A parrot tattoo on her right ankle. Spunk. To be brutally honest, it was that morning, Ghantt replied. Former Loomis employee David Scott Ghantt is accused of stealing the money. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. "Just remind Steve," he said, "that I might be trouble my own self." Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Not every agent has a case like that, he said. Hed never really been in trouble, he wasnt a career criminal, said retired FBI agent John Wydra. The figures can be astounding. It all seemed unfair. 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.. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. We dont have the manpower to track all that (restitution) money down I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs., Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it,, You can garnish wages. But if you did, youll never forget it. All but one took plea deals, including Ghantt, who was sentenced to seven years in prison. 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. So they went to Mexico and arrested Ghantt in order to protect him. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. 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. He knew they were nervous outside waiting for him, but he also knew he wouldn't stop stealing until he had taken everything. You have permission to edit this article. His collection case closes in two years. Of course, this would all be a radical departure for him, and thoughts of his wife and parents did give him pause. These cookies do not store any personal information. - Jeffrey Guller, who at 81 is by far the oldest of the Loomis defendants, still owes almost $1.1 million on his original court debt of $1.14 million and will remain on the governments books for another four years. 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. The FBI says Chambers hired a hitman to tie up the ultimate loose end -- Ghantt. If it didn't work out, he could return to the United States later with a new identity. He and Tammy could have one or two meals each week that he really liked, but the rest were hot dogs or Hamburger Helper. David was supposed to be showing him the ropes of the job, which included cash pickups and deliveries. Cool interesting stuff features everything odd, weird, bizzare, strange or unusual. This was several years before the advent of smartphones and the post-9/11 increase in federal surveillance of electronic communications, and public knowledge about this tracking was less widespread. David got a kick out of her. 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. They succeeded in removing $17 million from the safe. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. I gotta go.". Thank you so much. At that point, Kelly and David had known each other for two years. The case had gotten national publicity and was the subject of numerous articles, documentaries and even a movie. Then one day, while reviewing his and Tammy's credit card bill, he did some quick math and realized that even if they met the minimum monthly payments, the bill would take thirty years to pay. In David's eyes, Johnson's big mistake was that he did it alone. The gang made numerous mistakes. "I'll need help moving the money, getting a new ID, and leaving the country," he told her. It's still the hot topic . In all, agents arrested 24 people in the heist. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. How he and his wife had trouble communicating. After hanging up on her, David returned to work. They also purchased expensive cars, jewelry and a breast enhancement or two. 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. When did you conclude Yeah, Im actually going to do this? Counts asked. 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. Authorities were notified of the robbery in the morning, when employees couldnt open the vault. 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. Its attracted workers like Ghantt. Expanded two-hour true crime story about the 1997 Loomis-Fargo armored car heist in North Carolina and the serio-comic fate of its bumbling underdog perpetra. The only other employee with him on this day was a trainee. 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. A connection between each suspect began to emerge slowly, and as the intensity of spending grew, suspicion did as well. contact us to submit an unexplained mystery article, or to join the team on the email address below. The unsolved crime mystery of Marilyn Sheppard. 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. The robbery was committed by David Scott Ghantt who was the vault supervisor and accomplices Kelly Campbell, Steve Chambers, Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobies, and other four members. "What would it take to make you do it?". Copyright The Nashua Telegraph | https://www.nashuatelegraph.com | 110 Main St, Ste 1, Nashua, NH 03060 | 603-882-2741, Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997, Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. 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. Not all of them, but some of them are going to forgive you, theyre going to overlook it., he said. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. David's vision for all of this actually derived more from books than from movies. 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. shaka wear graphic tees is candy digital publicly traded ellen lawson wife of ted lawson real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist 25 Feb/23 (No Ratings Yet) Some of that money is just gone. You can garnish wages. Over 88% of the money has been recovered since the heist. More calls between the two men, and also between Steve and Kelly Campbell, made it clear that the group was starting to turn on David Ghantt. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. In total, 24 people were convicted and all but one of the accused pleaded guilty. Unexplained Mysteries and Strange Things,Cool Interesting stuff has been online since early 2011. After marrying Tammy in 1992, he worked fueling airplanes at the airport in Hilton Head, South Carolina. By then, the FBI had become greatly concerned for Ghantts personal safety; they had learned of Chambersmurder for hirescheme. "Do you know how much there's gonna be?" His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. David and Steve had never met, but Steve had already secured somebody else's birth certificate and social security card for him and given it to Kelly to pass along. 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. The Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later We went on a mission to calculate exactly how much size-wise the money was, $11.3 million in $20 bills, and it weighed over 2,000 pounds, former FBI agent John Wydra said. But being the vault supervisor at Loomis Fargo had one perk -- exposure to tons of cash. Ghantt studied how to rob his employer and advised the others not to spend the money lavishly. 2023 Cox Media Group. Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997, Incident raises concerns about LGBTQ safety in Carteret County, Drug deal gone bad claims the life of former Marine, Man charged with DWI after SUV takes out gas pumps, fire hydrant in Morehead City, Norfolk Southern train derails in Lexington No hazmat, no anger, Beaufort Housing Authority to replace public housing apartments, New Gamer's Guildhall looks to build community, comradery, DA: 'A very dangerous individual' from Swansboro has been removed, EDITORIAL: Government derails in response to disasters, EDITORIAL: Traffic growth demands a third bridge addition, Commentary: Close look at family history disturbing, Commentary: Second Amendment subverts democracy, EDITORIAL: Attorney General Stein ignores his constitutional responsibility. One number is working in Campbells favor. You should definitely start your own blog, I highly recommend it. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). 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. ", Johnson said, "Yeah, that's it. David and the trainee left the warehouse. And Kelly thought he was funny. To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. However, Chambers had no intention of following those rules, believing the FBI would never connect him to Ghantt. The loot would later be divided among David, Kelly, and Steve. The figures can be astounding. It was David who was hours away from committing the most daring act of his life, and she was going off about Steve being a serious guy? When some friends stole a stop sign from a busy intersection, David made them put it back. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. The $17 million Loomis Fargo heist in Charlotte, North Carolina, was the second largest armored car robbery in U.S. history. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. As a child, he had preferred reading to playing sports, and he would say, as an adult, that although he couldn't have told you "who was on first," he knew as a kid who the Egyptian god of the dead was. Their most important conversation occurred one afternoon in August 1997 after Kelly paged him at work. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. The old man me would never survive that, Id have a heart attack.. 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. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: But where will they park? There was no reason to leave anything, he felt. A former FBI agent who helped crack the case sat down with Channel 9 Reporter Glenn Counts to talk about the clues that led to solving the crime, and how the group got caught. Ghantt had struck up a relationship with a fellow Loomis Fargo employee, Kelly Campbell; they continued to maintain contact even after Campbell left the company. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. He had approached her inside the chain-link fence that surrounded the building and said with a flirty smile, "If you give me a cigarette, I'll be your friend. The $17 million was stolen last Oct. 4 from the armored-car company's vault in Charlotte. David told Kelly they would have to control themselves and not spend the money too quickly, because the FBI could electronically trace a suspect's recent spending activity through bank papers, credit card records, and land transactions. Just after the last employees left that day, surveillance footage shows a man enter the vault, and begin to load more than 2,740 pounds in cash into a nearby van, totaling around over $17 million. 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. 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 played high school football at Mays High School in Atlanta, and college football at Georgia Tech . What kind of surprised me is how much the car smelled like money, like if you ever hold money up to your nose it has a distinct smell, Wydra said. But on Oct. 4, 1997, that no longer mattered and Ghantt took off with $17.3 million. The site features a collection of unexplained, strange and odd mysteries. You can seize property. Former FBI agent John Wydra, who helped crack the case, sat down with Channel 9 Reporter Glenn Counts to talk about the clues that led to solving the crime, and how the group got caught. He has a regular life now, but 25 years ago, Ghantt was the mastermind behind the third-largest bank robbery in U.S. history. That way, outsiders couldn't see money being loaded. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. Kelly Campbell, who one day visited a Toyota dealership to purchase a minivan with twenty-dollar bills. Instead he became paranoid, especially after Steve Chambers put a contract out on his 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. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or It has a certain feel, a smell and weight to it. NASCAR. They hadn't slept together or even fooled around much, but he was ready to commit. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later While David Ghantt trusted Steve Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. 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. 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. Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.. Growing up, David had been a nice kid, a decent student who was at worst a minor troublemaker and prankster. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. About six months before the Charlotte theft, on March 29, a total of $18.8 million was taken from Loomis, Fargo in Jacksonville, Fla., in what was believed to be the largest heist in U.S.. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Seven p.m. came and went, and so did 7:20. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Sunny. Johnson had stolen $18.8 million earlier in the year, on March 19, 1997, only to be caught five months later, in late August, while crossing into Texas from Mexico to retrieve some of the money, which he'd hidden in a shed in mountainous western North Carolina. Its in the ether. When Ghantt called Campbell asking for more money, a plan was set in motion to take him out. His collection case closes in two years. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. In August 1997, Campbell informed Ghantt about an old high school friend of hers named Steve Chambers, who could assist Ghantt to execute a massive cash robbery of the Loomis Fargo vault in one night. Accompanying her was Steve Chambers, who, though unemployed, had recently moved . But they'd stayed in touch, and now they were poised to attempt a crime like almost no other. I made a joke once that was the hardest Id ever worked for Wells Fargo -- yeah, its a lot of work, Ghantt said. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. The stated plan was for her to move to Mexico to be with him after the theft. "Don't double-cross us," the woman on the phone told David Ghantt. 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. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. The plan to. LeVaughn Kelly Campbell (born July 23, 1980 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former football wide receiver. He knew it would mean leaving Tammy. Afterward, she and David would talk just occasionally on the phone. Action News Jax facebook feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax twitter feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax youtube feed(Opens a new window), JSO K9 escapes kennel, bites three people in Jacksonville neighborhood, To know Nancy was to love Nancy: St. Johns County woman killed in suspected DUI crash, JSO says missing child alert results in deadly drowning, Senator proposes bill giving state emergency jurisdiction over custody of kids with trans parents, Florida woman accused of killing terminally ill husband released from jail. Its in the ether. That sounds like a lot of money until its compared to the $18,930,201.26 the group was ordered to pay. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. That first day in prison was scary, Ghantt said. The plan was to exit through the building's electronic back gate, which consisted of horizontal metal plates that opened at the touch of a button. The unfairness gnawed at him, stirred by Kelly's questions. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. Investigators also found Ghantts pickup truck, abandoned at the warehouse. But after one visit, she asked a teller How much can I deposit before you have to report it to the feds? followed by Dont worry, it is notdrug money, the bank filled out asuspicious activity report, which ultimately reached the FBI. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. "its a great readsuspenseful, often funny, just the thing for those wondering what it might feel like to have, as these hapless, small-town criminals did, literally too darn much cash lying around. " And then I realized that a lot of people knew who I was and they had followed the case.. He could even be famous, perhaps joining the ranks of legendary master thieves. Ghantt met up with the other members of the plot and offloaded the cash. One number is working in Campbells favor. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Clear skies. 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. Who all wanted a Rambo movie which explored his time training as a green beret and his time serving in Vietnam as a prequel to first blood WATCH Antebellum 2020 FULL MOVIE. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. Once they were in custody, the overwhelming task of clearing out possessions possibly purchased with the stolen money began. Michelle Chambers received a few more months than Ghantt, because she had violated several bond conditions. 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. Campbell used to work for Loomis and continued the friendship with Ghantt, eventually hooking him up with Chambers. The unsolved mystery of the Van Meter Visitor a winged creature! So its one thing to go from up here, thought, to action, he said. 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. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. I ride motorcycles and fish -- normal guy, Ghantt told Counts. More than 2 million dollars are still missing to this day. His eyes widened and he stopped breathing as he realized that something as mundane as a malfunctioning gate might ruin their entire plan. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. He worked close-by to where the van and over $3 million dollars had been ditched, and was friends with Steve Chambers. That was taking the long view. He also took various measures to change his appearance, such asshaving, after a patron at a restaurant pointed out to him that he looked like the man who robbed a bank of $20 million.. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. By this time, agents knew where he was and had a general idea who the other players were, so they went to every bank in town to see if any of them rented a safe deposit box. Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain. The hillbilly outfit did more that just drop a few breadcrumbs. He was on a budget for clothes, even for work boots; he had recently needed to check seven stores before finding a pair in his price range. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Asked the purpose of his visit, Johnson had replied, "To visit friends. 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. People dont seem to understand human nature. I actually loved reading through this post. In this outrageously entertaining book, Jeff Diamant, the Charlotte Observer's lead reporter on the case, offers the definitive inside account of this astonishing. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. 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. It should have been easy, but for some reason the gate didn't open for him. of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. Money. 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. On the evening ofOctober 4, 1997, the Loomis Fargo & Co branch in Charlotte, North Carolina was in the process of being plundered. 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. She will never get beyond the debt. Another name the FBI had become very interested in is Eric Payne. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. "I've got a friend," she said, "who can hook you up with a new ID.". Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later 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. Though much of the cash was already stacked on pushcarts in the vault, other stacks were on shelves or the floor, and they were heavy. We are happy to work with other website publishers. Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. 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. Prosecutors say a vault. The bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. Tuesday marked 25 years since a group of buddies pulled off the third-largest money grab in U.S. history -- the Loomis Fargo heist. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. He tried again to make the back gate rise, to no avail. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. It all went down in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the man at the center of that heist, David Scott Ghantt, now lives in Jacksonville. But things didnt quite work out that way. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.'. For the defendants in the Loomis Fargo heist, its allure was irresistible. Well she was a pretty happy-go-lucky person, he said. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. If we work together, we can all have plenty of pie.. Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft . Was the temptation too much? Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. Driving away, he said he felt a mix of fear, confidence and excitement that he outsmarted the FBI. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers, carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct.. CHARLOTTE (AP) During one overnight shift, a bumbling conspiracy of thieves just west of Charlotte stole more than $17 million from Loomis Fargo. (LogOut/ By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. A third surveillance tape was carelessly left behind, and the company was able to identify the man who robbed the vault as David Ghantt. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. 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.