How Bridgerton restarted buzz about her ancestry. Get to me. Its that kind of excitement.. Mine did. She was devastated, Diamant said. Campbell left her job in the summer of 1997, but she would later use Ghantt's feelings for her to her own advantage to get him to agree to carry out the multi-million-dollar heist. They found Ghantts truck, and in it were his keys, some personal items and his wedding ring. I was expecting her to kick me out of the house., Years later, after they married and had a child together, they watched a movie based on the whole ordeal. Together, they drove in a convoy to an industrial warehouse eight miles away, where Eric Payne, a fourth accomplice was. The FBI, in fact, obtained the evidence they needed to bring down the major players, including Chambers, after catching them talking about the murder plot on the telephone via wiretap. He partied, met women, drank, skied and hung out at the beach. Chambers, who still lives in Gaston County and operates a gym, declined to comment. "It probably should bother me," he said. And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. . You're an idiot.'". It changes you. After years of reflection and time in prison to work on himself, Ghantt was able to find a way to a better version of himself. Question: Any contact with Steve Chambers or any of the others involved with the heist? Tickle Me Kaczynski: How the Inventor of the Ultimate Elmo Toy Became a Unabomber Suspect, A Highly Questionable Cultural History of Richard Geres Ass Gerbil. Three weeks later, the couple purchased, in cash, a $635,000 stone mansion. Military + Veterans. "He was in tears. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. One number is working in Campbells favor. As for his new wife, when the two just started dating, he was nervous about letting her know about his past, but he wanted to be honest. Kelly's company. He kept looking over his shoulder. In early September 1997, Kelly found herself chatting on the phone with a friend who still worked at Loomis, a 27-year-old man who, despite being married, had made no secret of the fact that he had a crush on her. Kelly drove her pickup to a lot across the street from the Loomis building, on Suttle Avenue in Charlotte. He appeared happily matched with his high-spirited wife, Michele, and the two children from her first marriage. Twice a week over the next 12 months, we will take you back to the winter of sheep cloning and the summer of Con Air. His assignment was to deliver the cash to David and keep him happy until they could find a way to kill him, McKinney said. Eric Payne got out of prison in 2006 for his role in the heist and has since paid $11,357 on his $292,000 debt. So I was glad it was over. An officer rang the doorbell. In real life: False. David was excited, jabbering about their future together. As you probably know, it's loosely based on the Loomis Fargo heist in Charlotte back in the late nineties. I didn't think I had the guts. In the first days after the arrests, agents recovered or accounted for all but about $2 million of the stolen money. Truth was, David wanted more than help leaving, he wanted company. ". ", "Even then . Hes very articulate. Without really intending to, Kelly recalls, she turned the conversation to the possibility of a heist. I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. When McKinney realized Ghantt was wanted for the Loomis Fargo robbery, he backed off personally because he didnt want to be anywhere near a federal investigation. Him and I still talk every now and then. Kelly was lying. Ghantt worked at Loomis Fargos regional office vault in Charlotte. shaka wear graphic tees is candy digital publicly traded ellen lawson wife of ted lawson real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist 25 Feb/23 (No Ratings Yet) But after a year, they'll cut it down to two agents. David told her he'd need help moving the money, getting a new ID and leaving the country. Zaron Burnett is an investigative journalist and longform features writer based in Los Angeles. So it was weird when during the middle of the week, there were these very clean-cut, very Midwestern looking, obviously American guys in the town. I don't blame him.". Nah, it was always about the money, he told the agents. At the end of one session, they wound up kissing outside the pickup. He longed for the middle-class lifestyle of his childhood, with its private religious-school education and Disney World vacations. Steve was sentenced to 11 years 3 months in prison. Things were spiraling fast. So he convinced a local hoodlum in Mexico to try to kill Ghantt. I was just going to get the money into the van. Question: How much of 'Masterminds' is true? David had grabbed $50,000 cash, but could figure out only how to carry $25,000 with him on the plane. Field Operations; Corporate; Why Loomis. 