Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Whisler said he didn't think those factors should result in a reduced sentence. Two days later, when the FBI found the Loomis Fargo armored van, they discovered almost $3.3 million in cash left in the back of the van; it was later discovered that the thieves had miscalculated the sheer bulk of the small denomination currency, and that they simply left the cash that they could not take with them in the back of the van. As Campbell would later explain, If David got killed, there couldnt be any finger pointing. Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: PrepScholar 2013-2018. Michelle Chambers received a harsher sentence than Ghantt seven years and eight months because she had violated several bond conditions. I wasnt attracted to him or anything, but he was a nice guy, Campbell said. The FBI continues to search for a missing $2 million from the theft. An additional tip reached the FBI when Michelle Chambers made a large deposit at a bank. 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. In 2020, the television show Super Heists portrayed the heist in Episode 3, "Van Full of Dollars". 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. In October of 1997, I was a vault supervisor for armored truck company Loomis Fargo, when I made off with $17.3 million. Whisler told the judge that the couple had searched for a new house before the theft, and that Michele Chambers bought rubber bands from Wal-Mart to count the money the night of the crime. Its about the 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery also known as the hillbillly heist the second largest cash robbery in the history of the United States. Some of the friends and family members received parole, while Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. 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. Chambers, his wife, and several of their accomplices were arrested the next day. Lindy Hop: The Dance That Defined The Golden Age of Jazz, Inside The Unsolved Disappearance Of Jennifer Kesse, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, David Ghantt attends the 2016 after party for the Hollywood premiere of. Pocketing $50,000 for himself, that man, named David Ghantt, hopped into a car of his own and headed towards Mexico. I knew that if we could stay off the radar for about a year, we could basically live a vacation life, Ghantt said. And, with the help of several others David made off with $17.3 million dollars, 11 million of which was in 20's. The former star . Though she agreed to cooperate with the government when she pleaded guilty to bank larceny and money laundering in August 1998, Michele Chambers didn't tell the FBI she still had the ring until December, when she turned it in. 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. At the time it was the second largest cash robbery ever to happen on US soil. Even the outtakes during the credits are bad. But even though he worked for a company that regularly moved millions of dollars, David Ghantt himself was underpaid. ``None of these defendants , in this court's opinion, are capable of making substantial restitution, no matter what they do, or no matter what they try,' Mullen said. My name is David Scott Ghantt. But last Oct. 4, when he still hadn't gotten home by 2:30 a.m., she called his parents in. ``This defendant was second to Steve Chambers in (benefiting) from the crime,' he said. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. Ghantt, Chambers, and Campbell came up with the following plan: Ghantt would remain in the vault after his shift on the night of the heist, Oct. 4, 1997, and let his co-conspirators into the vault. By Dustin Rowles | Film | September 30, 2016 |. 33. 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. All rights reserved. Unfortunately, he failed to disable the third camera. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. 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. A: When you're locked up, you live in an 8-by-10 box and you share that with two other people. Ghantt has never explained where that money went. Its gone! ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score, How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, Is the ACT easier than the SAT? So with the assistance of a co-worker and possible love interest as well as a small-time criminal, David Ghantt pulled off the then-second-largest cash heist in U.S. history. I mean, thats pretty much why I did it. 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. Eventually, Ghantt called in from Mexico, seeking more money, and the FBI officially recognized Chambers as a co-conspirator. Chambers, who made an ill-fated decision to buy a home in the gated Cramer Mountain community with his newfound wealth, now runsa gym on Lowell-Bethesda Road. Learning about US history? For Christmas, Steve Chambers gave his wife a $43,000 diamond ring. A: When I first got in, I thought, "What in my life has led me to this?" Si vous ne souhaitez pas que nos partenaires et nousmmes utilisions des cookies et vos donnes personnelles pour ces motifs supplmentaires, cliquez sur Refuser tout. As it turns out, the heist did in fact go as well as you might expect. Before he decided to steal $17 million from the bank, Ghantt had worked for years as a relatively taciturn and compliant employee. 