They already knew who he was-David Ghantt, a Loomis Fargo employee. Ghantt says he believes in redemption, and that his mistake 25 years ago brought him all the things that are important in his life today. Prosecutors also resisted Culler's efforts to downplay Michele Chambers' role in the theft. The bank was robbed on Oct. 4, 1997, by one of their security guards, David Ghantt, and his girlfriend, Kelly Campbell, a former employee at the time. Once they were in custody, the overwhelming task of clearing out possessions possibly purchased with the stolen money began. Explain? I recently watched her talk at the University of Arizona and it was a great overview of how . display: none; Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain. They also purchased expensive cars, jewelry and a breast enhancement or two. Masterminds.2016.MULTi.1080p.BluRay.x264-CINeHD. He was doing what the rest of us were doing making bad decisions. Secondly, Where is David Scott Ghantt now? The man at the center of that heist was David Scott Ghantt. Ghantt ended up doing more than five years in prison, and Chambers did more than 11 years. Kelly Campbell: [looks at his buttocks] I think that bullet just went straight between your cheeks. The Loomis Fargo heist happened in Charlotte, North Carolina when this bank was the target of a robbery. Another name the FBI had become very interested in is Eric Payne. Not a documentary. But last Oct. 4, when he still hadn't gotten home by 2:30 a.m., she called his parents in Hendersonville. When Ghantt called Campbell asking for more money, a plan was set in motion to take him out. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Ghantt:We're both North Carolina boys so we had a lot to talk about from the very beginning. 25 Feb/23. To connect Chambers to them was more difficult. This had led the FBI to begin monitoring Chambers' and his wife's activities. La vie de David Ghantt n'a rien de compliqu. You can cancel at any time. Afterward, outside the courthouse, her parents said the length was about what she had expected. They drove off to a printing business called Reynolds & Reynolds in northwest Charlotte. Le seul rayon de soleil dans son existence banale, c'est sa jolie collgue, Kelly Campbell. The FBI believed that David Ghatt was in danger because Chambers wanted to kill him using a hitman named Michael McKinney. The others, though, went no farther than Cramer Mountain. The Chambers traded in their trailer for a $635,000 mansion in Cramer Mountain - bought with mostly $20 . In the end, he carried as much as he could and just tossed it into the van. The plan of the Loomis Fargo heist was for Ghantt to commit an actual robbery and then flee to Mexico City, where he would stay until enough time passed to enter the United States. Since Ghantt was the supervisor, he sent his co-worker home first. From the start, David Ghatt was considered to be a prime suspect. Her husband, Steve Chambers, whom prosecutors have called the main defendant, began serving an 11-year sentence earlier this year. Its attracted workers like David Ghantt. Diamant captures the human side of the crime as well as the bizarre details, including a clown-faced lava lamp. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Ghantt stole $17 million from the Loomis vault at work. Today's guest author is David Ghantt. He was also married, but none of those things would matter after he met Kelly Campbell. Armored car driver David Ghantt, played here by Zach Galifianakis, conspired with friends of his crush Kelly Campbell, played by Kristen Wiig, to steal $17 million in cash from the company . I don't want to be mean, but that's probably the dumbest thing they could do. As Ghantt was fed up with his underpaying job, he was receptive to the idea and the three started planning a heist. 1998 The Associated Press. The Legend of the Green Man: Raymond Robinson, The Incredible Dunkirk Evacuation- in rare pictures, Elizabethan Food and Drink- Brief History & Key Facts, 10 Famous Female Warriors Who Made Their Mark On History, 15 Intriguing Facts About The Middle Ages. Its a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I went down and talked to them, got to meet Zach Galifianakis and the director, Ghantt said. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. David Ghantt, a Gulf War veteran, . Your daily dose of History. The next morning, Loomis Fargo employees were unable to open the vault. 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, Rebel Wilson 'collapsed' after Ramona Agruma proposal: 'I was so overwhelmed', Amy Grant recalls being 'so scared' to return to touring following serious bike accident, Travis Scott being sought by NYPD after alleged nightclub assault, Zachary Levi talks Shazam! future after DC shake-up: 'I'll keep playing this role as long as I can', Get your Din Djarin on with this replica 'Mandalorian' helmet. And that's OK with Ghantt, who's just a few weeks shy of his 47th birthday, out of federal prison for more than a decade, married with a 9-year-old daughter and happy. He wasnt just being paranoid. Crimes, guns, suspensions and dropouts soar in NC public schools after the pandemic. He had sent home early a newly hired employee and then proceeded with the loading of the funds. . Actor Owen Wilson plays him in the movie, which includes the real names of all the major players. 1998 The Associated Press. Even when Ghantt left, they continued to maintain contact. Further stating that it was not drug money. Friends of Campbell had also begun spending large amounts of cash. The bandits had such a sudden influx of cash that they didnt know how to spend it. Ghantt:I've always known that story had potential to be a comedy or a drama. 