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.. They got to work planning the straightforward heist that would rely on Ghantts existing access to the vault, fewer staff at the warehouse on the weekends, and the ability to use one of the companys armored trucks to make the successful getaway. 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. Florida Gov. There was also no dramatic showdown between Chambers and Ghantt as the movie suggests. Not Ghantt. If you can see the obvious flaw in this plan, namely that Chambers would have no reason whatsoever to actually wire Ghantt any money, then congratulations. I did every touristy thing you could possibly do while I was down there. From there, hed meet Campbell, Chambers and Grant, a friend of Chambers, in a parking lot, from where they would head to an industrial warehouse and load all but $50,000 into a rental van. Michelle, meanwhile, purchased new breasts for herself, along with a $43,000 diamond ring and a new convertible BMW Z3. 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. I was working sometimes 75-80 hrs a week for $8.15 an hour, I didnt even have a real home life because I was never there I was working all the time and unhappy which is understandable considering how old I was at the time. The pair began to daydream about whether they could really pull off the heist. Ghantt believed the new employee would make a good replacement for his wife, but the feelings were not necessarily reciprocated. He became the target of a nationwide FBI manhunt and was arrested five months later near the Mexican resort of Cozumel. They also bought a BMW Z3 with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 cigar store Indian. Authorities said they hired a man named Michael McKinney to meet up with Ghantt and kill him, under the guise that he was planning to give Ghantt more of the money he was owed. Not only was Ghantt the only unaccounted for employee the morning after the heist, there was also footage of Ghantt moving the cash into the back of the Loomis Fargo van. Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. He pocketed the money and told Chambers and Campbell to send him his cut in Mexico. Ghantts wife was reportedly nothing like the bizarre, robotic fiance character in the film, for instance. 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. 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. First, in January, he tried to get someone to take some millions down to Mexico. [1], Steven Chambers finished serving his sentence in November 2006. Ghantt and one other employee were the last to leave. 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.. 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. 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. 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. Just head on out. And so, he did. This is the person I counted as my friend. When she realized Ghantt never came home from work the night before, she contacted the police and filed a missing persons report. David Ghantt was a technical consultant for the film, but due to outstanding court-ordered restitution for his part in the heist he was not paid. Did you know that the SAT offers subject exams, too? 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 next day, the Chambers, Campbell and other members of the ring were arrested. 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the year that everything happened 1997. hilary farr design assistant 9, Juin, 2022 Cool, I say. I was working sometimes 75-80 hours a week at $8.15 an hour. There are two ideas as to how the plan was created. Was Loomis Fargo heist real? But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. Michelle Chambers received seven years and eight months, while Steve Chambers was handed an 11-year sentence. Just days after agreeing to the plan, the group set a day to carry out the robbery. The two struck up a friendship during work that would continue after Campbell left the company. Because Ghantt was the only employee who wasnt there that morning, he became the obvious suspect. I studied up on the FBI. Theres no management around. Ghantt and his compatriots, it turns out, had underestimated how bulky money is. The barrels were Steves idea, Ghantt says. On July 10, Jon Daly joined the cast of the film to play an FBI agent. Authorities began to hone in on the group and put a wire tap on Campbell's phones. All but one of the indicted pleaded guilty. Tags: Associated Press, courts, crime, North Carolina. He stayed at a luxury hotel and took scuba diving lesson. I hear her typing. 8 Who are the actors in the movie Masterminds? For a time, it was nicknamed "the hillbilly heist" because nearly all of the major players in the case came from small towns around Charlotte. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP), DeSantis Awards $100M for Hurricane Erosion Recovery Efforts, Judge Orders Release of Video of Inmate Who Mutilated Self, Indiana Man Charged After Son in Diaper Points Gun at People, California Do Not Sell My Personal Information Request. 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. If so,check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. Also charged were several innocent relatives that the robbers had enlisted to help get safety deposit boxes in various banks. He has been a staff writer for the Star-Ledger in New Jersey since 2000. WebFILE - 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 On Monday, October 6th, the FBI agents who were investigating the robbery located the Loomis Fargo van abandoned in the woods. I was looking at small sailboats and theyre not cheap, he tells me. I knew that if I did something like that, I would take a huge amount of money, Ghantt said of the brash robbery on an upcoming episode of, To find out more about how the thieves got caught and how long they landed behind bars, tune in the. I was working all the time and unhappy I felt cornered and one day the joking in the break room about robbing the place suddenly didnt seem so far-fetched.. Across the border in Mexico, Ghantt was also living it up. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. Time passed, and Campbell eventually quit her job at Loomis Fargo. Is the movie Masterminds based on a true story? And then I could hear her laughing. Once the heat was off, Ghantt would return and they would split the haul evenly. Before he left, he went into his managers office and removed tapes from two of the security cameras. Its easy to get somebody to do something if you know that they are that infatuated with you.. As he later recalled about his life before the 1997 heist that changed his life forever: Prior to, I would have never even considered it but one day life kinda slapped me in the face. Where did the masterminds live after the heist? WebThe Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery was a robbery of $17.3 million in cash from the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis, Fargo & Co. on the evening of October 4, They left behind the cash they couldnt fit in their cars. This page was last edited on 7 January 2023, at 02:50. WebWas Loomis Fargo heist real? When the rest of the Loomis Fargo employees showed up the next morning and found that they couldnt open the vault, they called the police. Back in North Carolina, Ghantts former accomplices were living high on the hog. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.. Who are the actors in the movie Masterminds? 4 What is the largest armored car robbery? the Loomis Fargo heist These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. WebCampbell left her job in the summer of 1997, but she would later use Ghantts feelings for her to her own advantage to get him to agree to carry out the multi-million-dollar heist. The next morning, Loomis Fargo employees were unable to open the vault. David Scott Ghantt was the vault supervisor at the regional branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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. The FBI was also surveilling Kelly Campbell and followed her to a pay phone that she used to place calls to Mexico. 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. What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? The number of people involved had ballooned after Steve started asking friends and family to help him launder the stolen cash. I had to go in there and tell her the whole story, and she was real cool about it. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females. I didnt even know about it and overlooked it, he said. She just called me up on the phone and said, Hey, lets meet one day after work. And then, we were talking and she says, How do you feel about robbing Loomis Fargo? Ghantt tells me. 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. From the beginning, the FBIs prime suspect was David Ghantt. Charlotte Magazine even ran a feature story about the Loomis Fargo heist with the title, White Trash Crime. The headlines, however, never bothered Ghantt. ];David Scott Ghanntt [Misc.] Inside were, along with other personal items, his keys and wedding ring. I started just chucking it as fast as I could, he said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me.. Ron DeSantis has awarded $100 million for beach erosion projects and other restoration efforts in 16 coastal counties damaged by Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole, A Tennessee judge has ruled that video detailing the treatment of a death row inmate who cut off his penis while on suicide watch must be made public, An Indiana man faces felony charges after his diaper-clad 4-year-old son was seen pointing a loaded handgun at people outside their apartment. Overlooked it, he tried to get someone to take some millions down to Mexico so get., North Carolina, ghantts former accomplices were living high on the group and a! Staff writer for the Star-Ledger in new Jersey since 2000, We were talking and she says, How you... Campbell to send him his cut in Mexico there and tell her whole. Much do you feel about robbing Loomis Fargo the Star-Ledger in new Jersey 2000. And followed her to a pay phone that she used to place to! 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