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. Masterminds - Zach Galifianakis 'David Ghantt' [On-Set Interview]SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://goo.gl/SrrTlTSUBSCRIBE MOVIE TRAILERS: http://goo.gl/8WxGeDA night gu. In August 1997, Campbell informed Ghantt of an old high school friend of hers, Steve Chambers, who could assist Ghantt in executing a massive cash robbery of the Loomis Fargo vault in one night. followed by "Don't worry, it is not drug money," the bank filled out a suspicious activity report, which ultimately reached the FBI. From Oct. 6 through Feb. 20, the couple made 47 deposits totaling $271,500 at a Belmont bank, and at. If so,check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. David Scott Ghantt 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 had never been in trouble with the law. At the. I think Zachs a hell of an actor. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. The defense has finished its closing argument in the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh. Ghantt was joking in the breakroom with fellow Loomis Fargo employee Kelly Campbell. His wife, they said, got breast implants and used cash to purchase a 1998 BMW Z3 sports car. Chambers would then occasionally wire Ghantt money and see to his basic financial needs; when "the heat was off," Ghantt was to re-enter the U.S. and the money would be split up among all of the co-conspirators. During the next few months they bought a BMW-Z3 roadster and tens of thousands of dollars in antiques, furniture and decorations. Loomis Fargo employees could not open the vault the next morning and called the police. 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 Army veteran and Hunter Huss High graduate was captured in Mexico five months later when one of the others involved in the theft, Steve Chambers, decided he needed to tie up loose ends by having Ghantt killed. Steven Chambers, left, and David Scott Ghantt leave federal court. You can't get barbecue slaw in this hedonistic state (Florida), and there's nowhere to get real ice cream here like Tony's. FBI security footage of David Ghantt in the midst of the Loomis Fargo heist. Over the years many of his social . Going to prison helped me grow up as a human being. Chambers had known enough to insist that no one blows through a ton of cash immediately after the robbery, but once he actually had his hands on the money, he couldnt follow his own advice. Although the FBI investigation was able to quickly connect Ghantt to Campbell, connecting Ghantt to Chambers was a more difficult task. I stole $17 million, and Zach Galifianakis played me in a movie. 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. 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. Campbellwho was married herselfrepresented something new and exciting. . Chambers was a small-time crook who suggested to Campbell that they rob Loomis Fargo. 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. Chambers, it turned out, became the biggest source of evidence for the FBI. Thats going to be your life for quite some time, typically. In February 2009 the Associated Press reported that Chambers had chosen to describe himself as "changed". EDITORIAL. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. What happens at the end of mastermind? 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. Chambers and his wife also made some cash payments on a few cars. But because he still owes millions to the IRS, he couldnt be paid. Chambers wife, Michelle, bought a minivan in cash and began taking frequent trips to the bank to make deposits. Thats the big thing. Campbell and Chambers made themselves easy to catch, what with their lavish spending. He and his wife,. In fact, David Ghantt was about to commit the heist of a lifetime. David Bowie 's widow recently took to Instagram to post selfies, while promoting both her makeup brand and fashion line. 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. Kelly Campbell is scheduled to be sentenced in October. The thieves had simply abandoned whatever they couldnt carry away. He then proceeded to load about $17.3 million in cash (approximately $11 million of which was in $20 bills) into the back of a company van. Zach Galifianakis played David Scott Ghantt, with other roles played byOwen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Leslie Jones, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon. [7][8], Rocket Science, a 1998 double-disc album by Charlotte-based radio personalities John Boy & Billy, includes a track ("Marvin: The Loomis Caper") mocking the defendants. Both were involved in the second-largest cash heist in U.S. history, in which a group of people stole $17 million from the. "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. Most high schools offer a variety of history classes, so make sure youre taking the right ones for you. 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. Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. 43-year-old Margret and her mother both died in 2012 . 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. But before thehit could be carried out, the FBI swooped in and arrested Ghantt and the others. The connection to Chambers took more time. mesurer votre utilisation de nos sites et applications. 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. I felt cornered and one day the joking in the break room about robbing the place suddenly didnt seem so far-fetched.. Victoria Beckham's family were on hand as she debuted her latest collection at Paris Fashion Week on March 3, including her and husband David Beckham's oldest child, Brooklyn Beckham . He was insecure. