Extra Snap Benefits Ct 2022, But last Oct. 4, when he still hadn't gotten home by 2:30 a.m., she Ghantt reported to Chambers that his supply of money was running low, but Chambers sent Ghantt just $8,000. About the worst he had done as a teenager was stealing a construction company's Porta-Jon with a friend, tying it to the back of a pickup truck, and driving around for about fifteen minutes. An armored car driver suspected of taking $17 million from his company's vault has been captured in Mexico after a manhunt of nearly five months. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Kelly was no criminal. Day in and day out, he drives an armored vehicle, transporting millions of other peoples money with no escape in sight. Oneida County Real Property Records, Steve Chambers has told agents the missing cash was stolen from a shed in Lincoln County. WIFE, FAMILY OF HEIST SUSPECT CLING TO HOPE He had a favorite restaurant, Zandunga, which had a mariachi band each night and a view of the Caribbean. She declined to take a lie-detector test. He is an uncomplicated man stuck in a monotonous life. He hated his job, with its 12-hour shifts. Collections. You've violated that trust. The defendants received sentences ranging from probation for several relatives to over 11 years in federal prison for Steve Chambers. ALSO READ: 14-year-old boy robbed at gunpoint while waiting for bus in east. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. Though Wydra is retired, 25 years ago, he was an agent with the FBI. How Did A Model Employee Manage To Steal More Than $17 David Ghantt: Mostly, it concerned for Zach [Galifianakis] to have the right shirt and carrying the right pistol. Everything changes when he meets Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig), a new employee at his bank, Loomis Fargo. David placed their odds of success at 85 percent, a confidence inspired by faith not just in his planning but also in his feelings for Kelly. One night in a small North Carolina town, a down-on-his-luck guard at Loomis Fargo manages to steal $17 millionliterally more than one ton of cash. Zbrojarnia; Walcownia; Praca; Kontakt; david ghantt wife. grassroots elite basketball ; why does ted lasso have a southern accent . ; Kelly told the FBI she had done drugs with David but denied knowing about the theft. candace faulkner age; water boiling Two days after the heist, the FBI found the missing van with $3.3 million of cash left in it. At about 6:40 p.m., he went back inside. At 6-1 and 220 pounds, Steve was stocky and imposing, a fast talker with a brown goatee. I didnt even have a real home life because I was never there. Depression had led to smoking a lot of marijuana and taking Prozac, a combination she figures affected her judgment. What did you have to do to survive? . . You said that was the number two question. I wouldnt want to change anything. Although David was in on most of the planning, one discussion between Steve and Kelly was kept a secret. The Columbia airport had no available flights. He learned to parachute. Then FBI agent Wydra watched Steve's wife, Michele, deposit about $8,000 at a Gaston County, N.C., bank. She could walk under the trees, with the chickens and goats and dogs that live around her mobile home. That October, the Chamberses' bank accounts ballooned. "I thought he was goofing around.". Since Ghantt was the supervisor, he sent his co-worker home first. I was working sometimes 75-80 hours a week at $8.15 an hour. David ghantt and kelly campbell married. David Ghantt: I was very sure they [were looking for me]. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. The cash was covered with dog food. Trending News WebMasterminds is a 2016 comedy starring Zach Galifianakis as David Scott Ghantt, an armored car guard who decides to pull off a heist of some bank money he is transporting. That first day in prison was scary, Ghantt said. The plan called for David to leave the vault door ajar, then maneuver a few minutes alone at the end of his shift, long enough to loot the cash, then pass it to Kelly and Steve. It has a certain feel, a smell and weight to it. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. Ghantt was joking in the breakroom with fellow Loomis Fargo employee Kelly Campbell. ". . Steve told her to send David to Atlanta on a bus and drive back to the trailer. I might be a little biased. Sun, sand and beaches are all part of why Jacksonville is a popular destination. They could talk about anything, even topics he couldn't discuss with his wife. 2023 NFL Draft grades: Detroit Lions get low marks for 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. Ghantt, who had been with the bank since 1994, was promoted from driver to vault supervisor in 1997, where he earned $360 a week and befriended Kelly I don't blame him.". David had grabbed $50,000 cash, but could figure out only how to carry $25,000 with him on the plane. Steve had another conversation with Kelly about killing David. David Ghantt: No, I havent talked to them in a very long