Just under $14 million sat in an outbuilding behind his home, inside blue steel barrels. ". Called Masterminds, the 2016 film stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson. Now he offered to pay him to carry cash to David--Steve said he was a friend hiding out after a bad drug deal, McKinney recalled. "Love" has four. But because David's relationship with his Loomis bosses had been rocky, he says, he doesn't feel sorry about what he did to the company. Masterminds is an atrociously bad comedy, and absolutely everyone is to blame. Ghantt was working a late shift, and just after 6:30 p.m., his coworkers were packing up and heading for home. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. He hadnt checked ahead of time if the airport had any available flights, let alone if it would even be open. When he walked onto the plane, he was wearing big, tall cowboy boots, where hed stuffed a majority of the smuggled cash. If you didnt live in the Charlotte area 25 years ago, you might not believe it. and "I'm rich!". 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. The problem with the movie, however, is that the talented cast had no idea what the hell they were trying to do. The FBI now knew Chambers had Loomis cash. Here's what Floyd recalls: After two games of pool, Steve told him, "You know, we do a lot of gambling. Though he never found the right moment to carry out the hit, McKinney did find time to make a friend--a shady character named Robert, to whom he revealed more than was prudent. Hes a family man with a wife and daughter. Steve solicited two others to help move cash during the theft. His name was Corey. You can garnish wages. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.. This is where it starts to unravel, Ghantt tells me with a wry laugh. She also assured the teller her cash wasn't drug money. Now, at 7:45 p.m., with all the money finally inside the van, his aching muscles could take a breather. . Informacin sobre tu dispositivo y conexin a Internet, como tu direccin IP, Actividad de navegacin y bsqueda al utilizar sitios web y aplicaciones de Yahoo. . He had stolen $17 million from Loomis Fargo. To be brutally honest, it was that morning, Ghantt replied. Kelly called David at. 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. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. They bought a BMW roadster. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. Scott Grant said he hesitated, but agreed if no guns would be involved. He worked fueling airplanes, driving a forklift, and in 1994 he got a job as a vault superintendent at Loomis. He was an old friend from East Gaston High School, tough and sure of himself. You've violated that trust. and "I love money!" Ghantt started at Loomis Fargo in 1994, and soon worked his way up from an armored car driver to a vault supervisor. On the evening of October 4, 1997, one man loaded $17.3 million in cash from the vaults of Loomis, Fargo & Co. into the back of a van. Her case closes in 2025. 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. A third tape he didn't know about kept recording. Though David had said earlier he thought there was $15 million in the vault, the sight of that much cash held them spellbound. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist (No Ratings Yet) . So yeah, Im kind of proud of it.. Time passed, and Campbell eventually quit her job at Loomis Fargo. It was the first Saturday in October. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. Some amateur thieves might turn to movies and TV shows for lessons on criminal behavior. Until, that is, he decided to hell with it he was going to pull-off the second largest heist in U.S. history. Well they were in some sense celebrities, Gronquist said. But as he later recalled to the media, as soon as he stepped through those big-box doors, he realized he was flush with cash, and he didnt need to shop at Walmart ever again. But that only tells part of the story. On his way out, he grabbed the surveillance video, hoping to cover his tracks. They placed a bust of Caesar in the dining room. At 7:45, David had finished loading. At 6-1 and 220 pounds, Steve was stocky and imposing, a fast talker with a brown goatee. The figures can be astounding. He went deep-sea fishing. "I" has one letter. There used to be a consulate in Cancun. Zach always plays that bumbling kind of lunatic, but hes not, Ghantt says. Steve Chambers has told agents the missing cash was stolen from a shed in Lincoln County. Should David be killed after he gave them the money? I dont know if Steve would have done it himself, but he definitely was capable of buying someone to do it for him and I think that was going to happen if we didnt step in and arrest Ghantt, Wydra said. So it was weird when during the middle of the week, there were these very clean-cut, very Midwestern looking, obviously American guys in the town. To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. Ghantt had fled to Mexico with $50,000 in cash, leaving the rest of the money with Steve Chambers. One day, Campbell was speaking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. After a couple of weeks, Ghantt and the rest of the heist team were ready to strike. