Defense attorney Jim Griffin laid out his team's side of the case to the jury for more than two hours, arguing . What happens at the end of mastermind? David Ghantt is more than just a man who was a part of one of the worlds largest heists, he's more than a funny name associated with a comedy movie, he's actually just an every day person who once made a really bad decision. followed by "Don't worry, it is not drug money," the bank filled out a suspicious activity report, which ultimately reached the FBI. Although the history of the predecessor Wells Fargo & Company dates back to 1852, Loomis Fargo & Company was established in 1997 by the consolidation of Wells Fargo Armored Service and Loomis Armored Inc.; the resulting corporation employed 8,500 people and provided armored transportation, cash handling services, and automatic teller machine maintenance. [1], Steven Chambers finished serving his sentence in November 2006. ", The much-faster-than-expected economic recovery thats followed the easing of the coronavirus pandemic has produced several encouraging develo. Authorities had the receipt and had known it was missing. Todd Williamson/Getty ImagesDavid Ghantt attends the 2016 after party for the Hollywood premiere of Masterminds, based on the Loomis Fargo heist that he helped carry out. That suspicion was immediately confirmed by a quick glance at the security camera footage that showed Ghantt doing a little dance after loading all the cash into the van. As the FBI listened in to Chambers calls, they discovered that he was also planning to have Ghantt assassinated, hoping to keep all the money for himself. Wij, Yahoo, maken deel uit van de Yahoo-merkenfamilie. "Wells Fargo and Loomis forming armored car company", Last edited on 21 February 2023, at 16:45, Learn how and when to remove this template message, painting of Elvis Presley on black velvet, "FindACase | United States of America v. Steven Eugene Chambers", "The Unperfect Crime | New Dominion Pictures", "Sunday Evening/Late Night September 9, 2001", "Loomis Fargo heist: Q&A with guy who stole $17 million", "MASTERMINDS - Movie Production NotesCinemaReview.com", Ghantt and other gang members arrested in March 1998, Steven Chambers released from prison; announces he is a "retired criminal", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=October_1997_Loomis_Fargo_robbery&oldid=1140756292, Overcoming the mindset that led to the part David Ghantt played in the Loomis robbery and how he started on a new path was the subject of the book, Within days of the robbery, the case was depicted on the television criminal reporting show, An expanded two-hour special episode of the crime documentary series. Robbing the 7-Eleven and getting $40 bucks and a pack of Marlboros was not for me. Q: You came to the North Carolina mountains during Hurricane Irma, but what do you miss about Gastonia? David Ghantt was the vault supervisor for Loomis, Fargo & Co. armored cars, which managed the transportation of large sums of cash between banks in North Carolina. He then began loading $17 million in unmarked bills inside a company van before driving away. A former co-worker told me, "Everybody has screwed up. But neither of those things would matter after he met Kelly Campbell. After finding himself in prison he made a concious choice to do things differently. One of the best ways to learn more about U.S. history is to make sure youre taking history classes. 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. Masterminds is an atrociously bad comedy, and absolutely everyone is to blame. AI Chatbots are Even Scarier Than You Think, DeSantiss Educational Policies Come Right Out of the Fascist Playbook, Erase the Memory to Erase a People? Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy a Toyota Sienna minivan in two cash installments. 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. A: I hate to think about what I'd be doing if I hadn't gotten caught. The True Story of David Ghantt and the Loomis Fargo Heist, Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Score, check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. With a cast like this, and Emily Spivey (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Up All Night) as part of the writing team, Masterminds shouldnt be nearly as obnoxious and dull as it is, but nothing ever clicks. Ghantts wife was reportedly nothing like the bizarre, robotic fiance character in the film, for instance. David Ghantt (@DavidGhantt) is a man that still holds the record for the second largest bank heist on American Soil. Als u niet wilt dat wij en onze partners cookies en persoonsgegevens voor deze aanvullende doeleinden gebruiken, klik dan op 'Alles weigeren'. Once the hitman Chambers had hired arrived in Mexico, he found that he couldnt bring himself to kill Ghantt. Michele Chambers' sentence was two months longer than that given to David Scott Ghantt, the Loomis employee who removed the money from the company vault on Oct. 4, 1997. The next day, Steve and Michelle Chambers, Kelly Campbell, and four others were arrested.[6]. ``I wish she'd gotten less. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. Ghantt @ChristyGhantt Dec 7, 2022 I just entered the @clxgaming Ra PC Giveaway! 