time. #inline-recirc-item--id-91a2c54e-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { 1 employee killed, 2 injured at Tennessee Volkswagen plant. What made her abandon an ordinary existence to commit this spectacular, doomed crime? "But I had to know.". "We kept going, '1-4-3, 1-4-3,' " recalled Vic O'Korn, assistant special agent in charge of Charlotte's FBI office. I couldn't understand why I hadn't been more successful," David said. It's one of the biggest jokes at the place. LRM: Im curious. Ghantt was captured Sunday in Mexico. On March 1, 1988, Mexican police arrested Ghantt at Playa del Carmen. WebDavid Ghantt discovers the true meaning of adventure far beyond his wildest dreams. Working together, they got the gate open, then drove in a caravan to the Reynolds & Reynolds parking lot. One of them went into a bank and asked, How much money can I deposit before you call the IRS? The building was configured so vans could drive inside and pull up next to the vault. What concerned her was the chance of getting caught. Its things like that. 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. . "I said, 'That's all they gave me,' " McKinney recalled. Kelly Campbell From the beginning, the FBIs prime suspect was David Ghantt. Mexican police, Interpol officers and an FBI agent were watching him. Each week, Michele deposited thousands of dollars in cash. Attorneys Office in Charlotte posted a public reminder in the case file of Loomis defendant Kelly Campbell that she had fallen behind in her restitution. 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? 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. Here's how. Twelve hours later, at 6 that evening, Eric Payne drove a rented Budget van to his workplace, a graphics company on Performance Road in western Mecklenburg County called Reynolds & Reynolds, which was closed for the night and had a secluded parking lot where they intended to transfer the cash. In the first couple of weeks, they had heard both Steve and Shelley bragging about their new-found fortune, and spending remarkable amounts of money. Probably very egotistical of me, I thought, Yeah, sure, I can beat them, theyre college smart and thats about it, Ghantt said. Perry identified the other six people arrested as Steve and Michelle Chambers; Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis employee; Michael L. McKinney; Thomas Nathan Grant; and Eric Haley Payne. "Are you serious?" . Spending years in prison, he said, gave him time to re-invent himself. Should David be killed after he gave them the money? Meanwhile, Steve was keeping a close eye on Kelly. On the non-philosophical side, it probably be much better off if I done everything by myself. I wanted to change my life. He hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. LRM: You were a movie consultant on this project. MASTERMINDS will be available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download tomorrow. Web1997 - David Scott Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) thought being an armored car driver would be a dream come true. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. The morning after the height, employees of Loomis Fargo realized they couldnt open the vault. Still facing possible unknowns of other people involved, the FBI needed to gather more information without the suspects getting suspicious of them. Human nature is a flexible part of life, Gronquist said. It was late in 1996. She had attitude. . Webfunny ways to say home run grassroots elite basketball Menu . "Love" has four. In December, agents got the tie-in they were looking for: Kelly Campbell had bought a $30,000 Toyota minivan with cash and registered it to one of Steve Chambers's aliases. 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. 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. . Ghantt added, I really enjoyed the movie. Yes, *that* David Ghantt, lol. I even helped them design the set, where he breaks into the vault. "He said, 'Yeah, right,' and turned his head. 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. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. It has a lot of things youll look for in a storya little romance, money, adventure and travel. The next day, Kelly drove back to Steve's mobile home to watch the news with Steve and Michele. The money was heavy. 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. I stole $17 million, and Zach Galifianakis played me in a movie. LRM: Do you enjoy the publicity for yourself? 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. Five years he told how he explains his past like this: "People are very forgiving if you're open and honest right from the start. 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. Steve solicited two others to help move cash during the theft. Chambers wife, Michelle, bought a minivan in cash and began taking frequent trips to the bank to make deposits. He placed stacks of currency on a cart and wheeled it to the van about 15 feet away, inside the building. The site features a collection of unexplained, strange and odd mysteries. Then, on a mid-September day, as he reviewed a credit card bill, David did some math. 