All the while, Ghantt prepared himself for the task at hand. He figured Tammy wouldn't go for it, and though his marriage had been troubled, he wasn't certain he wanted to leave her. Or does it sit in an offshore account, waiting for a prison sentence to end? Meanwhile, Steve was keeping a close eye on Kelly. 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.. He played high school football at Mays High School in Atlanta, and college football at Georgia Tech . Ghantt:It started out as a mental exercise and somewhere between the mental exercise and the actual event, it became serious. Ghantt went on to explain that he left for his flight to Mexico with about $25,000, and that two or three deliveries of extra money was made to him by the man Chambers would pay to kill him. Ghantt started at Loomis Fargo in 1994, and soon worked his way up from an armored car driver to a vault supervisor. 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. Zach always plays that bumbling kind of lunatic, but hes not, Ghantt says. "We're not the type that questions everything people tell us," Floyd said. I thought, Okay, if I get out of that bubble because the cops depend on that, even the feds my chances to get away go way up.. It didnt take the local police long to put the pieces together. When McKinney arrived in North Carolina, the plan had changed. She could visit friends. Ghantt would go on to spend six and a half years in federal prison. First, in January, he tried to get someone to take some millions down to Mexico. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. So it was weird when during the middle of the week, there were these very clean-cut, very Midwestern looking, obviously American guys in the town. Steve told her to send David to Atlanta on a bus and drive back to the trailer. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist - phnxathletica.com They heard Michele brag about her $43,000 ring. Her husband gave her a brown teddy bear. Kelly Loomis Facebook, Instagram & Twitter on PeekYou Even still, he was 27, married and struggling to provide for his family. The pager entry was 1-4-3. They agreed that after the heist, David would immediately move to Mexico, alone, but Kelly would soon join him there, with her two children. I told the lead investigator I was glad to see him.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. SEVEN NABBED IN CHARLOTTE HEIST\ - Greensboro News and Record Time passed, and Campbell eventually quit her job at Loomis Fargo. 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. 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. Theres no management around. Dental plans . She could spend time with her children and parents. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. It wasnt a big hit, but Ghantt, who was played by Galifianakis, gives it a rave review. I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. Ghantt worked at Loomis Fargos regional office vault in Charlotte. Kelly's company. Sandra Floyd, Michele Chambers's mother, remembers the first time she saw the house. Thats nearly $11 million less than former Kings Mountain resident David Ghantt (played by Galifianakis in the film) helped steal from the vault where he worked in Charlotte back in October 1997. Reach our Customer Contact Center by calling 877.877.0560 from 6:30 AM to 11:30 PM CT every day or by completing the provided form. Fact check: Is there much truth to the new 'Masterminds' movie? Here's what Floyd recalls: After two games of pool, Steve told him, "You know, we do a lot of gambling. At first, I just blended in with the tourists and picked up a few translation books, Ghantt explains. Everything came crashing down on an early March morning in 1998. Scott was so nervous, he said, that he couldn't help. The figures can be astounding. Im a very deliberate person. The money was heavy. Question: You went to Mexico. Yes, happy. "Steve said, 'I think we ought to do it that night, when he drops off the van,' " Kelly recalled. Eric Payne got out of prison in 2006 for his role in the heist and has since paid $11,357 on his $292,000 debt. . Its hilarious. 1997 Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle for sale at auction of items bought after Loomis, Fargo armored car facility heist by Steven Chambers, wife Michele, Kelly Jane Campbell & David Scott Ghanntt (Photo by Will And Deni McIntyre/Getty Images) 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. I knew it was just a matter of time. Soon, the couple would be paying for something else, too: a hitman. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. Ghantt knew Chambers as Steve, but didnt find out that his last name was Chambers until the arrests were made. Inside the Mazda, Steve told Scott Grant to get out and help David. But after a year, they'll cut it down to two agents. But Ghantt, who served as an unpaid consultant to the movie and attended the big Los Angeles premiere earlier in the week, has no such reservations. Two days after theyd robbed the Loomis Fargo truck the very same day the police found the abandoned van in the woods Steve and Michelle Chambers walked into a bank and deposited their cut of the stolen money into their account. Now he offered to pay him to carry cash to David--Steve said he was a friend hiding out after a bad drug deal, McKinney recalled. Ghantt fled to Mexico. I really enjoyed the little scuba diving trip. Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing her. She came from a blue-collar background, a high school dropout who had grown tired of working in a mill and gotten an equivalency diploma. I mean, it was dark, Ghantt explains. Steve solicited two others to help move cash during the theft. They soon realized David had stolen more money than would fit in their 55-gallon barrels. Is he telling the truth? The number of people involved had ballooned after Steve started asking friends and family to help him launder the stolen cash. He had a favorite restaurant, Zandunga, which had a mariachi band each night and a view of the Caribbean. . Filming in the Asheville area starting in early July, and is. Hidden in it was a 3 1/2-carat diamond ring that cost $43,000. A version of this story originally appeared on CharlotteObserver.com. One thing about teammates, in David's view: You could always trust them. David complained it wasn't enough. . ". Scott Grant and Steve pulled up next to her in a Mazda. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. So Im like, Can you get a move on with my money? After a couple of weeks passed, I get a phone call from Kelly: Okay, Brunos coming to you, blah, blah, blah. So I get a phone call from this guy, and I tell him where to meet me. He told him McKinney was in Mexico to kill somebody. Loomis officials--forced to break into their own vault because David had taken the keys with him--calculated that he had stolen $17,044,000, making the second biggest heist in U.S. history, following the $18.8 million theft of an armored car by another Loomis Fargo employee just six months earlier. Ghantt went on to explain that he rarely even looks at his debt statement to the government, but believes the IRS says he still owes them $3.8 million. This is where it starts to unravel, Ghantt tells me with a wry laugh. Ive never taken offense to anything like that, he tells me. They cursed. You can garnish wages. Ghantt:I hate to say it, but I had six years of sitting in a box to think about my life. Without really intending to, Kelly recalls, she turned the conversation to the possibility of a heist. He longed for the middle-class lifestyle of his childhood, with its private religious-school education and Disney World vacations. 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. There, Scott and Eric paced the floor as Steve tried to calm them down. The next day, Kelly drove back to Steve's mobile home to watch the news with Steve and Michele. Question: Should people go see this movie? Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 Chambers did hire McKinney to kill Ghantt, but initially McKinney was making personal cash deliveries to Ghantt in Mexico on behalf of Chambers. Kelly told the FBI she had done drugs with David but denied knowing about the theft. 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. Dependent care account. Some of that money is just gone. But it was the rural, Southern backgrounds of many of the key players, along with the many botched twists and bungled turns, that led the media to dub it the hillbilly heist.. For his part, Ghantt was now officially on his way to Mexico, his future stretched out before him. Tickle Me Kaczynski: How the Inventor of the Ultimate Elmo Toy Became a Unabomber Suspect, A Highly Questionable Cultural History of Richard Geres Ass Gerbil. On Oct. 7, 1997, two FBI agents arrived at Kelly Campbell's home after two Loomis employees had told agents she and David had once dated. 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. Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis employee; Michael L. McKinney . They placed a bust of Caesar in the dining room. When he was done, the man drove off to a nearby printing press, where the money was distributed into private vehicles amongst a handful of people. To say nothing of their art purchases like the aforementioned velvet Elvis portrait and a painting of a bulldog dressed as General George S. Patton. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. It was late in 1996. Were others involved? 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. Its kind of like that. In the two days after the robbery, agents interviewed more than 100 people, most connected with David. 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. You can seize property. More than 20 people ended up in the FBI's dragnet. Steve had already paid McKinney $50,000 for the use of his ID. Question: Are you surprised that Hollywood took this on as a movie? Because lets be brutally honest: Theyre not wrong, okay? He placed stacks of currency on a cart and wheeled it to the van about 15 feet away, inside the building. Thatd be the time to do it, Ghantt recalls. I couldn't understand why I hadn't been more successful," David said. But in November, money ran low. They planned to kill a man named David Ghantt, the guy who had made their extravagant new lifestyle a reality. I had a four-hour layover there, and then from New Orleans to Cancun.. Ghantt: My cut was supposed to be about $5 million, but that's not what I ended up with. Not until David was gone did Scott realize he didn't know which key to use. We spoke to the FBI agents who investigated the case who say the real-life. Working together, they got the gate open, then drove in a caravan to the Reynolds & Reynolds parking lot. Until, that is, he decided to hell with it he was going to pull-off the second largest heist in U.S. history. I think I always knew that, but lost my way for a while.". LeVaughn Kelly Campbell (born July 23, 1980 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former football wide receiver. In early November, Steve lured the real Mike McKinney, an ex-Marine, to North Carolina from his Illinois home. At the time of the real robbery, Chambers was facing criminal charges hed written 30K worth of bad checks and was facing jail time for it. David, now 30, says he's sorry he abandoned his wife--who he says still loves him--and his family. "You" has three. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. His wife, Tammy, was as shocked as Loomis officials. Kelly drove her pickup to a lot across the street from the Loomis building, on Suttle Avenue in Charlotte. ". real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. 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. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. They put up mauve wallpaper. As with many recent historic events, this one had been caught on videotape, a fact that a few dozen Charlotte FBI agents would learn in a hastily organized Sunday morning meeting. That October, the Chamberses' bank accounts ballooned. 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. "That would be living on the run, and I didn't want my kids to live that way. Ghantt was missing and no one, not even his wife, knew where he was. Question: Are you happy that Wilkesboro-nativeZach Galifianakis plays you in the movie? Almost 19 years after Ghantt and a group of friends from Gaston County pulled off one of the largest cash heists in U.S. history, the movie "Masterminds" will play up the caper for laughs. Job Search - Career Portal - Dayforce HCM 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. He couldn't talk.". Ghantt was scheduled to work a shift at the armored car company Oct. 4. The FBI now knew Chambers had Loomis cash. That was the most painful truth to come to. Down in Jacksonville, a Loomis Fargo employee took $18 million from an armored van he was driving. If you go from a mobile home to a mansion, that's going to attract attention. Michelle Chambers received seven years and eight months, while Steve Chambers was handed an 11-year sentence. 