Ghantt:It's a comedy. Chambers was a small cheater who suggested to Campbell that they perform Loomis Fargo heist. Let me see! . I started just chucking it as fast as I could, he said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me.. The man at the center of that heist was David Scott Ghantt. The plot revolves around Ghantt who teamed up with his former loomis co-worker Kelly Campbell. Ghantt was working as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo in Charlotte in 1997, earning about $8 an hour and tired of his humdrum life. David Ghantt struck up a friendship with Kelly Campbell, a coworker who saw eye to eye with him. I can take it.". He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. Based on the October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery. David Ghantt was a nuisance to Steve Chambers and Kelly Campbell, John Wydra, a retired FBI agent who handled the case, told Super Heists.. Yes, happy. 1998 The Associated Press. When things calmed down, Ghantt was to re-enter the U.S., and the money was split up among all co-conspirators. Kelly Campbell. And the company soon calculated how much was missing--$17 million. "So it's one thing to go from up here, thought, to action," he said. 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. Pocketing $50,000 for himself, that man, named David Ghantt . 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 . A connection between each suspect began to emerge slowly, and as the intensity of spending grew, suspicion did as well. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars-worth of temptation. I wanted to make a drastic change and I went for it," Ghantt said. Chambers, who still lives in Gaston County and operates a gym, declined to comment. But neither of those things would matter after he met Kelly Campbell. The irony is that before the Loomis Fargo heist they had all agreed to keep their spending to a minimum. Who all wanted a Rambo movie which explored his time training as a green beret and his time serving in Vietnam as a prequel to first blood WATCH Antebellum 2020 FULL MOVIE, Your email address will not be published. David Ghantt : I've never even been to the airport but about twice in my life. 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. Both were involved in the second-largest cash heist in U.S. history, in which a group of people stole $17 million from the main . Just after the last employees left that day, surveillance footage shows a man enter the vault, and begin to load more than 2,740 pounds in cash into a nearby van, totaling around over $17 million. 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. It's said that Chambers approached Campbell in the summer of 1997 about executing a $17.3 million robbery (which today means $ 25.9 million) at her former job. They soon realised that their joke was not a far-fetched idea. The Loomis Fargo heist happened in Charlotte, North Carolina when this bank was the target of a robbery. David Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. Ghantt says he operates a bulldozer for a small company. (I) bought jewelry, bought a van, Campbell recalled of her own spending. The judge said he would recommend that Michele Chambers be given mental health treatment in prison. The images of the aftermath the huge house on Cramer Mountain with its leopard-print carpet, the blue barrels full of money, the lonely hotel room in Playa del Carmen where Ghantt ate M&Ms instead of going to the beach endured long after 21 people were convicted for their connections to the heist. David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) is slowly creeping by in life driving an armored truck.His life is at a stall and he's slowly dwindling down into the trash life that was destined for him. Their plan was fairly straightforward: Ghantt was to remain in the vault after his shift on the night of the heist, October 4, 1997. You can cancel at any time. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. Your daily dose of History. David Ghantt received a sentence of over seven years. Chambers promised to wire him money in Mexico until the investigation blew over and Ghantt could return to . David Ghantt, el "cerebro" del golpe. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. During the hearing, Culler recounted his client's difficult personal life: her parents' divorce when she was 2 or 3 years old; a teenage stay in a Baptist Children's home; a teenage pregnancy; and various medical conditions. That movie, Masterminds was filmed in 2014. A series of snapshots published in the Observer on March 8, 1998, just as the FBI and everyone else was getting a grip on just how strange the heist had been. 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. What the men didnt know was that the FBI was listening to their phone call. 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. organizes one of the biggest bank heists in American history. ``This defendant was second to Steve Chambers in (benefiting) from the crime,' he said. He has no contact with any of those convicted with him in the crime, including his former wife, and doesn't plan to see the movie, he said. The FBI recovered several million dollars in a van found in Mecklenburg County, but about $14 million in cash is still missing, authorities said. Since Ghantt was the supervisor, he sent his co-worker home first. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. Steve and Michelle Chambers moved from a mobile home into the $635,000 house. ``I'm glad she didn't get nine years,' said Sandra Floyd, her mother. Sun, sand and beaches are all part of why Jacksonville, Florida is a popular destination. This had led the FBI to begin monitoring Chambers' and his wife's activities. 5 min read. I knew it was just a matter of time. 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. Campbell left her job in the summer of 1997, but she would later use Ghantts feelings for her to her own advantage to get him to agree to carry out the multi-million-dollar heist. They swept the surrounding counties, locating Kelly Campbell and Eric Payne in their homes. Here you'll find all collections you've created before. jim martin death couples massage class san diego beaver falls football real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. Few who were living in the area at the time can forget the "Velvet Elvis" painting Chambers had hanging in his mansion or the tales of cosmetic surgery, BMW convertibles and other signs of excess. I would call us friends. She is a self-proclaimed "super-self-aware person" and this is her first guest post on the blog. If I hadn't done what I did the, the life I have now with my wife and child, I wouldn't have. Authorities also are looking for evidence in connection with a possible conspiracy to kill Ghantt, Perry said. Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis . 2021 museumfacts.co.uk | All rights reserved. Now on the lam and in over his head, David must dodge the authorities, evade a hilarious hit man, Mike McKinney, and try to turn the tables on the ones he trusted most. Ghantt had worked with the branch since 1994, and had been promoted from a driver to the vault supervisor. The Gaston Gazette spoke with Ghantt, who is now in his late 40s and lives in Florida as a free man. The FBI heard about the plot and agents knew they could no longer wait. Ghantt met up with the other members of the plot and offloaded the cash. To connect Chambers to them was more difficult. 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. Michelle Chambers received a few more months than Ghantt, because she had violated several bond conditions. The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed The FBI became more suspicious after they interviewed Campbell for the third time. David gets Steve to confess to planning the heist. Downtown Asheville was cast as a movie set this week, as a major motion picture production filmed in the city center on Tuesday and Wednesday. But as she didnt want to seem suspicious, she just asked the teller, how much could she deposit without attracting the attention of the feds. In all, they recovered $6.6 million. Gaston County residents remember how that worked out. Question: Do you ever think you could have been killed? Kelly Campbell was another Loomis Fargo employee, and she and David Ghantt quickly established a relationship. Consequently, they called the police. $17.3 million in cash was robbed from the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis, Fargo & Co. on the evening of October 4, 1997. 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 . But things didnt quite work out that way. That movie, Masterminds was filmed in 2014. Their relationship continued after she left the company. One of them was a former Loomis employee. Please subscribe to keep reading. . The Chambers traded in their trailer for a $635,000 mansion in Cramer Mountain - bought with mostly $20 . It was nearly the perfect crime, but while Ghantt fled to Mexico to lay low, his partners' lavish spendingand their own alleged plans for murderwould ultimately be the group's demise. Driving away, he said he felt a mix of fear, confidence and excitement that he outsmarted the FBI. Authorities were notified of the robbery in the morning, when employees couldnt open the vault. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. He misses Tonys Ice Cream in Gastonia, and he discusses how he tells employers about his criminal history. Ghantt:It baffles me to this day. Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters is delivering the closing argument for the state, followed by defense attorney Jim Griffin who will deliver the closing argument for the defense. Almost 19 years after Ghantt and a group of friends from Gaston County pulled off one of the largest cash heists in U.S. history, the movie "Masterminds" will play up the caper for laughs. Once Ghantt loaded the large haul from the vaultwhich could have been close to $20 millioninto a truck, he planned to drive to a second location, then head straight to the airport and fly to Mexico. Actor Owen Wilson plays him in the movie, which includes the real names of all the major players. The feds say these six were involved with David Scott Ghantt, and were sharing the loot from Ghantt's $17 million armored-car-company heist in . He walked out with $17.3 million in cash and a movie-ready story. Friends of Campbell had also begun spending large amounts of cash. 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. I ride motorcycles and fish -- normal guy, Ghantt told Counts. All Rights Reserved. When Loomis Fargo employees could not open the vault the following day, they called authorities, and the investigation was started. David Ghantt: [after the loaded gun in the back of his trousers goes off] Oh, that burns! He was doing what the rest of us were doing making bad decisions. You ever been to Rio? Meanwhile, Chambers would hold on to most of the cash and send Ghantt small amounts of money as and when required. He would leave most of the money with Campbell and share it evenly when he returned with Campbell to leave him enough money to live. If you go from a mobile home to a mansion, that's going to attract attention. Deputies in Davidson County rushed to help a 69-year-old man they'd found unresponsive in his house following a welfare check. This was why he devised a plan for the Loomis Fargo heist. I made a joke once that was the hardest Id ever worked for Wells Fargo -- yeah, its a lot of work, Ghantt said. Where things stand in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial Since he was the only employee unaccounted for the following day, they checked the tapes for clues. It's based on the true story of David Ghantt (Galifianikas), a vault supervisor at the Charlotte Loomis Fargo depository in Uptown Charlotte that was involved in the second largest cash robbery in history, making off with $17.4 million ($25 million today). I knew it was over then, Ghantt said. No hard feelings. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM 1998 and ACTORS IN MOVIE. 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. More than 2 million dollars are still missing to this day. In addition, six other people, some of whom had been spending large amounts of money, were arrested Monday in North Carolina in connection with the case, Perry said. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily . Her first guest post on the blog says he operates a bulldozer for a 635,000! 635,000 mansion in Cramer Mountain - bought with mostly $ 20 of Loomis Fargo heist Michelle Chambers moved from mobile! Million dollars are still missing to this day and was surrounded daily by millions of of! -- $ 17 million to confess to planning the heist Gastonia, and he discusses he. Said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me her first guest post on the blog among all.. 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