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. I had a four-hour layover there, and then from New Orleans to Cancun.. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. She was a wife and mother with two children. In real life: True. "I" has one letter. The initials on the money wrapper belonged to a Loomis employee who hadn't worked there since before the heist. 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. Kelly relayed his message to Steve. Question: What made you, Chambers and the others think you could get away with this? The teller, who hadn't asked, filed a "suspicious activity report." The others sat in their cars across the street and watched him struggle to open the heavy gate. Steve bought a truck, a Rolex and a motorboat. "Things I always wanted to do, but never had the time or the money," he said. The money was heavy. Its a yes: Clover teen shakes off nerves to earn American Idol golden ticket, Mail carrier cant believe his eyes after seeing NC lottery win. She never really worried about the moral end of it--she was focused only on getting what she wanted out of life, what so many others seemed to have in this booming part of the South. Kelly was no criminal. The mystery 1-4-3 caller had been Kelly, though agents didn't know it yet. "I was unhappy with my life. He went deep-sea fishing. 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. Meanwhile, outside Reynolds & Reynolds, Steve, Scott and Eric needed to move 2,748 pounds of cash, quickly, from the Loomis van into the Budget van. Then FBI agent Wydra watched Steve's wife, Michele, deposit about $8,000 at a Gaston County, N.C., bank. He comes to my door, and hes got a brown paper bag in his hand. The whole town I was staying in was 98.9 percent Mexican, except for when the cruise ships were in, Ghantt recalls. He took bus tours of Mayan ruins. Michele told her mother she and Steve had been saving gambling winnings for the down payment. Kelly called David at. "I thought he was goofing around.". real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist seeing a woodpecker after someone dies lectomano que significa. They also left behind a life-changing fortune in small bills $3.3 million in fives and ones that they overlooked and the two videotapes that Ghantt had pulled from the security cameras at the bank. Ghantt pulled out $50,000 from the back of the unmarked Loomis Fargo van. You have to remember that it's Hollywood and they'll take what was a minor event and they'll blow it up and make it as funny as they can.". 1997 Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle for sale at auction of items bought after Loomis, Fargo armored car facility heist by Steven Chambers, wife Michele, Kelly Jane Campbell & David Scott Ghanntt (Photo by Will And Deni McIntyre/Getty Images) Purchases included a pool table, jewelry (including a $43,000 diamond ring), a minivan, $20,000 worth of cigars, and the 7,000-square-foot home on the side of Cramer. "He was speechless," said Sandra Floyd. They heard Michele brag about her $43,000 ring. The barrels were Steves idea, Ghantt says. They stocked a wine cellar. Kelly called David at Loomis; he told her he'd be ready for them with the cash at 6:30 or 7 p.m. Alone in the building, David was trying to finish loading cash from the vault into an unmarked white Ford Econoline van belonging to Loomis. Ghantt: My cut was supposed to be about $5 million, but that's not what I ended up with. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. At that same time, Steve was growing sick of the calls to send more money to Ghantt, and was looking for a way to end that issue. They decorated their 6,000-square-foot stucco house with antiques, paintings and statues, including a six-foot wooden Indian that Michele had bought for $600. So yeah, Im kind of proud of it.. I mean, cause greed is a funny animal. This real-life crime is the core of "Untitled Armored Car Project," which stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson and Kristen Wiig. ];David Scott Ghanntt [Misc.] Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. . By . 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 . "I was thinking, 'They aren't paying me enough,' " McKinney recalled. The bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. They obviously werent trying to get it right they were putting together what they believe is a better story, said Diamant. . 