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. WOMAN GETS TIME IN LOOMIS HEIST - Greensboro News Six other people also were arrested, including a couple who suddenly moved from a trailer to a $635,000 house. Thanksgiving and Christmas were difficult. I told them that this was the color regiment. It wouldn't work, Kelly told him. As with many recent historic events, this one had been caught on videotape, a fact that a few dozen Charlotte FBI agents would learn in a hastily organized Sunday morning meeting. About 5:45 a.m., he got into his pickup and began the 45-minute drive to work in Charlotte. David Scott Ghantt. In the two days after the robbery, agents interviewed more than 100 people, most connected with David. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later David Scott Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. He completed his prison sentence in November 2006. At first, David Ghantt said, "I didn't take her seriously. When you have money, you just have different problems: The "Everything's gonna be all right," she told him. David Ghantt discovers the true meaning of adventure far beyond his wildest dreams. He told Steve he hadn't been able to find David. David Ghantt, a Gulf War veteran, had never been in trouble with the law. He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. 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. I cut out a lot of partying and stuff that wastes my spending. Masterminds (2016 According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. ". I run the heavy equipment. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. . AMA In October of 1997, I was a vault supervisor for armored truck company Loomis Fargo, when I made off with $17.3 million. How did they get away with stealing more than $17 million? All six were charged with aiding, abetting and counseling the commission of a bank larceny and being accessories after the fact, and hindering Ghantt's apprehension. David Ghantt normally came home between 6 and 8 p.m., and often he was late, his wife said. Custom Content. Yes, *that* David Ghantt, lol. She tried to apologize for the murder plot. CREATIVE. . David Ghantt: I think its a great story. I stole $17 million, and Zach Galifianakis played me in a movie. Steve led the planning. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. An officer rang the doorbell. Kelly drove David to the airport. "He showed me a lot of money," McKinney said. I have to say, I thought I had a pretty good idea of who the Visionaries were in the first place. Chambers wife, Michelle, bought a minivan in cash and began taking frequent trips to the bank to make deposits. She is the diamond of my soul. In the first days after the arrests, agents recovered or accounted for all but about $2 million of the stolen money. . Were others involved? David said he realized then, for the first time, he might not see the millions he thought he had coming to him. Campbellwho was married herselfrepresented something new and exciting. He was also married. I was taken back. David quickly realized he was the intended victim. Besides My name is David Scott Ghantt. Three of the 21 defendants in the case haven't been She'd heard his stories of other successful schemes, like getting refunds on phony tax returns, or operating a loan shark business. ", "I wouldn't do it. The CEO and co-founder of the company that is responsible for Arkane Studios. "For the first year, they're all over you. Its the small things like that. Masterminds (2016 film WebBank name Loomis, Fargo & Co. on the evening of October 4, 1997, by vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt, his married girlfriend Kelly Campbell (a former Loomis co-worker), Steve Chambers, his wife Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobbies and Then another. Could you talk a little more about that? "That would be living on the run, and I didn't want my kids to live that way. I think I always knew that, but lost my way for a while.". Over the next months, Ghantt, Campbell, and Chambers developed a plan. Money does weird things to people. One day, he went to check on it and the lock had been cut. Masterminds (2016) - Masterminds (2016) - User If so,check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. If I hadnt done on what I did and how everything unfolded like it didI wouldnt have my daughter today. Ghantt, who had been with the bank since 1994, was promoted from driver to vault supervisor in 1997, where he earned $360 a week and befriended Kelly Campbell (Wiig), who got Ghantt mixed up in the plans for the heist after she left Loomis. 1 employee killed, 2 injured at Tennessee Volkswagen plant When he was done, the man drove off to a nearby printing press, where the money was distributed into private vehicles amongst a handful of people. 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.

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