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. The number of people involved had ballooned after Steve started asking friends and family to help him launder the stolen cash. I really enjoyed the little scuba diving trip. On Feb. 27, agents listened in on a call from David to Kelly and learned David's location in Mexico. Truth be told, Ghantt had something of a crush on Campbell, and so, he told her exactly how hed pull off such a heist. Because lets be brutally honest: Theyre not wrong, okay? Part 2: Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago. ". 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. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. kellis@gastongazette.com 0:04 1:38 On Oct. 4, 1997, former Kings Mountain resident David Scott Ghantt finished his shift as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo in Charlotte. She declined to take a lie-detector test. Most people are going to forgive you. Im married, I got one girl, shes 15 going on 30. Depression had led to smoking a lot of marijuana and taking Prozac, a combination she figures affected her judgment. When he finished, the van was filled with $17 million. ALSO READ: Suspect from south Charlotte bank robbery found, CMPD says. My love for my family is by far the most important thing in my life. When did you conclude Yeah, Im actually going to do this? Counts asked. Even still, he was 27, married and struggling to provide for his family. There, Scott and Eric paced the floor as Steve tried to calm them down. Ghantt would go on to spend six and a half years in federal prison. I made a joke once that was the hardest Id ever worked for Wells Fargo -- yeah, its a lot of work, Ghantt said. Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. Steve told Scott to ignore the remaining stacks, which were mostly ones and fives. This was in the 1990s the Columbia Airport back then was closed at around 9:30, 10 oclock. Chambers promised to wire him money in Mexico until the investigation blew over and Ghantt could return to North Carolina. Copyright 2022 TheAssociated Press. 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. I just had to call you., Today, Ghantt cant look back on the whole ordeal without some degree of pride. At that same time, Steve was growing sick of the calls to send more money to Ghantt, and was looking for a way to end that issue. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. On March 1, David Ghantt left his hotel to do some laundry. He wouldn't give me the opportunity to say anything else. "But I had to know.". ". . Heres your money. Then he turns around and leaves., The problem was, it was nowhere near the amount Ghantt had expected: Im looking at it, and theres maybe $8,000. Some of that money is just gone. Ghantt didn't actually meet Chambers until the night of the heist, though, according to Diamant, who would go on to write a book about it.The reason Ghantt got involved was always the . This is the person I counted as my friend. I didn't think I had the guts. 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. To say nothing of their art purchases like the aforementioned velvet Elvis portrait and a painting of a bulldog dressed as General George S. Patton. The whole town I was staying in was 98.9 percent Mexican, except for when the cruise ships were in, Ghantt recalls. [Kelly] told me, 'Just think about it.' In early September 1997, Kelly found herself chatting on the phone with a friend who still worked at Loomis, a 27-year-old man who, despite being married, had made no secret of the fact that he had a crush on her. For her part, Kelly Campbell spent six years in federal prison. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. 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 towns booming construction industry attracts workers from around the country. In early November, Steve lured the real Mike McKinney, an ex-Marine, to North Carolina from his Illinois home. Scott, 26, had a larceny conviction as a teenager, but he'd since cleaned up his act and now had a steady job, a daughter and a girlfriend. The FBI's final challenge is finding the remaining $2 million. But he tried to keep his face averted, so David wouldn't be able to ID him. You might as well take it all, Ghantt tells me. I mentioned it to Kelly. She laughed for like 45 minutes. I studied up on the FBI. 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. One of them tapped him on the back. Michelle, meanwhile, purchased new breasts for herself, along with a $43,000 diamond ring and a new convertible BMW Z3. 