04/10/2017 9:02. . Steve decided to send his cousin, Nathan with money down to Mexico as a ruse, while Mike the bodyguard would follow behind to take care of Ghantt. The FBI continues to search for a missing $2 million from the theft. Ghantt was an on-set consultant for the film. The plan went off with few problems, but after Ghantt was safely in Mexico, his partners were left storing large amounts of cash. He had just returned to his home in Jacksonville, Florida when he agreed to talk about the heist, his life now, and what went wrong with a group of friends who thought they could get away with stealing $17 million cash. More than 2 million dollars are still missing to this day. Gaston County residents remember how that worked out. The van used to move the money was later located a few miles from the warehouse. Please subscribe to keep reading. When Ghantt was found in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, five months after the heist, DePriest and photographer Kent Johnson raced to the airport, according to Observer records. Eventually, the two teamed up with a few other people and hatched plans for a heist. Kelly Campbell: Oh, my gosh. David Ghantt helps steal $17 million from Loomis Fargo mostly due to his love for Kelly Campbell, but the leader of the operation, Steve Chambers, wants to get rid of David for being a liability. Defense lawyer Andy Culler sought a seven-year, three-month sentence. Ghantt:It's a comedy. WSOC TV facebook feed(Opens a new window), Part 1: When you have money, you just have different problems: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later, ALSO READ: Trio charged following takeover-style bank robbery in South End, sources say, ALSO READ: Police: Suspect arrested in Rock Hill following bank robbery in northwest Charlotte, ALSO READ: Business owner says more than $100K in checks stolen, then forged and deposited, 13-year-old girl killed in crash involving tractor-trailer on I-485 in west Charlotte, police say, Tattooed arm of missing man found inside shark caught by fishermen, Shanquella Robinson case needing high-level diplomatic intervention, attorney says, Wells Fargo to close Charlotte-area branch, two others in NC in consolidation move, Murdaugh Trial, Day 27: Jury visits crime scene before closings at trial, WSOC - TV Public File Contact / Program Director, WAXN - TV Public File Contact / Program Director. 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. 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. Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago. Ghantt:I hate to say it, but I had six years of sitting in a box to think about my life. They swept the surrounding counties, locating Kelly Campbell and Eric Payne in their homes. 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. For Christmas, Steve Chambers gave his wife a $43,000 diamond ring. I appreciate your kind words! Let me see! Chambers promised to wire him money in Mexico until the investigation blew over and Ghantt could return to . They both made jokes about their work and how they would rather rob the place than continue with their underpaid job. 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. David Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. . Founder With Four Million Fake Customers Tricked JPMorgan Out Of $175 Million, Police Search For More Than 70 Bodies After Woman Claims Dad Was A Serial Killer, Mother Turned Her Own Son In To Police As She Was Afraid He Would Attack School. But former Kings Mountain resident David Scott Ghantt can. Campbell knew theyd need the help of the warehouses vault supervisor, who just happened to have a crush on her, and she called Ghantt to ask for his help. He insisted that Chambers send more money, while Chambers was actually plotting to have Ghantt killed. That movie, Masterminds was filmed in 2014. A connection between each suspect began to emerge slowly, and as the intensity of spending grew, suspicion did as well. Chambers and his wife Michele moved out of a trailer and into a luxury mansion in a nice neighborhood. Masterminds: Directed by Jared Hess. Driving away, he said he felt a mix of fear, confidence and excitement that he outsmarted the FBI. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. 2023 Cox Media Group. Keeping with the plan, Ghantt took $50,000, which was the maximum that could by law be taken across the border of Mexico without authorization. David Ghantt, along with girlfriend Kelly Campbell, robbed $17.3 million from Loomis Fargo in 1997. organizes one of the biggest bank heists in American history. Campbell and her husband had always been just scraping by, however in the weeks following the robbery, the two seemed to have more money than theyve ever had. David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) is unfulfilled in his life, unhappy with his work -- and that work is driving the armored car bringing thousands of dollars to and from banks every day. DePriest talked to employees at the hotel where Ghantt had stayed under the name James T. Kelley and claiming to be an oilrigger on vacation. Ghantt fled to Mexico. On October 4, 1997, at about 6:40 p.m, Ghantt successfully entered the vault and according to the plan starting loading up the cash in the van. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. . . But neither of those things would matter after he met Kelly Campbell. They both made jokes about their work and how they would rather rob the place than continue with their underpaid job. When Ghantt called Campbell however, the FBI was able to track his location, and arrested him with the help of the Mexican police onMarch 1, 1998. SPORTS. The pair began to daydream about whether they could really pull off the heist. However, he was running short of funds. He has a regular life now, but 25 years ago, David Ghantt was the mastermind behind the 3rd largest bank robbery in U.S. history. Along with Ghantt and Campbell, there were eight others, including Campbell's former high school friend Steve Chambers and his wife, Michelle. SEARCH. I knew it was just a matter of time. I started just chucking it as fast as I could, he said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me.. David Ghantt : Oh, Rio, yeah, yeah. 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