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. FILE - Kelly Campbell, one of the 21 people convicted for their involvement in the $17 million Loomis Fargo heist, awaits sentencing for her part in the theft at her mobile home near Mount Holly, N.C. on Aug 16, 1999. He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. As soon as Corey left, I pretended like I was leaving. ". Its really just a matter of timing, more than anything. And she says, How much do you think wed get out of there? I said, Ten to 15 million. But I didnt really know.. At the Halloween party, though, Kelly gave in to Steve, and agreed it had to be done. Scott Grant and Steve pulled up next to her in a Mazda. The phone rang: Kelly had a problem. The FBI was also surveilling Kelly Campbell and followed her to a pay phone that she used to place calls to Mexico. Reach our Customer Contact Center by calling 877.877.0560 from 6:30 AM to 11:30 PM CT every day or by completing the provided form. Tags: Associated Press, courts, crime, North Carolina. 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 had to go in there and tell her the whole story, and she was real cool about it. The movie was overly silly and, based on a post-screening conversation with former Observer reporter Jeff Diamant who wrote a detailed 279-page book about the occasionally funny but mostly just-plain fascinating crime, titled Heist much of what wound up in the film is fiction. He had a favorite restaurant, Zandunga, which had a mariachi band each night and a view of the Caribbean. That was the most painful truth to come to. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. Steve solicited two others to help move cash during the theft. . Once I start something, Im going to the end., As for how he felt in the moment, he says, Imagine me and you went on an airplane. Ghantt was never in Chamberss presence until he actually handed off the money to him. He was also a former FBI informant who had tipped the bureau off to a planned robbery of a Loomis Fargo armored truck that never came to fruition. In the meantime, the FBI was closing in looking to bust a total of 21 suspected accomplices. There were times when I drank really heavily.". That week, the FBI designated the theft its 142nd "major case," putting it on a list--begun in the 1970s--that includes such other infamous crimes as the World Trade Center bombing. In the wee hours of the morning, Chambers and the Erics drove back to the town of Vale, North Carolina, and holed up in a double-wide trailer while counting their cash. Her only brush with the law had been a DUI arrest. shes now Miss USA. All the while, Ghantt prepared himself for the task at hand. "Steve said, 'I think we ought to do it that night, when he drops off the van,' " Kelly recalled. They set the date, Oct. 4, a Saturday when David knew he could be alone in the building after his shift. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. On October 5, 1997, FBI agents gathered at the Loomis, Fargo & Co. warehouse in Charlotte, North Carolina, to watch a security videotape of a man loading stacks of cash into a pushcart and wheeling them from the vault. When Chambers and the two Erics were done loading the stolen millions into barrels, they abandoned the van in the woods. Ghantt simply got ready for work one morning knowing it would be his last day on the job. Ghantt and one other employee were the last to leave. He covers culture, politics, race, and other perplexing mysteries for MEL. The name she gave the pup is apropos. He'd stay up all night, boosted by coffee, waiting for the sunrise over the ocean. There had been no signs. 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. No regrets. They cursed. All were convicted. That was great. "But I had to know.". I've got a good woman.". Michele tells me you're in a financial bind. But as he later recalled to the media, as soon as he stepped through those big-box doors, he realized he was flush with cash, and he didnt need to shop at Walmart ever again. "I felt that if I didn't do something, I was going to snap," David said. I hear her typing. Dependent care account. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) The Associated Press, BY MICHAEL GORDON, The Charlotte Observer. We spoke to the FBI agents who investigated the case who say the real-life. In real life: False. Thats one of my personality flaws. These days, the 52-year-old husband and father lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where he works at a heavy equipment rental agency. He realized that if they met the minimum monthly payments, the bill would take 30 years to pay. Its hilarious. And after two years, you're just a file." 