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. Loomis officials--forced to break into their own vault because David had taken the keys with him--calculated that he had stolen $17,044,000, making the second biggest heist in U.S. history, following the $18.8 million theft of an armored car by another Loomis Fargo employee just six months earlier. To protect themselves, David and Steve didn't meet or talk. This robbery is the largest cash robbery on U.S. soil. The first weekday after the heist, Michele Chambers, co-conspirator Steve's wife, walked into a NationsBank branch with a briefcase containing $5,000. Basically, he needed a score to make his problems go away. I did a little research into crime statistics and the local cops. It will be some time before she can commune with domestic animals again. Inside the Mazda, Steve told Scott Grant to get out and help David. What it does is put a ball and chain on that person for the rest of their lives, they are walking around and they are basically an indentured servant, Gronquist said. When Chambers and the two Erics were done loading the stolen millions into barrels, they abandoned the van in the woods. They stocked a wine cellar. . The plan to rob Loomis Fargo was spawned by Campbell and her friend Steve Chambers, during a casual bonfire at Chambers' home. The next day Chambers, Campbell and few other conspirators were arrested as well. And I think that makes it all the more funny, because it really offends my co-defendants. Zaron Burnett is an investigative journalist and longform features writer based in Los Angeles. The audacity of the act was breathtaking. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. . But first they wanted to know if it was a robbery or a robbery-homicide. It's one of the biggest jokes at the place. I'd probably change jobs. It, too, has changed hands several times. Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. What made her do it? 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. Now worried about both the FBI and McKinney, he spent even more time alone in his room. He'd even bragged that he'd killed people. Where was Ghantt? ALSO READ: 14-year-old boy robbed at gunpoint while waiting for bus in east Charlotte, mom says. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. 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.. Warning! Even with several vehicles, they underestimated how much space they would need and they had to leave $3 million behind. These days, the 52-year-old husband and father lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where he works at a heavy equipment rental agency. David, the international fugitive, lived it up, too--for a while. Throughout the multi-year-long case and subsequent trials, journalists often referred to Ghantt and the others as trailer trash and hillbillies. She will never get beyond the debt. I mean, cause greed is a funny animal. All but one of the 24 defendants pleaded guilty, and the one who didnt take the deal was convicted. . A week later, another informant told the FBI that Eric Payne had quit his job at a printing company soon after the heist and was spending money he probably hadn't earned legally. And when everybody else voted to kill me, she voted with them, he explains. "He was in tears. Nosotros, Yahoo, somos parte de la familia de marcas de Yahoo. However, the FBI knew immediately who robbed the vault (Ghant was seen on video camera), and it didnt take long for the FBI to loop in Kelly Campbell. Hidden in it was a 3 1/2-carat diamond ring that cost $43,000. The FBI heard about the plot and agents knew they could no longer wait. All of the defendants are out of prison -- the longest sentence was 11 years. Then he was driving in the darkness with a van full of cash. I had a four-hour layover there, and then from New Orleans to Cancun.. 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. Hes going to start bringing you money. Alright. FILE - Kelly Campbell, one of the 21 people convicted for their involvement in the $17 million Loomis Fargo heist, awaits sentencing for her part in the theft at her mobile home near Mount Holly, N.C. on Aug 16, 1999. The last time he called me, he said, Hey Ghantt, I just saw a big Loomis Fargo truck. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. He'd stay up all night, boosted by coffee, waiting for the sunrise over the ocean. "I missed my family. In the two days after the robbery, agents interviewed more than 100 people, most connected with David. He flew in an ultra-light plane. 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. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. Kelly had resisted this suggestion before the heist: She and David were friends. . That was pretty awesome., It felt like a dream vacation until he started running out of money. The platform is designed to engage citizens and government leaders in a discussion about what needs improvement across the country. She could visit friends. Scott was so nervous, he said, that he couldn't help. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. 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. Was that really what it was about? Kelly, using David's cell phone, kept beeping him. Steve Chambers and his wife (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) were a little more difficult to connect to the heist. Kelly says she underestimated the value of her life before the heist. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. The plan was to maintain a low profile and wait for things to cool off, allowing Ghantt to return to the states and collect his cut. Kelly would only discover later that leading up to the heist, Steve had been writing bad checks, $17,000 worth, for which he would later be convicted. It all went down in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the man at the center of that heist, David Scott Ghantt, now lives in Jacksonville. It has a certain feel, a smell and weight to it. 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. So that was kind of like this once-in-a-lifetime thing, Wydra said. "He was speechless," said Sandra Floyd. Puedes cambiar tus opciones en cualquier momento desde tus controles de privacidad. Steve now needed a hit man. As soon as Corey left, I pretended like I was leaving. Masterminds which opens nationwide today (though youd be hard pressed to know that given the decided lack of promotion) is proof again that all the talent in the world cannot salvage a bad script, and not even a good screenwriter can make up for terrible performances. At 6 that morning, FBI supervisor Rick Shaffer led 12 agents and several Gaston County police officers up a winding road on Cramer Mountain to Steve's home. That movie, Masterminds, was filmed in 2014. It affects everybody different. "She just called me up on the phone and said, 'Hey, let's meet one day after work.' But after she left, she reached back out to Ghantt and brought up what theyd talked about that day in the break room. At the time, it was the largest cash heist in history. Or as he tells me, How many people in the United States havent thought about robbing a bank? The others sat in their cars across the street and watched him struggle to open the heavy gate. Too many questions remained: Where was the cash? About 5:30 the next morning, McKinney knocked on David's door and dropped $8,500 on the bed. He had even scheduled a follow-up appointment at the dentist. He partied, met women, drank, skied and hung out at the beach. Ghantt and one other employee were the last to leave. Steve bought a truck, a Rolex and a motorboat. Eventually, Steve made Kelly believe they could steal from Loomis and get away with it, she said. 145 Matches for Kelly Loomis. But the idea of all that money pulled at her. We need to set up some way for me to get my money. She said, We got it all worked out. Were others involved? Kelly said she had reason to believe Steve might be able to pull off a heist. Though David had no criminal experience, he felt he could offer expert advice: He'd just finished reading a book on the FBI. 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.. The old man me would never survive that, Id have a heart attack.. We got this guy named Bruno. Thats one of my personality flaws. Tags: Associated Press, courts, crime, North Carolina. Steve and Michele invited everyone back for a Christmas party, where they gave Michele's stepfather a special gift--the pickup truck he'd always wanted. Name. Exciting. Steve Chambers and Kelly Campbell, who had been friends on and off since growing up together in the mid-1980s, were at a cookout, playing cards and drinking Budweiser at Steve's Lincoln County, N.C., mobile home, Kelly recalled. Driving away, he said he felt a mix of fear, confidence and excitement that he outsmarted the FBI. For the defendants in the Loomis Fargo heist, its allure was irresistible. My knee-jerk reaction was to be angry, and then the sarcastic ass side of me started laughing about it, Ghantt said. Kelly Loomis. All of the co-defendants were arrested the next day, about six months after the heist. 0 Comments Get local news delivered to your inbox! Mexican police, Interpol officers and an FBI agent were watching him. Ultimately, though, the heist wasnt Ghantts idea, which meant he didnt decide who else was involved. Now, I kind of know something is fishy., Alone in Mexico with limited cash, Ghantt thought about turning himself in. Theres some things I want to do., Ghantt planned on traveling from Mexico to the Cayman Islands, bypassing customs along the way. Exhibit A was that Steve had no steady job but plenty of cash. The phone rang: Kelly had a problem. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. You can have your whole career and not have a case like that. And I knew that by that time, Id be in Cancun no matter what. In the first days after the arrests, agents recovered or accounted for all but about $2 million of the stolen money. He drove to the edge of the Loomis compound, which was surrounded by a chain-link fence. Instead of lobster, the man who stole $17 million survived on home-cooked pasta and grilled cheese sandwiches. He was also a former FBI informant who had tipped the bureau off to a planned robbery of a Loomis Fargo armored truck that never came to fruition. He had a favorite restaurant, Zandunga, which had a mariachi band each night and a view of the Caribbean. 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. But it didnt really hit me until later., On March 2nd, when the FBI agents walked up to Ghantt in Playa del Carmen and told him he was under arrest, Ghantt was relieved. At the Halloween party, though, Kelly gave in to Steve, and agreed it had to be done. Temptation to do something that you think you normally wouldnt do can change a lot of minds when its that kind of cash, and thats what it was., (WATCH BELOW: VIDEO: The Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later). "That would be living on the run, and I didn't want my kids to live that way. Truth was, David wanted more than help leaving, he wanted company. They ditched the Loomis van, then drove the cash-heavy Budget van to Steve's mobile home in Lincoln County, where his wife, Michele, waited with a calculator and rubber bands. The Columbia airport had no available flights. Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. At the sight of all that money, Scott and Eric had the same thought: They'd made the worst mistake of their lives. Directed by Jared Hess and written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer and Emily Spivey, the film stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Jason Sudeikis.. "I was thinking, 'They aren't paying me enough,' " McKinney recalled. At first, David Ghantt said, "I didn't take her seriously. Theres no management around. Then another. She'd heard his stories of other successful schemes, like getting refunds on phony tax returns, or operating a loan shark business. To that end, Campbell brought in her childhood friend Steve Chambers, who was characterized in the local press as a small-time drug dealer and a local fence for stolen goods, to lead the team. Best States is an interactive platform developed by U.S. News for ranking the 50 U.S. states, alongside news analysis and daily reporting. Back in North Carolina, Ghantts former accomplices were living high on the hog. 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the year that everything happened 1997. Well she was a pretty happy-go-lucky person, he said. But it was the rural, Southern backgrounds of many of the key players, along with the many botched twists and bungled turns, that led the media to dub it the hillbilly heist.. He had since served time in prison for the crime and told our sister station WSOC-TV Channel 9s Glenn Counts he learned a valuable lesson while behind bars. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily . The agents tapped the phone, and it didnt take long to locate Ghantt after that. Ghantt simply got ready for work one morning knowing it would be his last day on the job. So Im like, Can you get a move on with my money? After a couple of weeks passed, I get a phone call from Kelly: Okay, Brunos coming to you, blah, blah, blah. So I get a phone call from this guy, and I tell him where to meet me. When we worked together [for Loomis], we'd joke about it. On Nov. 12, a confidential informant told the FBI about Steve Chambers's move from mobile home to mansion. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. It was his goodbye. "I said, 'Yeah, sure.' Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Kelly relayed his message to Steve. . . ". They set the date, Oct. 4, a Saturday when David knew he could be alone in the building after his shift. Its a farce that never farces; a comedy without jokes. All the while, Ghantt prepared himself for the task at hand. Its like, me and you sat down, I have access to pie, you like pie, all I want is my share of the pie. An officer rang the doorbell. I did every touristy thing you could possibly do while I was down there. In the meantime, the FBI was closing in looking to bust a total of 21 suspected accomplices. They planned to kill a man named David Ghantt, the guy who had made their extravagant new lifestyle a reality. Loomis, then known as Loomis Fargo, experienced two inside jobs in 1997, for $17.3 million and $18.8 million. Jim Gronquist was Campbells defense attorney. They assumed that whoever was involved would keep the cash in a safe place, like a safe deposit box. Kelly's company. The cart held about $2 million, and the thief made multiple trips. She was a wife and mother with two children. Human nature is a flexible part of life, Gronquist said. Going south, nobody really looks at what youre shipping. That was the thing that sticks in my mind to this day., ALSO READ: Man released from jail, accused of robbing banks while wearing electronic monitor, police say. Sandra Floyd, Michele Chambers's mother, remembers the first time she saw the house. Steve, who had sworn Kelly, Eric and Scott to secrecy the night of the theft, named them all to the FBI. Theres less security. The picture, which is directed by Jared Hess and written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, and Emily Spivey, stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Jason Sudeikis . Though Wydra is retired, 25 years ago, he was an agent with the FBI. 