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. Im on the phone with Kelly [Campbell], and Im like, Hey, I really was expecting a package to arrive. Mexican police, Interpol officers and an FBI agent were watching him. Scott Grant and Steve pulled up next to her in a Mazda. And youre like, Come on parachute. The true crime behind Asheville-based Galifianakis film "I'd been told all my life, money will not make you happy," Kelly said. Why did this Charlotte engineer leave her job? Besides her prison sentence . Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. He had just returned to his home in Jacksonville, Fla., when he agreed to talk about the heist, his life now and what went wrong when a group of friends who thought they could get away with stealing $17 million cash. Steve led the planning. Sweat soaked David's uniform. From Mexico, David usually spoke with Kelly on the phone once a week, paying with calling cards. I was burned out and just didn't know it. Ghantt:I've always known that story had potential to be a comedy or a drama. Her marriage--at which she was making another ambivalent effort after multiple separations--and even the jobs she'd been able to get with a diploma couldn't come close to providing the kind of life she dreamed about, the life she felt she deserved: a house in the country, a swimming pool, and enough cash so she didn't need to rely on men. The FBI's final challenge is finding the remaining $2 million. By . Ghantt was in fact hiding out in Mexico using McKinneys I.D., which had been sold to Chambers months earlier. And I knew that by that time, Id be in Cancun no matter what. The name she gave the pup is apropos. Steve had another conversation with Kelly about killing David. I did every touristy thing you could possibly do while I was down there. In real life: False. And going to see the Mayan ruins. This story was originally published October 3, 2016, 9:12 PM. I said, Listen, You all need to get your shit together, or Im just going to walk over here to the government building and tell them who the fuck I am. That lit a little fire under her ass, for a bit.. Eric watched. He pocketed the money and told Chambers and Campbell to send him his cut in Mexico. Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. TWO TO ENTER GUILTY PLEAS IN ARMORED-CAR ROBBERY - Greensboro News and The last time he called me, he said, Hey Ghantt, I just saw a big Loomis Fargo truck. Ghantt was apprehended in Mexico and returned to the United States in custody. In real life: False. On the radio, the "John Boy and Billy" show played the song "Take the Money and Run. 2500 City West Blvd., Suite 2300 Houston, TX 77042. Back then, it was one of the hotspots for hiding money. Ghantt planned to live off the interest for the rest of his life. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. (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. 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. Find 145 people named Kelly Loomis along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok profiles on PeekYou - true people search. Now two NC men face prison. You've violated that trust. She was like, Well, at least you had guts, he says. She was the group's only contact with David, and she was smoking marijuana "like other people smoke cigarettes," she said. When he said, 'I'll give you $20,000 to hold a million,' I said, 'Sure.' 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. This was in the 1990s the Columbia Airport back then was closed at around 9:30, 10 oclock. So he got in a cab and went to a mall. We got this guy named Bruno. He was doing what the rest of us were doing making bad decisions. Cool, I say. I was looking at small sailboats and theyre not cheap, he tells me. . He appeared happily matched with his high-spirited wife, Michele, and the two children from her first marriage. And I think that makes it all the more funny, because it really offends my co-defendants. "I've learned that I'm a fortunate man," he said. That day, FBI agents also would arrest Scott Grant and Eric Payne, who had spent his share of the money on a motorcycle and breast implants for his wife and two sisters. When we worked together [for Loomis], we'd joke about it. They also purchased tanning beds, a pool table, a Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle and all kinds of expensive furniture. They didn't know it, but they were leaving $3.3 million behind. Thats one of my personality flaws. "Every time my conscience would start bothering me," Kelly recalled, "I'd smoke another joint and forget about it.". And I was thinking about just showing up there. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. David was living under the name Mike McKinney on a phony ID. Loomis Fargo Defendants Owe as Much as They Stole in 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. . He hated his job, with its 12-hour shifts. "But I had to know.". Loomis Fargo Defendants Owe as Much as They Stole in 1997 real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist - legal-innovation.com Scott Grant said he hesitated, but agreed if no guns would be involved. Get to me. Its that kind of excitement.. At the time, it was the largest cash heist in history. 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. 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. "We kept going, '1-4-3, 1-4-3,' " recalled Vic O'Korn, assistant special agent in charge of Charlotte's FBI office. He had even scheduled a follow-up appointment at the dentist. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) _ A woman who helped plan the $17 million robbery of armored car company Loomis, Fargo & Co. was sentenced Tuesday to nearly six years in prison and ordered to pay back more than $4 million. Michele told her mother she and Steve had been saving gambling winnings for the down payment.