a man he shopped at Walmart, and while he knew there was nothing wrong with that, he wished he could afford more. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.. Former Loomis employee David Scott Ghantt is accused of stealing the money. Spunk. But after a year, they cut it down to two agents. He was a hard worker, smart enough, and had graduated from high school. Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. 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 next day, before Mike was able to leave the country, the FBI arrested him in his hotel room. If the American Dream involved being better off as adults than your parents were, David was experiencing a version of the American Nightmare. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. The police almost immediately called theFBI, since 95% of the money handled at the facility was owned by banks. "I was unhappy with my life. 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. Over the next two weeks, David thought about it. 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. The unsolved crime mystery of Marilyn Sheppard. CHARLOTTE If you didnt live in the Charlotte area 25 years ago, you might not believe it. He is a graduate of Yale and has worked for the Connecticut Post, the Associated Press, and the Palm Beach Post. OWLS director fired in wake of new board taking over, New rules will require flood history disclosure in real estate, North Carolina recreational spring flounder season canceled for 2023, Supreme Court seems ready to sink student loan forgiveness, Beach commission gets update on search for new sources of sand for beach nourishment. You can garnish wages. As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or - 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. One night in a small North Carolina town, a down-on-his-luck guard at Loomis Fargo manages to steal $17 millionliterally more than one ton of cash. LeVaughn Kelly Campbell (born July 23, 1980 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former football wide receiver. The case had gotten national publicity and was the subject of numerous articles, documentaries and even a movie. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. 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. He called Kelly to say he was coming and hopped into the driver's seat of the loaded Loomis van. When some friends stole a stop sign from a busy intersection, David made them put it back. Ghantt went to Mexico leaving the money with his cohorts, thinking that he could get his share back when he needed it. Some of that money is just gone. The FBI became more suspicious after they interviewed Campbell for the third time. Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. But if you did, youll never forget it. 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. 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. Not all of them, but some of them are going to forgive you, theyre going to overlook it., he said. David said he needed Kelly to drive to Loomis before the theft that night to remove a duffel bag from his parked pickup truck. David's vision for all of this actually derived more from books than from movies. 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. That first day in prison was scary, Ghantt said. Steve Chambers and his wife were living in a trailer and upgraded to what would today be a multi-million-dollar mansion at Cramer Mountain. Tips had led the FBI to begin monitoring Chambers (and his wifes) activities, but it was not until the FBIrecorded a phone callfrom Ghantt in Mexico that the final connection was made. 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. You have permission to edit this article. If we work together, we can all have plenty of pie.. All of the defendants are out of prison -- the longest sentence was 11 years. 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. How did they get away with stealing more than $17 million? I made a joke once that was the hardest Id ever worked for Wells Fargo -- yeah, its a lot of work, Ghantt said. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. But you cant get blood from a stone,, Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. It was the second-largest. So that was kind of like this once-in-a-lifetime thing, Wydra said. He has been a staff writer for the Star-Ledger in New Jersey since 2000. His collection case closes in two years. "So he stays behind and moving over two thousand pounds of . He knew his mother would be traumatized, shocked, and appalled. 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. He quickly found out when you have money, you just have different problems, Wydra said. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. Money. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. This month marked 25 years since one of the biggest armored car heists in U.S. history. Nathan, Steves cousin, was found in a mobile home the Chambers had abandoned. 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. At 2:20 p.m., the phone rang; it was Kelly again. And after two years, the case is just a file. 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. 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. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. The defendants received sentences ranging from probation for several relatives to over 11 years in federal prison for Steve Chambers. Meanwhile, Ghantt's gang spent wildly and paid their family members and friends to hide money. They succeeded in removing $17 million from the safe. And they could barely afford the minimum payments, given the power bills, phone bills, car insurance bills, and home payments they had to meet. Another name the FBI had become very interested in is Eric Payne. It took me going to prison to realize I was a bag of worms, and it took me years of work to be somebody worthy to come back into our society, he said. Who was she to be pressuring him? By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. 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. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft [Jeff Diamant] on Amazon.com.