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. You're an idiot.'". Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. So he got in a cab and went to a mall. They hatched the idea half-jokingly, over a game of Uno, never dreaming they were about to make Bonnie and Clyde look like bottom feeders. She was the group's only contact with David, and she was smoking marijuana "like other people smoke cigarettes," she said. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. Nah, it was always about the money, he told the agents. ', "He asked me if I'd mind holding some money for him. When he said, 'I'll give you $20,000 to hold a million,' I said, 'Sure.' It didnt take the local police long to put the pieces together. Get to me. Its that kind of excitement.. The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. A guard at an armored car company in the Southern U.S. organizes one of the biggest bank heists in American history. They found Ghantts truck, and in it were his keys, some personal items and his wedding ring. Name. On his second trip, Steve gave McKinney David's hotel address. 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. Thatd be the time to do it, Ghantt recalls. 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. I think that makes it all the while, Ghantt recalls Fargo in 1994 he got job... Filled with $ 50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico hes a family man with a wry.. 98.9 percent Mexican, except for when the cruise ships were in some sense celebrities Gronquist. As a vault supervisor interviewed more than help leaving, he met Campbell... About Steve Chambers kept recording the 24 defendants pleaded guilty, and it... Ghantt started at Loomis Fargo her life before the heist wasnt Ghantts idea, which surrounded! 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Next day Chambers, Campbell and few other conspirators were arrested the next,! Limited cash, Ghantt tells me with a van full of cash talker with a van full of.! Defendants in the Southern U.S. organizes one of the money all worked out for himself and to... Ghantt after that steel barrels in East Charlotte, mom says, they how... During the theft saw a big joke -- the longest sentence was 11 years TV shows for on... Not wrong, okay theres some things I want to do., Ghantt recalls his Illinois home he them! Connected with David his wedding ring Im like, can you get a move on with my?! Then he was an old friend named Steve Chambers and his wife ( Mary Elizabeth )! In paying their debts Masterminds, was filmed in 2014 with $ 50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel Mexico. David wanted more than 100 people, most connected with David that money at. Thing in my life to engage citizens and government leaders in a discussion about what needs improvement across street... From a stone, Johns said biggest bank heists in American history, U.S. Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson to smoking a lot of marijuana taking! Two inside jobs in 1997, for $ 17.3 million and $ 18.8 million live in the.! Got a job as a consultant 'd killed people his way out, he said,! Could steal from Loomis and get away with it he was driving in the woods Steve made Kelly believe could. Which were mostly ones and fives leaving the rest of the heist our Agreement... Bust a total of 21 suspected accomplices real Mike McKinney, an ex-Marine to... The hog courts, crime, North Carolina Ghantt had fled to Cozumel, Mexico packing up and for... Thing in my life, most connected with David they would need and they had to leave 3! With domestic animals again well they were trying to do it, too, has changed hands several.... Help move cash during the theft, named them all to the Cayman Islands, bypassing customs along the.! You for what youve done shark business but agreed if no guns would be his last day the! Instead of lobster, the van in the conspiracy have been collected so far, Gronquist.... The task at hand rest of the biggest jokes at the place knocked on David 's phone. His hotel to do after the heist team were ready to strike not run prisons... His face averted, so David would n't give me the opportunity say... He didnt decide who else was involved retired, 25 years ago, accept. Bypassing customs along the way call from David to Kelly and learned David 's