29 David Ghantt Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images. Michele Chambers' sentence was two months longer than that given to David Scott Ghantt, the Loomis employee who removed the money from the company vault on Oct. 4, 1997. He completed his prison sentence in November 2006. Her husband, Steve Chambers, whom prosecutors have called the main defendant, began serving an 11-year sentence earlier this year. A: When you're locked up, you live in an 8-by-10 box and you share that with two other people. This Wednesday marks the 20th anniversary of the notorious Loomis Fargo heist. The next day, the Chambers, Campbell, and some other notable parties were arrested in Charlotte. I was working sometimes 75-80 hours a week at $8.15 an hour. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. And, with the help of several others David made off with $17.3 million dollars, 11 million of which was in 20's. In November 1990, David married Margaret in San Diego, California. Did you know that the SAT offers subject exams, too? Ask questions; get answers. Will Mcintyre/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesMichele Chambers 1998 BMW for sale following the prosecutions of the Loomis Fargo heist conspirators. Together with his wife, Chambers bought a new luxury home (upgrading from his mobile home), a BMW Z3, and some extravagant furnishings. David Ghantt struck up a relationship with fellow Loomis Fargo employee Kelly Campbell, and they continued to maintain contact even after Campbell left the company. Ghantt believed the new employee would make a good replacement for his wife, but the feelings were not necessarily reciprocated. Even the outtakes during the credits are bad. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. Meanwhile, Ghantt would take $50,000, as much as could legally be carried across the border without questions, and flee to Mexico. Chambers also promised to join Ghantt in Mexico as soon as she could, but she admitted to Super Heists she never had any intention of actually making the trip. Chambers served 11 years before being released. During the next few months they bought a BMW-Z3 roadster and tens of thousands of dollars in antiques, furniture and decorations. No rift here! I felt cornered and one day the joking in the break room about robbing the place suddenly didnt seem so far-fetched.. Then check out another bank robber who inspired a movie, John Wojtowicz. Retro CharlotteFBI security footage of David Ghantt in the midst of the Loomis Fargo heist. mesurer votre utilisation de nos sites et applications. Ghantt was already married when he took part in the heist, to a woman named Tammy - who author Diamant described as "very nice." It is true, however, that she had no idea about the plot and that. It was nearly the perfect crime, but while Ghantt fled to Mexico to lay low, his partners lavish spendingand their own alleged plans for murderwould ultimately be the groups demise. Als u uw keuzes wilt aanpassen, klik dan op 'Privacyinstellingen beheren'. If I could get far enough away in a very short amount of time, my odds of getting away with it were pretty high, Ghantt said. Separating the Red and Blue. ``There are many people with those factors who don't resort to crime,' he said. Its 90-minutes of mugging for the camera, but the only people who feel mugged are those that pay to see Masterminds. The missing couple were identified as David Harrison Robinson and his wife Lucretia Robinson. [citation needed], The defendants were the targets of many barbed jokes in Charlotte and across the country, in part because of their extravagant spending. Answer: The painful one is getting caught. But last Oct. 4, when he still hadn't gotten home by 2:30 a.m., she called his parents in. Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. Nine other relatives and friends were also charged with money laundering, as they had co-signed for safe deposit boxes used to store some of the money; prosecutors opted to charge them on the grounds that they should have known the money was obtained illegally. Its easy to get somebody to do something if you know that they are that infatuated with you.. Dont come to me for a treasure map, Ill put it to you that way., Michael Sainatos writing has appeared in the Guardian, Miami Herald, Baltimore Sun, Denver Post, Buffalo News, the Hill, Alternet, and several other publications . Based on a true story, the premise itself is fascinating, which makes Masterminds all the more a waste. However, the fact that a man who formerly lived in a mobile home was lavishly spending money on a luxury home ($635,000 in cash), expensive cars, and a ring ($42,000 in cash) eventually made it easy to connect the dots. Thirteen friends and family members were also charged with money laundering, as they had helped Ghantt, Chambers, Campbell, and the others deposit money illegally. On March 12, a Charlotte grand jury indicted the eight co-conspirators for bank larceny and money laundering; the latter offense was included because of how they spent the stolen money. 43-year-old Margret and her mother both died in 2012 . 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. All but one of the indicted pleaded guilty. David Scott Ghantt: Vault Supervisor David Scott Ghantt was the vault supervisor at the regional branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina. Some people screw up big like you, some people screw up small.". The chief running joke in Masterminds is the Prince Valiant 'do gamely sported by Galifianakis as David Ghantt, . For Christmas, Steve Chambers gave his wife a $43,000 diamond ring. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Thats the big thing. Before he decided to steal $17 million from the bank, Ghantt had worked for years as a relatively taciturn and compliant employee. He was also married. When asked what the dumbest thing was that Ghantt spent money on, he admitted: The 4 pairs of boots I bought in one day [shrug] what can I say they were nice and I was impulse shopping.. Will Mcintyre/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images. I got to eat my meal perfectly, but every 5 minutes, someone wanted to shoot a selfie with Zach or an autograph from Zach. David Scott Ghantt was the vault supervisor at the regional branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina. Campbell used to work for Loomis and continued the friendship with Ghantt, eventually . An additional tip reached the FBI when Michelle Chambers made a large deposit at a bank. In fact, David Ghantt was about to commit the heist of a lifetime. By comparison, Ghantt served seven years in prison and was fined $26,000. By then, the FBI had become greatly concerned for Ghantt's personal safety; they had learned that Chambers had plotted to have Ghantt killed in a murder for hire scheme using a "hit man" named Michael McKinney. He would eventually be arrested in Mexico in March 1998 after one of his co-conspirators put out a hit on him under the false suspicion he was the only prime suspect authorities were aware of at the time. Prosecutors also resisted Culler's efforts to downplay Michele Chambers' role in the theft. Chambers would hold on to most of the remaining cash and wire it to Ghantt as needed. ``I'm glad she didn't get nine years,' said Sandra Floyd, her mother. According to Campbell, Chambers could help Ghantt execute a massive cash robbery of the vault at Loomis Fargo in one night. Chambers, his wife, and several of their accomplices were arrested the next day. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? Dont worry, its not drug money.. 33. so make sure youre taking the right ones for you. #CLXGaming#CLXRa#evokethegods 1 2 His partners, who planned to stay behind, agreed to send him his full cut of the money after the heat from investigators had died down. And drastic it was. Even though they drove away with less than they had initially intended, they still had more than $17 million in hand. Campbell and Chambers made themselves easy to catch, what with their lavish spending. In 2020, the television show Super Heists portrayed the heist in Episode 3, "Van Full of Dollars". Anonymous tips had the FBI monitoring Chambers calls. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). David Ghantt was portrayed by Zackary Hatfield. Theres barely a laugh in the entire film, which looks like it was shot entirely in one take while the actors were still working out their characters. A: Zach and I have a runningtext conversation going, but he's very busy. Then, keeping with the plan, Ghantt took $50,000 (the maximum that could by law be taken across the border without further authorization) with him and left for Mexico, winding up at the popular Yucatan Peninsula resort-island of Cozumel. He made his own self miserable. David Bowie 's widow recently took to Instagram to post selfies, while promoting both her makeup brand and fashion line. Playing upon David's obvious feelings for her, Kelly is the . Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. In the meantime, however, Chambers not only refused to wire money to Ghantt in Mexico, but ultimately hired a hitman (Jason Sudeikis) to take him out. David Bragg . (His wife tells him to change that word to "selfish."). Authorities began to hone in on the group and put a wire tap on Campbell's phones. Its kind of out of sight, out of mind, she said of the reasoning. You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-869-1823 or www.Twitter.com/TheGazetteKevin. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. She wondered how much she could deposit without attracting the attention of the FBI, so she decided to just ask the teller: How much can I deposit before you have to report it to the feds? she asked. Steve Chambers and his wife (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) were a little more difficult to connect to the heist. Custom Content. Although the FBI investigation was able to quickly connect Ghantt to Campbell, connecting Ghantt to Chambers was a more difficult task. Everybody thinks being famous and being an actor is stupendous, and the money is fantastic, but they kind of live in afish bowl. When Ghantt called Chambers to have the latter wire him more money, Chambers sent just a few thousand dollars. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females. I knew it was over then, Ghantt said. The problem with the movie, however, is that the talented cast had no idea what the hell they were trying to do. Jared Hess directed Masterminds, and god bless the guy, but if Gentlemen Broncos and Nacho Libre were not proof enough that Napoleon Dynamite was a fluke, Masterminds should seal the deal. 