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. The plan to rob Loomis Fargo was spawned by Campbell and her friend Steve Chambers, during a casual bonfire at Chambers' home. Charlotte hotel chef who serves with a smile recognized as outstanding ambassador, Eritrean, Ethiopian restaurant owner was a big brother and father to many in Charlotte, Home tours: This wired-up Weddington smart home has a pool big enough for the neighborhood. What made her do it? At first, I just blended in with the tourists and picked up a few translation books, Ghantt explains. Kelly, she says now, was thinking about how happy she would be to send this man far away from her. In real life: False. They planned to kill a man named David Ghantt, the guy who had made their extravagant new lifestyle a reality. Her husband gave her a brown teddy bear. About 5:30 the next morning, McKinney knocked on David's door and dropped $8,500 on the bed. Everything came crashing down on an early March morning in 1998. Scott Grant and Steve pulled up next to her in a Mazda. On Oct. 7, 1997, two FBI agents arrived at Kelly Campbell's home after two Loomis employees had told agents she and David had once dated. Hidden in it was a 3 1/2-carat diamond ring that cost $43,000. He pocketed the money and told Chambers and Campbell to send him his cut in Mexico. "I'm glad I've grown out of that.". and "I'm rich!". Now worried about both the FBI and McKinney, he spent even more time alone in his room. You might as well go all the way now.". Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. While the agents initiated their investigation, the Chambers spent money as quickly as they could. He hated his job, with its 12-hour shifts. Steve had another conversation with Kelly about killing David. For her part, Kelly Campbell spent six years in federal prison. But Ghantt, who served as an unpaid consultant to the movie and attended the big Los Angeles premiere earlier in the week, has no such reservations. On his way out, he grabbed the surveillance video, hoping to cover his tracks. Question: Should people go see this movie? ". Ghantt was in fact hiding out in Mexico using McKinneys I.D., which had been sold to Chambers months earlier. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. She came from a blue-collar background, a high school dropout who had grown tired of working in a mill and gotten an equivalency diploma. Each week, Michele deposited thousands of dollars in cash. David trusted her. So he and some friends decided at the end of his Oct. 4 shift he would load a company van with more than 2,000 pounds of cash and just drive away. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. 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. He'd even bragged that he'd killed people. I said, It comes down to picking the right day, and the right time of the month, and all that good stuff. I even told her, It wouldnt be all that difficult. "Love" has four. There was, however, one problem with his plan. Steve Chambers has told agents the missing cash was stolen from a shed in Lincoln County. Purchases included a pool table, jewelry (including a $43,000 diamond ring), a minivan, $20,000 worth of cigars, and the 7,000-square-foot home on the side of Cramer. 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. A couple weeks pass, and I call again, Hey, Id like to get some more money. At the sight of all that money, Scott and Eric had the same thought: They'd made the worst mistake of their lives. Until, that is, he decided to hell with it he was going to pull-off the second largest heist in U.S. history. An Ohio police officer who shot and killed a Black man as he lay in bed in his home last summer is no longer on the force, Three Kansas City police officers who were shot while serving a search warrant have been released from the hospital, Officials say one passenger died when a business jet experienced severe turbulence, forcing a landing at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. She also must . Too many questions remained: Where was the cash? Were others involved? What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. Theres less security. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. David quickly realized he was the intended victim. Scott was so nervous, he said, that he couldn't help. Steve tried keys on a side door. Things started to go south the night of the robbery. Because surprise! I was burned out and just didn't know it. "It wasn't me, it was Steve," she says she told him. They agreed that after the heist, David would immediately move to Mexico, alone, but Kelly would soon join him there, with her two children. 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. Scott Grant said he hesitated, but agreed if no guns would be involved. I mentioned it to Kelly. Theres some things I want to do., Ghantt planned on traveling from Mexico to the Cayman Islands, bypassing customs along the way. (The conversation was depicted as 100 percent private on screen). He flip-flopped on the heist idea three or four times. Ghantt went on to explain that he left for his flight to Mexico with about $25,000, and that two or three deliveries of extra money was made to him by the man Chambers would pay to kill him. There used to be a consulate in Cancun. Inside the Mazda, Steve told Scott Grant to get out and help David. You can garnish wages. Chambers and Campbell were waiting for him in the Loomis Fargo parking lot, both in separate vehicles.