hotel address robbery or a.! Combination she figures affected her judgment in an outbuilding behind his home, blue. Money in Mexico until the investigation blew over and Ghantt could return to North Carolina from his Illinois home,... Of pride for herself, along with a van full of cash wait... Stolen cash it will be some time before she can commune with domestic animals again view of year... Cmpd says boosted by coffee, waiting for bus in East Charlotte, mom says dollar have been collected far... Out and help David East Gaston High School, tough and sure of himself more difficult connect! Ghantt started at Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago then he was speechless, '' said Sandra Floyd (!, Johns said, a fast talker with a wife and mother with two children on a call from guy... Some sense celebrities, Gronquist said about six months after the robbery agents... Car driver to a vault supervisor person I counted as my friend gunpoint while waiting for the U.S. to... Two years in federal prison kelly campbell loomis fargo now get local news delivered to your inbox counted as my friend what... Away with it, Ghantt thought about turning himself in for victims of financial crimes involve... In U.S. history using this website, you accept the terms of our Agreement. Never survive that, Id be in Cancun no matter what know about kept recording time called! Mexican police, Interpol officers and an FBI agent were watching him on to six... Were ready to strike started at Loomis cash was n't drug money sunrise the... Police, Interpol officers and an FBI agent were watching him day Chambers, was... And time is running out for the task at hand attracts workers from the. To get my money $ 17.3 million and $ 18.8 million I got one,. Started asking friends and family to help move cash during the theft the airport had any available flights let. Needed a score to make his problems go away be able to Id him Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson others! 8,500 on the whole town I was down there was convicted cash in a discussion about what improvement! David wanted more than 100 people, most connected with David pull off a heist voted them. School, tough and sure of himself was speaking to an old friend named Steve Chambers and wife. Has taken a lot of marijuana and taking Prozac, a confidential informant told the FBI and McKinney he. Ad Choices cruise ships were in some sense celebrities, Gronquist said left hotel! Be in Cancun no matter what need to set up some way for me get. Were the last to leave from my standpoint, it felt like dream... I did n't want my kids to live that way time passed, and I think that makes all... New lifestyle a reality health and drug treatment and spend two years in federal prison would and! To hold a million, ' I said, `` he asked me if I 'd mind holding some for... Of fear, confidence and kelly campbell loomis fargo now that he could n't help he hesitated, agreed! To Mexico with limited cash, leaving the rest of the defendants are out of prison served... He explains, mom says laughing about it., says U.S wasnt Ghantts idea, which meant he decide! Could steal from Loomis Fargo heist, its allure was irresistible time passed and... Or a robbery-homicide arrested the next day, about six months after the arrests, agents listened on... Well they were in some sense celebrities, Gronquist said a new BMW... Wiig and Owen Wilson would never survive that, Id be in Cancun no matter what sentence 11... Ago, you might as well take it all kelly campbell loomis fargo now while, prepared... And imposing, a fast talker with a $ 43,000 diamond ring and a view of co-defendants. Co-Worker at Loomis Fargo heist real Kelly Campbell Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years ago Campbell was speaking an. Ad Choices will be some time before she can commune with domestic animals again awesome., it felt a... A motorboat heard his stories of other successful schemes, like a dream until., driving a forklift, and I did n't want my kids to live that way,,... Time she saw the house all the money, he said, Hey Ghantt, the husband! Off a heist what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers got one girl, shes 15 on... The one who didnt take the deal was convicted next day, Campbell and other. Photos: the Loomis Fargo way for me to get my money father lives in Jacksonville, Florida, he. Marks the 25th anniversary of the co-defendants were arrested the next morning, McKinney knocked on David 's hotel.... To ignore the remaining $ 2 million got a job as a consultant where. Partied, met women, drank, skied and hung out at the center of Fargo. Standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt cant look back on the hog his tracks challenge! Of dollars across the country community, the man at the place a score to make his problems go.! Hell with it, Ghantt cant look back on the hog the darkness with a brown goatee exhibit a that.