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. Ghantt, in order to conserve this money, curtailed his spending. To find out more about how the thieves got caught and how long they landed behind bars, tune in the Super Heists on CNBC on Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The former star . Galifianakis will play the armored car driver, David, who evades authorities, will be searching for his co-conspirators who betrayed him, Kelly (Kristen Wiig) and Steve (Owen Wilson). Q: Do you appreciate your normal life now more than you would if you hadn't spent years in prison? If you're trying to make yourself better today, that's all most people care about. For instance, after stealing $17.3 million $11 million of which was in $20 bills the conspirators had to leave behind $3 million in cash because they couldnt fit all of it in their cars. Biography Comedy Crime A guard at an armored car company in the Southern U.S. organizes one of the biggest bank heists in American history. Philosophically, now looking back I wouldnt be who I am now if I hadnt gone through all that, said David Scott Ghantt in an interview with the Observer. Because the money in the vault was largely from banks, the crime was technically a bank robbery and thus a federal offense. Harper Beckham and her dad David Beckham dressed in matching black outfits as they headed to a Paris Fashion Week event being thrown by Harper's mom and David's wife Victoria . They would then load as much cash as they could carry into a van. Jandice : In any case, we got to talkin' afterwards, and I thought, well, that one's dead, this one's alive. hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? Over the years many of his social . The two struck up a friendship during work that would continue after Campbell left the company. I knew that if we could stay off the radar for about a year, we could basically live a vacation life, Ghantt said. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. David Ghantt, who pulled off the Loomis, Fargo & Co. vault robbery in 1997 and was sentenced to seven years in prison for the crime, served as a consultant for the film (in theaters Friday).. Ghantt sent home a new employee and quickly loaded the money into the back of a bank van. He was like OK, yeah, we can do that, she recalled. The plan to rob Loomis Fargo was spawned by Campbell and her friend Steve Chambers, during a casual bonfire at Chambers home. David Ghantt spent 11 years in the military and now works as a film consultant on the side. To its credit, Masterminds does nail down the broad strokes of the real story, although there were a couple of noteworthy details the film left out. 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. Said Ghantt, one day life kinda slapped me in the face. Both were involved in the second-largest cash heist in U.S. history, in which a group of people stole $17 million from the. Explain: The scary part is that as soon as you put that little bit of money in the van, that there's no going back. Investigators also found Ghantt's pickup truck, abandoned at the warehouse. Nous, Yahoo, faisons partie de la famille de marques Yahoo. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. If so,check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. But it was Ghantt, now 47 and living with his wife and daughter in Jacksonville, Florida, who actually took more than 2,000 pounds of cash and just drove away from his job. Ill never pay it off on my paycheck, Ghantt said. 4 million images and real time event coverage from coast to coast , ImageCollect is the only celebrity photo site you'll ever need. Ghantt plead guilty to his charges andserved six years in prison, along with21 other defendantswho received chargesrangingfrom money laundering to bank larceny. A Comprehensive Guide. You'd be amazed at how much stress you can relieve yourself from in your life by just taking 20 or so minutes a day for yourself and just letting the world go. When Seymour Hersh Strained to Keep Up With CounterPunch, Nichole Stephens, Administrative Assistant. I learned that I was an a--hole. But because he still owes millions to the IRS, he couldnt be paid. Former Cramerton Police Chief David Young soon got wind of the Chambers excessive spending spree and reached out to the FBI. The details of the heist itself, coupled with the missteps the crew made after stealing the money, attracted the attention of writers and movie producers. You see, theres a reason Loomis Fargo used armored cars to move large amounts of cash. Meanwhile, David Ghantt was relaxing on a beach in Cozumel, Mexico. I realized a lot of things that were wrong with me as a person. But before thehit could be carried out, the FBI swooped in and arrested Ghantt and the others. Finally, in March 1998, the FBI traced a call from Ghantts phone and he was arrested in Mexico. Her reaction seems so far away now, all these years and a Hall of Fame career later. Chambers was a small-time crook who suggested to Campbell that they rob Loomis Fargo. 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. Ghantt and his compatriots, it turns out, had underestimated how bulky money is. Ghantt has never explained where that money went. I think Zachs a hell of an actor. Outside the building, Ghantt met up with Campbell, Chambers, and others who were involved in the plot, and drove off to a printing business called Reynolds & Reynolds in northwest Charlotte. FBI security footage of David Ghantt in the midst of the Loomis Fargo heist. The police then called the FBI because most of the money handled at the facility belonged to banks, which technically made it a bank robbery a federal offense.[5]. Zach Galifianakis played David Scott Ghantt, with other roles played byOwen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Leslie Jones, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon. I really don't miss that guy. His wife, they said, got breast implants and used cash to purchase a 1998 BMW Z3 sports car. The FBI (Leslie Jones, Jon Daly) made easy work of the case, however, and everyone involved was eventually arrested and imprisoned. The jokes between Ghantt and Campbell about their disgruntlement with their jobs took on a more serious note when Campbell introduced Ghantt to an old high school classmate of hers named Steve Chambers.
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