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). He is an uncomplicated man stuck in a monotonous life. We caught up with David Ghantt about life after his $17m heist, hanging out with Zach Galifianakis and the accuracy of Masterminds, a new movie based on. It's the little things like that that gnaw on you. Afterward, outside the courthouse, her parents said the length was about what she had expected. So Chambers decided to solve the problem by putting a hit on Ghantt. Will Mcintyre/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images. They received sentences and probation ranging from several years to 11 years and three months in federal prison for Steve Chambers, who was also fined more than $3,500,000. The next day, Steve and Michelle Chambers, Kelly Campbell, and four others were arrested.[6]. Ghantt's spending in Mexico was extravagant at first. Ghantt and his compatriots, it turns out, had underestimated how bulky money is. You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-869-1823 or www.Twitter.com/TheGazetteKevin. Get the latest articles and test prep tips! Defense lawyer Andy Culler sought a seven-year, three-month sentence. 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. Defense attorney Jim Griffin laid out his team's side of the case to the jury for more than two hours, arguing . He was angry a lot. Youre better at planning bank heists than David Ghantt. They called the police, who brought in the FBI, classifying the heist as a bank robbery. David GhanttRetweeted Iraqveteran8888 @Iraqveteran8888 Dec 9, 2022 Elect me President and I'll fire everyone, free Julian Assange, and pardon Edward Snowden. Q: You say your time in federal prison changed you. Some people screw up big like you, some people screw up small.". Wyatt Redd is a freelance writer from Nashville, Tennessee. People still laugh when they think of the "velvet Elvis" Chambershad in his Cramer Mountain mansion, or how his former wife showed upat a local bankto deposit wads of cash that she assured the teller was not "drug money.". Authorities began to hone in on the group and put a wire tap on Campbell's phones. He stayed at a luxury hotel and took scuba diving lesson. so make sure youre taking the right ones for you. I didnt even know about it and overlooked it, he said. Ghantt @ChristyGhantt Dec 7, 2022 I just entered the @clxgaming Ra PC Giveaway! 1) David Ghantt is underpaid and unhappy. Its easy to get somebody to do something if you know that they are that infatuated with you.. Degrowth or Debunk: Do Degrowth proponents have a strategy? Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. 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. #CLXGaming#CLXRa#evokethegods 1 2 I was working sometimes 75-80 hrs a week for $8.15 an hour, I didnt even have a real home life because I was never there I was working all the time and unhappy which is understandable considering how old I was at the time. 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. So he hatched a plan to rob his employers. Together with his wife, Chambers bought a new luxury home (upgrading from his mobile home), a BMW Z3, and some extravagant furnishings. Thirteen friends and family members were also charged with money laundering, as they had helped Ghantt, Chambers, Campbell, and the others deposit money illegally. 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. Meanwhile, Ghantt would take $50,000, as much as could legally be carried across the border without questions, and flee to Mexico. My Proof: https://twitter.com/DavidGhantt/status/827476087596789760, My AMA time is up now, but thank you all for your participation in the Ask Me Anything session :-), New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, https://twitter.com/DavidGhantt/status/827476087596789760. Finally, in March 1998, the FBI traced a call from Ghantts phone and he was arrested in Mexico. By comparison, Ghantt served seven years in prison and was fined $26,000. All of the defendants except for one pleaded guilty and accepted their sentences. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Campbell used to work for Loomis and continued the friendship with Ghantt, eventually . The odds of you actually getting away with something these days is pretty damn slim. ``I'm glad she didn't get nine years,' said Sandra Floyd, her mother. David Ghantt had been a model employee for an armored car company before pulling off the second biggest cash heist in U.S. history, fleeing with more than $17 million in untraceable bills in 1997. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. She had previously been making frequent small deposits to avert suspicion. But his partners soon began to get greedy and were spending large amountswith Chambers and his wife, Michelle, even buying an exclusive mansion in cash. Michele Chambers 1998 BMW for sale following the prosecutions of the Loomis Fargo heist conspirators. Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. 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 . He left his wedding ring behind and spent his days spending money on luxury hotels and scuba diving. The only defendant to not plead guilty, Chambers's attorney Jeff Guller, was found guilty of money laundering and sentenced to eight years in prison. A former co-worker told me, "Everybody has screwed up. Once the heat was off, Ghantt would return and they would split the haul evenly. [1] Tips had led the FBI to begin monitoring Chambers's (and his wife's) activities, but it was not until the FBI recorded a phone call from Ghantt in Mexico that the final connection was made. The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. They asked me how I felt about it and I said, Its my story, but its your movie so have at me. This Wednesday marks the 20th anniversary of the notorious Loomis Fargo heist. Chambers would hold on to most of the remaining cash and wire it to Ghantt as needed. Now looking back, with the life I have now, Ive got a great family, got a great kid. The plan to rob Loomis Fargo was spawned by Campbell and her friend Steve Chambers, during a casual bonfire at Chambers home. Wij, Yahoo, maken deel uit van de Yahoo-merkenfamilie. He worked fueling airplanes, driving a forklift, and in 1994 he got a job as a vault superintendent at Loomis. You can cancel at any time. Here, he amps up the most obnoxious excesses of his entire cast and lets their grating bad-improv skills run amok. All but one of the indicted pleaded guilty. Lees ons privacybeleid en cookiebeleid voor meer informatie over hoe we uw persoonsgegevens gebruiken. 