Like David, Kelly was frustrated with her marriage. https://blog.prepscholar.com/david-scott-ghantt-loomis-fargo-heist They also purchased expensive cars, jewelry and a breast enhancement or two. David Ghantt: Mostly, it concerned for Zach [Galifianakis] to have the right shirt and carrying the right pistol. 28. But being the vault supervisor at Loomis Fargo had one perk -- exposure to tons of cash. I did do a lot of diving down in Mexico, which is a great diving spot. He gave the rest to Kelly. AMA In October of 1997, I was a vault supervisor for armored truck company Loomis Fargo, when I made off with $17.3 million. At the Halloween party, though, Kelly gave in to Steve, and agreed it had to be done. Ghantt was captured Sunday in Mexico. MASTERMINDS will be available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download tomorrow. David Ghantt normally came home between 6 and 8 p.m., and often he was late, his wife said. His accomplices included coworker Kelly Campbell, as well as friends Steve and Michelle Chambers. Hes a family man with a wife and daughter. His only distraction is his colleague Kelly Campbell, whom he has a crush on. Surveillance tapes and photographs showed a man who the FBI believes is Ghantt taking bags of money and putting them onto a cart in the vault at Loomis, Fargo's offices in Charlotte. 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. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. The principals here are David Ghantt, a driver for Loomis, Fargo and Co.; Kelly Campbell, the woman Ghantt had a crush on, and who convinced him to commit the crime; and Steve and Michele Chambers. David trusted her. Most high schools offer a variety of history classes, so make sure youre taking the right ones for you. He was an old friend from East Gaston High School, tough and sure of himself. Masterminds The FBI knew they needed to make their move. He knew his mother would be traumatized, shocked, and appalled. Trending News LRM: Do you enjoy the publicity for yourself? Its baggeditup.net. Ghantt reported to Chambers that his supply of money was running low, but Chambers sent Ghantt just $8,000. '. Charlotte this past October. . Each week, Michele deposited thousands of dollars in cash. When we worked together [for Loomis], we'd joke about it. be blocked or permanently banned without warning. He now has a wife, a construction job, and a child. 2023 NFL Draft grades: Detroit Lions get low marks for Day 1 picks The initials on the money wrapper belonged to a Loomis employee who hadn't worked there since before the heist. Collections. Webrotator cuff disability rating loomis fargo heist kelly campbell. There are a bunch of bizarre things they bought. Thats probably not the best answer to be honest with you. "Things I always wanted to do, but never had the time or the money," he said. He is an uncomplicated man stuck in a monotonous life. 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. David Ghantt normally came home between 6 and 8 p.m., and often he was late, his wife said. I was working sometimes 75-80 hours a week at $8.15 an hour. Another surveillance videotape shows the man loading the bags into a company van. His mobile home was nicely furnished, on eight acres with a stream in the back. The Loomis Fargo Robbery: Inside Job of the Century To be brutally honest, it was that morning, Ghantt replied. He figured Tammy wouldn't go for it, and though his marriage had been troubled, he wasn't certain he wanted to leave her. One of them was a former Loomis employee. David Ghantt: Oh, yeah. David placed their odds of success at 85 percent, a confidence inspired by faith not just in his planning but also in his feelings for Kelly. At the time it was the second largest cash robbery ever to happen on US soil. 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. Bubbling under the surface, however, was a deep frustration at the way he was treated. All six were charged with aiding, abetting and counseling the commission of a bank larceny and being accessories after the fact, and hindering Ghantt's apprehension. The theft at the time the second-largest cash robbery in U.S. history has been the brunt of mocking movies and books, mostly on how the thieves, who had little money to begin with, could not control their spending habits once they did. He partied, met women, drank, skied and hung out at the beach. They stocked a wine cellar. David Ghantt: I would be really philosophical about this. David told her he'd need help moving the money, getting a new ID and leaving the country. In the game, David has to track down eight Visionaries, and the team has to play a game of cat and mouse. This time, David told McKinney the truth. It wouldn't work, Kelly told him. 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. Fed up, exhausted, and seeing a way out, Ghantt agreed. Why would you want this story to be told and to enjoy this? Agents noticed it two months later when it flowed to them through official channels, along with hundreds of similar reports involving other people. The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. She was the group's only contact with David, and she was smoking marijuana "like other people smoke cigarettes," she said. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. A Comprehensive Guide. 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. Said Ghantt, one day life kinda slapped me in the face. } "He was in tears. 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. Three of the 21 defendants in the case haven't been One of them tapped him on the back. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. 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. ". Kelly called, using David's own cell phone, to ask where he was already, because she and the others were waiting outside for him. Though Wydra is retired, 25 years ago, he was an agent with the FBI. Man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago now a Pensacola State College Job Fair 2022, This technically made it abank robbery afederal offense. 1998 The Associated Press. 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 How Did A Model Employee Manage To Steal More Than $17 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. "I said, 'That's all they gave me,' " McKinney recalled. Then another. He had stolen $17 million from Loomis Fargo. WebPlot David Ghantt is a simple man that lives a very dull life. Davids crush and former co-worker, Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig), approaches David about robbing the very company that he works for.Despite the lack of He hated the sweet smell of the green ink, and the $8.15-an-hour salary. Ghantt They hadn't slept together or even fooled around much, but he was ready to commit. In Florida, a Loomis Fargo employee had pulled a gun on his coworkers and gotten away with $18 million, a move that FBI agents theorize Ghantt, Campbell and other employees all sat around talking about - and what they would do with that amount of money - for a while. I pretty much let them have their way with it, as you say. These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. David Scott Ghantt. He hated his job, with its 12-hour shifts. He drove to the edge of the Loomis compound, which was surrounded by a chain-link fence. I have to say, I thought I had a pretty good idea of who the Visionaries were in the first place. Masterminds (2016) - Masterminds (2016) - User Exhibit A was that Steve had no steady job but plenty of cash. The amount of money stolen is correct. I just sat back and waited on my money. She will never get beyond the debt. David Scott Ghantt was the vault supervisor at the regional branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina. Scott Grant and Steve pulled up next to her in a Mazda. Ghantt added, I really enjoyed the movie. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed The 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, Michael Gobbies, and four other co-conspirators. The film was based on an actual incident in 1997. The only bit of excitement is his crush Kelly Campbell, who lures him into the scheme of a lifetime. 25th anniversary of the incredible Loomis Fargo bank heist What did you have to do to survive? All of us will be looking forward to your story by watching the movie on Blu-ray or DVD. Her husband, Steve Chambers, whom prosecutors have called the main defendant, began serving an 11-year sentence earlier this year. Now worried about both the FBI and McKinney, he spent even more time alone in his room. At first, David Ghantt said, "I didn't take her seriously. Scotty, Lord Arthur, Kelly Maxwell, & more, with new dialogue performed by Bruce Campbell & others! Also the Author of The Book of Dave: A New Path After a $17 Million Misstep https://t.co/qBMUgcNZ4F David Ghantt: That was the first thing the FBI told me when they had arrested me. At about 6:40 p.m., he went back inside. Web29 David Ghantt Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images. It has a lot of things youll look for in a storya little romance, money, adventure and travel. ". The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points, How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer. Steve had another conversation with Kelly about killing David. Its comedy. Then FBI agent Wydra watched Steve's wife, Michele, deposit about $8,000 at a Gaston County, N.C., bank. rotator cuff disability rating loomis fargo heist kelly campbell. 2023 NFL Draft grades: Detroit Lions get low marks for Along with a group of half-brained criminals led by Steve Chambers and an absurdly faulted heist plan, David manages the impossible and makes off with $17 million in cash..only problem is he foolishly hands the money over to this wild group of double crossers and has been set up to take the fall. About 5:30 the next morning, McKinney knocked on David's door and dropped $8,500 on the bed. 