loomis fargo heist kelly campbell

she asked. 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. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded. she asked again. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. Breakdown by congressional district, States' push to define sex decried as erasing trans people, North Carolina Supreme Court hears felony voting rights case, North Carolina House GOP modifies rules on veto overrides, N. 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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. Pink, Mr. Blue, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde. The walk-in vault was a fortified gray room, more wide than long, with shelves, cabinets, desks, and multiple pushcarts stocked with shrink-wrapped cash. Steve had hired a bodyguard named Mike McKinney. Ghantt was working as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo in Charlotte in 1997, earning about $8 an hour and tired of his humdrum life. "About fourteen or fifteen million dollars," he said. true story that has captivated American audiences on the news and now on the big screen in the major motion picture, Masterminds. Enforcement of this policy is at the What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.'. 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. Its attracted workers like Ghantt. 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. How he felt shorted by life. The inspiration behind the major motion picture Masterminds starring Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Sudeikis! The next day, before Mike was able to leave the country, the FBI arrested him in his hotel room. That was taking the long view. In all, they recovered $6.6 million. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. You can have your whole career and not have a case like that. Oh were not going to talk to anybody, theyre not going to be able to convict us, that bravado happens in the beginning and then it often gets worn down by the reality, Gronquist said. 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. He deserved better. Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. His collection case closes in two years. So they went to Mexico and arrested Ghantt in order to protect him. They assumed that whoever was involved would keep the cash in a safe place, like a safe deposit box. Updated: 11:31 AM EDT October 4, 2022 CHARLOTTE, N.C. Tuesday is the 25th anniversary of the infamous Loomis Fargo heist in Charlotte, where a bank worker, with the help of two accomplices,. Its like, me and you sat down, I have access to pie, you like pie, all I want is my share of the pie. Asked the purpose of his visit, Johnson had replied, "To visit friends. https://www.charlotteagenda.com/67457/loomis-fargo-heist-masterminds-movie/, http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/article104506876.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_1997_Loomis_Fargo_robbery#Company, http://retroclt.blogspot.com/2014/07/loomis-fargo-heist.html, . 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. Its said the current owner now has it in storage in Phoenix, Arizona. He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. Ghantt said he believes in redemption, and that his mistake 25 years ago brought him all the things that are important in his life today. He realized his bosses would know he had worked that day and that he was missing, but maybe without a video they would think he'd been held at gunpoint and taken hostage, or even better, that he'd been killed. ALSO READ: 14-year-old boy robbed at gunpoint while waiting for bus in east. 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? A connection between each suspect began to emerge slowly, and as the intensity of spending grew, suspicion did as well. But what the bank didnt tell Michelle, and Michelle didnt know, was that one of those forms get filled out if you ask about it, or if its close to $10,000 or if they suspect that any part of that transaction is suspicious, Wydra said. CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kelly Campbell, the woman who helped plan the $17 million robbery of armored-car company Loomis, Fargo was sentenced yesterday to nearly six years in prison and ordered to. 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. Ms. Campbell worked at Loomis for 11 months, leaving in November 1996, according to court papers. 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. Holding her hands behind her back, Michele Chambers was sentenced Tuesday to seven years and eight months in prison for her role in the $17 million heist from Loomis, Fargo & Co. She was also. The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. The van used to move the money was later located a few miles from the warehouse. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. Was the temptation too much? That was the thing that sticks in my mind to this day.. 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. NASCAR. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. The loot would later be divided among David, Kelly, and Steve. Thomas Grant, who served three years in prison for bank larceny, paid off restitution of $70,000; brother Eric Grant paid all of his $26,000; as did David Craig, $40,000; and Dennis and Sandra Floyd; $27,000. 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. But after a year, they cut it down to two agents. Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth., White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money,, Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with., She will never get beyond the debt. Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. It was released in 2016 and Wydra was invited to the premiere. He was a hard worker, smart enough, and had graduated from high school. The supervisor liked him and gave him the job. La vie de David Ghantt n'a rien de compliqu. The strange story of Mary Reeser Spontaneous Human Combustion. It should have been easy, but for some reason the gate didn't open for him. 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. All of the defendants are out of prison -- the longest sentence was 11 years. Also charged with money laundering were innocent relatives and friends who had co-signed safe deposit boxes. There are many robberies registered in the history of America, but the Loomis Fargo Robbery is known to be the second largest robbery in the United States. It, too, has changed hands several times. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. "I don't have time to mess with you. For the defendants in the Loomis Fargo heist, its allure was irresistible. The FBI says Chambers hired a hitman to tie up the ultimate loose end -- Ghantt. Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. Living with his wife, Tammy, in a mobile home, he had longed for the middle-class lifestyle of his childhood that had come to seem luxurious, a pipe dream for him now. But being the vault supervisor at Loomis Fargo had one perk -- exposure to tons of cash. In order to receive more evidence, the FBI decided to listen. Working by himself, Ghantt would commit the robbery and then flee for Mexico, leaving the bulk of the cash with Chambers. In all, agents arrested 24 people in the heist. They swept the surrounding counties, locating Kelly Campbell and Eric Payne in their homes. 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. "Everything's gonna be all right," she told him. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. VERDICT The first edition of this work was published in 2002. Of course the problem was, the money belonged to someone else. The corporation handled armored transportation, ATM maintenance and other cash handling services, and had millions of currency stashed in the vault of the North Carolina branch. Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy aToyota Siennaminivanin two cash installments. As it neared its end, David stealthily left the vault door ajar. Seven p.m. came and went, and so did 7:20. Ghantt met up with the other members of the plot and offloaded the cash. Heist! His collection case closes in two years. They also purchased expensive cars, jewelry and a breast enhancement or two. Now one of the most wanted men in America with the FBI hot on his heels, Ghantt must figure out how to get his money, get away from a hit man, and get even. 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. Even with several vehicles, they underestimated how much space they would need and they had to leave $3 million behind. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. As beads of sweat formed under his red hair, he loaded up another cart and repeated the process. In Gastonia, David would run into high-school classmates who had never struck him as especially smart. Of course, this would all be a radical departure for him, and thoughts of his wife and parents did give him pause. 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 . He hated his job and his bosses, he'd lost hope in his marriage, he wasn't going to advance at Loomis, and he couldn't afford to quit to enroll in college. None of the suspects had been in any serious trouble before this. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. It was 2:00 p.m. on October 4, 1997, and tension was building between two planners of what would rank high among the largest heists in United States history. The bag held his mobile phone and handgun. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. I actually loved reading through this post. The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. He angrily hung up the phone at Loomis, Fargo & Co., his soon-to-be former employer in Charlotte, North Carolina. She had previously been making frequent small deposits to avert suspicion. Have a youtube channel or website similar? 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. 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) 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. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. His eyes widened and he stopped breathing as he realized that something as mundane as a malfunctioning gate might ruin their entire plan. Thomas Grant, who served three years in prison for bank larceny, paid off restitution of $70,000; brother Eric Grant paid all of his $26,000; as did David Craig, $40,000; and Dennis and Sandra Floyd; $27,000. How many people have walked the red carpet at a movie premiere in a case that was yours?. He is a graduate of Yale and has worked for the Connecticut Post, the Associated Press, and the Palm Beach Post. Tuesday marked 25 years since a group of buddies pulled off the third-largest money grab in U.S. history -- the Loomis Fargo heist. He stayed at it until the vault was empty. When you have money, you just have different problems: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. Unexplained Mysteries - owned by Aliens since 2011. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Instead he became paranoid, especially after Steve Chambers put a contract out on his life. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. >> 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.. Driving away, he said he felt a mix of fear, confidence and excitement that he outsmarted the FBI. His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later 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. Kelly had approached David with the idea in the summer, knowing he had a crush on her and winning him over with the promise that a shady friend of hers with Mafia ties would help them. Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain. Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. More than half of the amount came from the seizure of a luxury home purchased by husband-and-wife defendants during their post-heist spending spree. Cool interesting stuff features everything odd, weird, bizzare, strange or unusual. And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. When I put that cash in the back of the car, by the time I got to the office the whole car smelled like that. "So he stays behind and moving over two thousand pounds of . He knew it would mean leaving Tammy. There was no reason to leave anything, he felt. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done. The plan to. I think if you remember some of her early photographic opportunities, shall we put it that way, she was sort of laughing, not seeming to take it seriously.. '. 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. He called Kelly to say he was coming and hopped into the driver's seat of the loaded Loomis van. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Down in Jacksonville, a Loomis Fargo employee took $18 million from an armored van he was driving. Their most important conversation occurred one afternoon in August 1997 after Kelly paged him at work. I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. 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.. David was supposed to be showing him the ropes of the job, which included cash pickups and deliveries. How he and his wife had trouble communicating. David and Kelly had driven to Rock Hill, South Carolina, and used the documents to obtain a fake ID that David would also rely on after the theft. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) In March 1997, after Loomis Fargo & Company has been robbed of $18.8 million in Jacksonville by company security guard Philip Noel Johnson, Steve Eugene Chambers and Kelly Campbell, a former employee of Loomis, decides to rob the company. Before the robber left Loomis Fargo, he made a trip to the managers office to remove two surveillance tapes in order to conceal his identity. ", Johnson said, "Yeah, that's it. In total, 24 people were convicted and all but one of the accused pleaded guilty. The figures can be astounding. In David's eyes, Johnson's big mistake was that he did it alone. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). The FBI was inadvertently aided by the gang members extravagant spending. You can garnish wages. Winds light and variable. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. That movie, Masterminds, was filmed in 2014. them. Afterward, everything became comical. Though Wydra is retired, 25 years ago, he was an agent with the FBI. "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. " All but one of the 24 defendants pleaded guilty, and the one who didnt take the deal was convicted. The phone calls began to get more intense when Steve and Eric got suspicious of a man who was running hismouth about them and the vault job over in Charlotte. They didnt expect it.. If we can sit on the money for a year, maybe two, it could work.". For people earning $8.15 an hour David's salary the jokes came naturally. You can seize property. In addition, he also rented Mike his own apartment, paid him $400/weekly and bought him a gun. She'd left Loomis in November 1996 to take a job elsewhere as a security guard. Libraries without that edition should consider purchasing this entertaining and lightly edited version, which reads like a fast-paced novel. Once they were in custody, the overwhelming task of clearing out possessions possibly purchased with the stolen money began. The old man me would never survive that, Id have a heart attack.. In Campbells case, Gronquist says his client was buried in court-ordered debt despite the fact that she took responsibility for what she had done and cooperated with prosecutors and the FBI. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. He put on his best pair of jeans, a button-down shirt, and his nicest cowboy boots. 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.. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth.. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. The FBI became more suspicious after they interviewed Campbell for the third time. of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or The affidavit described Chambers as a former FBI informant who had provided information on another Loomis armored car robbery that never materialized. The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. But that only tells part of the story. - 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. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Is this really about the needs of the poor? They kept several furnishings from the previous owners, including avelvet Elvis. When they hung up, she called his pager and left the code 1-4-3, beeper-speak for "I love you," based on the number of letters in each word. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. It was the second-largest. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). In addition to their extravagant spending, Michelle Chambers made the mistake of loudly asking a bank teller how much cash she could deposit in her account without it being reported to the feds, and then said, its not drug money.. Probably very egotistical of me, I thought, Yeah, sure, I can beat them, theyre college smart and thats about it, Ghantt said. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. 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. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. One day, Campbell was speaking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. 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.

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