EDITORIAL: Computer Science misses the need for digital literacy, N. Carolina legislators announce Medicaid expansion deal, EDITORIAL: Fighting political forces that sever family ties, Special-use to get overhaul: Commissioners, planners take a look, Cape Carteret seeking new police chief one month after hiring New Bern resident for post, How many in North Carolina are awaiting student loan debt relief? The trainee didn't yet know how the place worked, a fact David planned to use to his advantage. 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. And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. A more immediate need was securing help to move the stolen money to safety the night of the crime. 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. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. He played high school football at Mays High School in Atlanta, and college football at Georgia Tech . 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? Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Also charged with money laundering were innocent relatives and friends who had co-signed safe deposit boxes. The site features a collection of unexplained, strange and odd mysteries. Later, they also arrested Nathans older brother. And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth.. If we work together, we can all have plenty of pie.. Over 88% of the money has been recovered since the heist. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. She was five-foot-seven, had dirty-blond hair, and had worked with him for about a year at Loomis Fargo, until she left for another job in 1996. The figures can be astounding. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done. The FBI was inadvertently aided by the gang members extravagant spending. Twenty years ago this Wednesday, a small group of people stole $17 million in cash from the main vault of a Loomis Fargo & Co. armored-car warehouse in west Charlotte. Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. "I'll need help moving the money, getting a new ID, and leaving the country," he told her. The same applies to trolling, the use of multiple aliases, or When you have money, you just have different problems: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. them. That was taking the long view. One day, the two employees were in the break room and got to talking about the news of the day a massive bank heist that just occurred in Florida by someone at their company. 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. Except for the kiss in the pickup truck a few weeks before the heist, Kelly had kept things platonic. After discussing his job, his marriage, and his everyday struggles, they joked about Loomis and about how easy it would be to steal from the place. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. Working by himself, Ghantt would commit the robbery and then flee for Mexico, leaving the bulk of the cash with Chambers. That sounds like a lot of money until its compared to the $18,930,201.26 the group was ordered to pay. The case resurfaced in the federal courts on Thursday, Sept. 1, when the U.S. 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. The loot would later be divided among David, Kelly, and Steve. The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. Ghantt studied how to rob his employer and advised the others not to spend the money lavishly. So that was kind of like this once-in-a-lifetime thing, Wydra said. - Jeffrey Guller, who at 81 is by far the oldest of the Loomis defendants, still owes almost $1.1 million on his original court debt of $1.14 million and will remain on the governments books for another four years. He wanted to leave his wife for her, and Kelly, who also was married, let him think she wanted the same. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.. The FBI says Chambers hired a hitman to tie up the ultimate loose end -- Ghantt. The Loomis Fargo Heist Over the next months, Ghantt, Campbell, and Chambers developed a plan. Kelly Campbell, who one day visited a Toyota dealership to purchase a minivan with twenty-dollar bills. - 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. 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. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. Another name the FBI had become very interested in is Eric Payne. 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. Thank you so much. The case resurfaced in the federal courts on Thursday, Sept. 1, when the U.S. 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. 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. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or 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., Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it,, You can garnish wages. 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. He has been a staff writer for the Star-Ledger in New Jersey since 2000. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. You can have your whole career and not have a case like that. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft [Jeff Diamant] on Amazon.com. Now, at 7:45 p.m., with all the money finally inside the van, his aching muscles could take a breather. 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It just happened to fall on my desk.. When Ghantt called Campbell asking for more money, a plan was set in motion to take him out. 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. Inside the truck, they found Ghantts ring and surmised this as a sign of Ghantts intention to end his relationship with his wife. 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. The $17 million was stolen last Oct. 4 from the armored-car company's vault in Charlotte. David said he needed Kelly to drive to Loomis before the theft that night to remove a duffel bag from his parked pickup truck. He is a graduate of Yale and has worked for the Connecticut Post, the Associated Press, and the Palm Beach Post. Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. His collection case closes in two years. Of course, this would all be a radical departure for him, and thoughts of his wife and parents did give him pause. of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or The robbery was committed by David Scott Ghantt who was the vault supervisor and accomplices Kelly Campbell, Steve Chambers, Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobies, and other four members. Ghantt had worked with the branch since 1994, and had been promoted from a driver to the vault supervisor. If a prank seemed dangerous, David backed out. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. In Florida, a Loomis Fargo employee had pulled a gun on his coworkers and gotten away with $18 million, a move that FBI agents theorize Ghantt, Campbell and other employees all sat around talking about - and what they would do with that amount of money - for a while. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Winds light and variable. One day, Campbell was speaking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. Seven p.m. came and went, and so did 7:20. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. sole discretion of the site administrators and repeat offenders may They could talk about anything, even topics he couldn't discuss with his wife. Chambers had no intention of wiring any money to Ghantt and intended to have him killed to keep him from implicating the others. He deserved better. "Just think about it," she said. Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. But that only tells part of the story. "So he stays behind and moving over two thousand pounds of . But things didnt quite work out that way. He was on a budget for clothes, even for work boots; he had recently needed to check seven stores before finding a pair in his price range. She was five-foot-seven, had dirty-blond hair, and had worked with him for about a year at Loomis Fargo, until she left for another job in 1996. They succeeded in removing $17 million from the safe. The supervisor liked him and gave him the job. 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. You can seize property. David knew this was important from having followed the recent news about a Florida man who had brazenly committed the biggest heist from an armored-car company in United States history, a loner named Philip Noel Johnson, who also had worked for Loomis. The figures can be astounding. The Star-Ledger, 06/15/2015On October 4, 1997, an amateurish gang robbed Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, NC of $17 million, the second largest heist in U.S. history. Some of that money is just gone. Their most important conversation occurred one afternoon in August 1997 after Kelly paged him at work. The gang made numerous mistakes. Afterward, she and David would talk just occasionally on the phone. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Have a youtube channel or website similar? Jeffrey Guller, who at 81 is by far the oldest of the Loomis defendants, still owes almost $1.1 million on his original court debt of $1.14 million and will remain on the governments books for another four years. She had attitude. While David Ghantt trusted Steve Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. Hed never really been in trouble, he wasnt a career criminal, said retired FBI agent John Wydra. The towns booming construction industry attracts workers from around the country. Its in the ether. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. 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. 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. He realized his life wouldn't improve unless he did something drastic. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later While David Ghantt trusted Steve Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. NASCAR. He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. 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. David and the trainee left the warehouse. And they could barely afford the minimum payments, given the power bills, phone bills, car insurance bills, and home payments they had to meet. 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Marine Fisheries Commission advocates for water quality, North Carolina the only state allowing unnecessary killing of sea turtles, 'Pagan' bike gang leader in N. Carolina sentenced to prison, Deputy cleared in shooting death of Gloucester woman, Beaufort amends charter to allow four-year mayoral term. He loves his motorcycle and enjoys going fishing and, while hes sorry for the past, hes not ashamed to talk about it. They knew Steve Chambers had worked as an informant in the past, and were nervous he would smell out an undercover. Since Ghantt was the supervisor, he sent his co-worker home first. 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. They also purchased expensive cars, jewelry and a breast enhancement or two. I made a joke once that was the hardest Id ever worked for Wells Fargo -- yeah, its a lot of work, Ghantt said. 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. 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. The plan was to exit through the building's electronic back gate, which consisted of horizontal metal plates that opened at the touch of a button. However, Chambers had no intention of following those rules, believing the FBI would never connect him to Ghantt. The bigger the amount, however, the bigger the damages to victims that likely will never be repaid: - Amy Paynes collection account was closed in 2020 with her having paid $53,000 of the $274,000 she owed. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Clear skies. Accompanying her was Steve Chambers, who, though unemployed, had recently moved . "I don't have time to mess with you. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. The bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. He also took various measures to change his appearance, such asshaving, after a patron at a restaurant pointed out to him that he looked like the man who robbed a bank of $20 million.. That first day in prison was scary, Ghantt said. Four-wheeling. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such asscuba divingandparasailing. He knew it would mean leaving Tammy. He also stole both existing sets of vault keys and hurried into the manager's office, where three TV security screens and two VCRs were visible. There was a book published in 2002 as well, by author Jeff Diamant called,Heist! 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. 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. At about 6:40 p.m., he went back inside. Its in the ether. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. He hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. The world is full of unexplained events, strange mysteries, and mysterious legends. CHARLOTTE (AP) During one overnight shift, a bumbling conspiracy of thieves just west of Charlotte stole more than $17 million from Loomis Fargo. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all., WSOC TV facebook feed(Opens a new window), Part 2: Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago, ALSO READ: 14-year-old boy robbed at gunpoint while waiting for bus in east Charlotte, mom says, ALSO READ: Leader of $3M check theft, bank fraud scheme in Charlotte area sentenced to prison, ALSO READ: Man released from jail, accused of robbing banks while wearing electronic monitor, police say, ALSO READ: Suspect from south Charlotte bank robbery found, CMPD says, NCSHP arrest driver accused of nearly hitting 2 students at bus stop in Statesville, CMS delays opening of new school meant to ease overcrowding, Mooresville orders removal of memorial at park after teens death, Chick-fil-A announces app data breach, tells customers how to protect personal information, Charlotte woman celebrates $1 million scratch-off prize, WSOC - TV Public File Contact / Program Director, WAXN - TV Public File Contact / Program Director. Pink, Mr. Blue, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde. 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. 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. 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,. A couple by the names of Steve and Shelley Chambers also became people of interest in the investigation due to their extreme sudden increase in spending. So the pieces were falling into place for investigators. Then, keeping with the plan, Ghantt took $50,000 (the maximum that could be taken across the border by law without further authorization) with him and left for Mexico, winding up at the popularYucatan Peninsularesort ofCozumel. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). 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.. David didn't appreciate her tone. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Remember why you were elected! His collection case closes in two years. Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. The property has changed hands several times since then. Michelle Chambers received a few more months than Ghantt, because she had violated several bond conditions. Inside $3.3 million was located along with the two stolen surveillance tapes, apparently left due to the robber and his accomplices being sloppy, or in a hurry. He had since held one low-paying job after another. Over the next two weeks, David thought about it. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. And once he started, he didn't stop with one cartful. 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. 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. It wasn't how much you stole that mattered most; it was that you had stolen in the first place. Curiously, Payne had recently paid of his Visa in one payment and had been driving around new and rented vehicles for the past weeks. This technically made it abank robbery afederal offense. Then we went on a mission to calculate exactly how much size-wise the money was, $11.3 million in $20 bills, and it weighed over 2,000 pounds, Wydra said. she asked again. Her case closes in 2025. 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. "Are you serious?" It all went down in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the man at the center of that heist, David Scott Ghantt, now lives in Jacksonville. But if you did, youll never forget it. 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. The 2016 comedy movie, Masterminds is based on the story of the Loomis Fargo Heist. Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps. Prosecutors say a vault. Then one day, while reviewing his and Tammy's credit card bill, he did some quick math and realized that even if they met the minimum monthly payments, the bill would take thirty years to pay. To visit friends.". What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. He allegedly hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. Who was she to be pressuring him? None of the suspects had been in any serious trouble before this. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. David got a kick out of her. Campbell, a former Loomis employee and one of the original masterminds of the caper, has paid off less than $21,000 of the $4,701,694.18 she was docked. 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.. 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. remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats In Gastonia, David would run into high-school classmates who had never struck him as especially smart. But with Kelly's new idea on the table, several dark realities converged on him. Discover some of the worlds strangest ancient places. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. He added that he would be able to send the trainee home at about 6:00 p.m. and would then need about an hour to load the money from carts, shelves, and the floor into a Loomis company van. 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. >> 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.. Sure enough, she called a few days later, around September 16.
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