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. I live down here in Jacksonville, Florida. People dont seem to understand human nature. The FBI says Chambers hired a hitman to tie up the ultimate loose end -- Ghantt. I even helped them design the set, where he breaks into the vault. My name is David Scott Ghantt. Kelly drove her pickup to a lot across the street from the Loomis building, on Suttle Avenue in Charlotte. He appeared happily matched with his high-spirited wife, Michele, and the two children from her first marriage. He was the only employee unaccounted for the next morning, and videotapes recovered at the Loomis Fargo Charlotte office showed Ghantt removing cubes of cash and loading it into a Loomis Fargo armored van for over an hour. David Scott Ghantt, 28, was arrested Sunday on an island off the Mexican coast, near the resort city of Cozumel, FBI spokesman William Perry said today. After a Gulf War stint in the Army, David got married in 1992. Of course the problem was, the money belonged to someone else. . But you cant get blood from a stone,, Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. "I said, 'Yeah, sure.' A more immediate need was securing help to move the stolen money to safety the night of the crime. The CEO and co-founder of the company that is responsible for Arkane Studios. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. He didn't want to abandon his parents. This meant a bump in pay, up to $8.15 an 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. No one could just pull off the crime of the decade. Money'll turn your head, I don't care who you are. In the grand scheme of things, the prison sentence for stealing $20 million wouldn't be much worse than for stealing just $500,000 maybe a few extra years behind bars. Though David had said earlier he thought there was $15 million in the vault, the sight of that much cash held them spellbound. Well she was a pretty happy-go-lucky person, he said. Heist! They were ready to set the van on fire for real. I even helped them design the set, where he breaks into the vault. LRM: So tell me on where are you now? Masterminds Ghantt labeled himself as a jerk who was dissatisfied with his life before stealing the money. dr katie columbus zoo. One of the best ways to learn more about U.S. history is to make sure youre taking history classes. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. David: My name is David Ghantt. Thanksgiving and Christmas were difficult. LRM: Obviously, this is comedy and not a documentary. . Scott was so nervous, he said, that he couldn't help. Michele told her mother she and Steve had been saving gambling winnings for the down payment. . What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? Steve also offered $100,000 to his 26-year-old cousin. Masterminds (2016 film "But, I hate to admit it, it doesn't faze me one bit. And Kelly thought he was funny. I didnt even have a real home life because I was never there. Here's what Floyd recalls: After two games of pool, Steve told him, "You know, we do a lot of gambling. In order to impress her, David makes a deal with a group of criminals led by Steve Chambers. About 5:45 a.m., he got into his pickup and began the 45-minute drive to work in Charlotte. WOMAN GETS TIME IN LOOMIS HEIST - Greensboro News Steve was sentenced to 11 years 3 months in prison. Steve, who had sworn Kelly, Eric and Scott to secrecy the night of the theft, named them all to the FBI. While she made small deposits at first, she became more reckless, eventually making a deposit of thousands of dollars in cash, telling the teller not to worry: Its not drug money. "Love" has four. But neither of those things would matter after he met Kelly Campbell. Most Facebook users can now claim settlement money. 8 Arrested in $17 Mil. N.C. Heist | AP News What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. When he said, 'I'll give you $20,000 to hold a million,' I said, 'Sure.' I wasnt attracted to him or anything, but he was a nice guy, Campbell said. Perry identified the other six people arrested as Steve and Michelle Chambers; Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis employee; Michael L. McKinney; Thomas 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. 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. David Ghantt: My standard answer now is [to say] that the person I was thenI am certainly not that person now. But in November, money ran low. Steve told her to send David to Atlanta on a bus and drive back to the trailer. They bought a BMW roadster. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. Ghantt says he believes in redemption, and that his mistake 25 years ago brought him all the things that are important in his life today. Ask questions; get answers. She asked about the limit for a cash deposit before "paperwork" was required. A comedy film called Masterminds, based on the Loomis Fargo heist and starring Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, and Jason Sudeikis, was released in 2016. A third tape he didn't know about kept recording. Florida House of Representatives But agents weren't ready to arrest Kelly and Steve. WebMasterminds is a 2016 comedy starring Zach Galifianakis as David Scott Ghantt, an armored car guard who decides to pull off a heist of some bank money he is transporting. Ghantt labeled himself as a jerk who was dissatisfied with his life before stealing the money. It will be some time before she can commune with domestic animals again. But what did that mean? Just lounging around. From the beginning, the FBIs prime suspect was David Ghantt. The mystery 1-4-3 caller had been Kelly, though agents didn't know it yet. Campbellwho was married herselfrepresented something new and exciting. David was living under the name Mike McKinney on a phony ID. Some of that money is just gone. Kelly drove David to the airport. 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. David Ghantt discovers the true meaning of adventure far beyond his wildest dreams. island escape cruise ship scrapped; Income Tax. I wasnt attracted to him or anything, but he was a nice guy, Campbell said. They called the police, who brought in the FBI, classifying the heist as a bank robbery. All rights reserved. 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 thought he did a really good job. He discovers that it's pretty boring stuff, and he often fantasizes about getting robbed. By now, you probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve Chambers and his wife Michelle, and Kelly Campbell. Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. ", "I said, 'If you drive a truck, you're always in a financial bind. I always felt I was destined for a life of adventure. 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? Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. I didn't think I had the guts. . According to Campbell, Chambers could help Ghantt execute a massive cash robbery of the vault at Loomis Fargo in one night. Masterminds (2016 Former Loomis employee David Scott Ghantt is accused of stealing the money. By now, you probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve Chambers and his wife Michelle, and Kelly Campbell. "I wanted to be more like my mom and dad were.". The crew was led by David Ghantt, a Loomis Fargo employee that drove the armored truck that transported cash to different locations. Florida House of Representatives . In addition, six other people, some of whom had been spending large amounts of money, were arrested Monday in North Carolina in connection with the case, Perry said. "That would be living on the run, and I didn't want my kids to live that way. She could walk under the trees, with the chickens and goats and dogs that live around her mobile home. Ghantt had worked with the branch since 1994, and had been promoted from a driver to the vault supervisor. . He shut the empty vault and set its timer so the vault could not be opened for two or three days. You've violated that trust. Campbell will collaborate on live What made her do it? I told them that this was the color regiment. Ghantt started at Loomis Fargo in 1994, and soon worked his way up from an armored car driver to a vault supervisor. On his second trip, Steve gave McKinney David's hotel address. Kelly called David at Loomis; he told her he'd be ready for them with the cash at 6:30 or 7 p.m. Alone in the building, David was trying to finish loading cash from the vault into an unmarked white Ford Econoline van belonging to Loomis. Web29 David Ghantt Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images. The next day, the Chambers, Campbell, and some other notable parties were arrested in Charlotte. 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. My name is David Scott Ghantt. It was unclear whether anyone will get that money, authorities said. They set the date, Oct. 4, a Saturday when David knew he could be alone in the building after his shift. "Think of how many women would have stood by. On the night of October 4, the plan went into action. He said he put that amount of money in a storage building. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. Michele tells me you're in a financial bind. Then I realized I needed to be more conservative. In the two days after the robbery, agents interviewed more than 100 people, most connected with David. I was like, Okay.. I gave him the short synopsis. There was a little voice in my head that said, 'Don't do it. When we worked together [for Loomis], we'd joke about it. Five years he told how he explains his past like this: "People are very forgiving if you're open and honest right from the start. Then one day I met Miss Kelly Campbell. Campbell and her husband had always been just scraping by, however in the weeks following the robbery, the two seemed to have more money than theyve ever had. 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. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females. - 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.
kelly campbell and david ghantt