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. Jimmy Carter is a Liberal Saint Now, Was a War Criminal Then. David Scott Ghantt was the vault supervisor at the regional branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Loomis Fargo heist became something of a media lightning rod. 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. Dont worry, its not drug money.. A: People are very forgiving if you're open and honest right from the start. One day, Campbell was speaking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. David Ghantt on stealing 17 million dollars from Loomis Fargo (Crime & Entertainment Full Interview) Crime & Entertainment 3.77K subscribers Subscribe 4.8K views 1 year ago David Ghantt. Ghantt and seven others eventually pleaded guilty in federal court to charges directly related to one of the largest cash heists in history while more than a dozen other family members, friends and associates of those involved in the theft were found guilty of related charges, including money laundering. Vous pouvez modifier vos choix tout moment en cliquant sur le lien Tableau de bord sur la vie prive prsent sur nos sites et dans nos applications. Officers responded just after 5 a.m. Wednesday to an area near the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Carolyn Coleman Way and found , "The Wall Street Journal just so happened to have a supportive op-ed ready to publish within hours of the meeting. Guess what? Anonymous tips had the FBI monitoring Chambers calls. In addition to his phone calls with Ghantt, Chambers began extravagantly spending the money, even though the co-conspirators had agreed to lay low for a year or two. Playing upon David's obvious feelings for her, Kelly is the . Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy a Toyota Sienna minivan in two cash installments. A: I like the 47-year-old David Ghantt more than I did the 20-something David Ghantt. The FBI investigation was aided by the gang's extravagant spending. Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. The additions come as KFC recently removed some menu items, including wings, popcorn chicken and cookies, to make room for new additions. Because the money in the vault was largely from banks, the crime was technically a bank robbery and thus a federal offense. Across the border in Mexico, Ghantt was also living it up. Instead, the two started hanging out on the beach together and became friends. I'd probably be that infamous gringo living in Belize, kicked back on the beach, fishing and bored out of my mind. his wife-to-be. Fed up, exhausted, and seeing a way out, Ghantt agreed. 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. (I) bought jewelry, bought a van, Campbell recalled of her own spending. Pour en savoir plus sur la faon dont nous utilisons vos donnes personnelles, veuillez consulter notre politique relative la vie prive et notre politique en matire de cookies. Inside the truck, they found Ghantt's ring and surmised this was a sign of Ghantt's intention to end his relationship with his wife. I was working all the time and unhappy I felt cornered and one day the joking in the break room about robbing the place suddenly didnt seem so far-fetched.. While listening in, they uncovered another more sinister alleged plan to kill Ghantt. In the end, eight co-conspirators were indicted for the Loomis Fargo heist. ", The much-faster-than-expected economic recovery thats followed the easing of the coronavirus pandemic has produced several encouraging develo. You've decided to give up on a part of your life. I really don't miss that guy. Two days after the heist, the FBI found the missing van with $3.3 million of cash left in it. This article will teach you more about the SAT subject tests. David Ghantt normally came home between 6 and 8 p.m., and often he was late, his wife said. On the night of October 4, the plan went into action. David Ghantt worked as a vault supervisor for the armoured cash vehicles at the Charlotte, North Carolina branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. Ironically even though he worked for a company that moved millions of dollars every day, he was relatively underpaid. 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. (His wife tells him to change that word to "selfish."). I knew that if I did something like that, I would take a huge amount of money, Ghantt said of the brash robbery on an upcoming episode of, To find out more about how the thieves got caught and how long they landed behind bars, tune in the. Chambers had no intention of following those rules, believing the FBI would never connect him to Ghantt. The Current TikTok Ban Doesnt Go Far Enough. But Ghantt has been open about what he did and how he believes it changed him for the better.

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