SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. Ghantt sent home a new employee and quickly loaded the money into the back of a bank van. You can cancel at any time. People still laugh when they think of the "velvet Elvis" Chambershad in his Cramer Mountain mansion, or how his former wife showed upat a local bankto deposit wads of cash that she assured the teller was not "drug money.". Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Chambers and his wife also made some cash payments on a few cars. Anonymous tips had the FBI monitoring Chambers calls. The pair began to daydream about whether they could really pull off the heist. 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? Then Michele made a trip to the bank. Kevin McCarthy is No Edward Snowden, But He Should Find the Comparison Flattering, Assessing Nicaraguas Long Haul toward Liberation and Economic Democracy, A National Divorce? Her reaction seems so far away now, all these years and a Hall of Fame career later. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! With the plan in place, Ghantt sent a newly employed co-worker home early (reportedly at 6 p.m) who had been assigned to train with him. David Ghantt attends the after party for the Premiere Of Relativity Media's "Masterminds" on September 26, 2016 in Hollywood, California. In 2020, the television show Super Heists portrayed the heist in Episode 3, "Van Full of Dollars". Some of the friends and family members received parole, while Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. Creative Insights. David Ghantt | World Record Holder and Mastermind My Proof: https://twitter.com/DavidGhantt/status/827476087596789760, My AMA time is up now, but thank you all for your participation in the Ask Me Anything session :-), New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, https://twitter.com/DavidGhantt/status/827476087596789760. In spite of Chambers assurance that the money was, you know, totally not illegally acquired, the teller remained suspicious, especially because the stacks of cash still had Loomis Fargo wrappers on them. How Did A Model Employee Manage To Steal More Than $17 Million - Yahoo! The Thieves Who Couldn'T Cope With $17 Million Then check out another bank robber who inspired a movie, John Wojtowicz. As Predators' David Poile braces for retirement, his wife reveals their love story. Based on a true story, the premise itself is fascinating, which makes Masterminds all the more a waste. Officers responded just after 5 a.m. Wednesday to an area near the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Carolyn Coleman Way and found , "The Wall Street Journal just so happened to have a supportive op-ed ready to publish within hours of the meeting. All rights reserved. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such as scuba diving and parasailing. Prosecutors also resisted Culler's efforts to downplay Michele Chambers' role in the theft. twitter.com [citation needed], The defendants were the targets of many barbed jokes in Charlotte and across the country, in part because of their extravagant spending. Retro CharlotteFBI security footage of David Ghantt in the midst of the Loomis Fargo heist. Si vous ne souhaitez pas que nos partenaires et nousmmes utilisions des cookies et vos donnes personnelles pour ces motifs supplmentaires, cliquez sur Refuser tout. David Bowie 's widow recently took to Instagram to post selfies, while promoting both her makeup brand and fashion line. You've decided to give up on a part of your life. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. We were in Old Fortwhen they were shooting the movie and went out to eat. What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? Having only brought $50,000 in cash, however, Ghantt soon found himself short on funds. By then, the FBI had become greatly concerned for Ghantt's personal safety; they had learned that Chambers had plotted to have Ghantt killed in a murder for hire scheme using a "hit man" named Michael McKinney. The Election, U.S. Foreign Policy, And Harold Pinter's 2005 Nobel Lecture, Nate Parker on Rape Allegations: 'I Don't Feel Guilty'. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. So he hatched a plan to rob his employers. They would then load as much cash as they could carry into a van. Q: Do you appreciate your normal life now more than you would if you hadn't spent years in prison? Because the money in the vault was largely from banks, the crime was technically a bank robbery and thus a federal offense. [1], Steven Chambers finished serving his sentence in November 2006. Ask below and we'll reply! (Ghantt works as a heavy machine operator in the construction industry.). Everybody thinks being famous and being an actor is stupendous, and the money is fantastic, but they kind of live in afish bowl. Q: North Carolina native Zach Galifianakis portrayed you in "Masterminds." Outside the building, Ghantt met up with Campbell, Chambers, and others who were involved in the plot, and drove off to a printing business called Reynolds & Reynolds in northwest Charlotte. The Army veteran and Hunter Huss High graduate was captured in Mexico five months later when one of the others involved in the theft, Steve Chambers, decided he needed to tie up loose ends by having Ghantt killed. ", After successfully tracing Ghantt's phone call, FBI agents coordinated with Mexican police to arrest Ghantt on March 1, 1998, at Playa del Carmen, a city near Cancun. You see, theres a reason Loomis Fargo used armored cars to move large amounts of cash. You'd be amazed at how much stress you can relieve yourself from in your life by just taking 20 or so minutes a day for yourself and just letting the world go. 1) David Ghantt is underpaid and unhappy. He was angry a lot. Ghantt believed the new employee would make a good replacement for his wife, but the feelings were not necessarily reciprocated. But it was Ghantt, now 47 and living with his wife and daughter in Jacksonville, Florida,who actually took more than 2,000 pounds of cash and just drove away from his job. Instead, the two started hanging out on the beach together and became friends. 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. Ghantts wife was reportedly nothing like the bizarre, robotic fiance character in the film, for instance. All rights reserved. All but one of the indicted pleaded guilty. David Ghantt (@DavidGhantt) / Twitter That suspicion was immediately confirmed by a quick glance at the security camera footage that showed Ghantt doing a little dance after loading all the cash into the van. Ghantt, a U.S. Army veteran, was living a relatively "boring" life working as the vault superintendent at a Loomis Fargo armored car warehouse just outside Charlotte, North Carolina making a relatively meager paycheck, when he crossed paths with Kelly Campbell. One day, Campbell was speaking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. CREATIVE. By Dustin Rowles | Film | September 30, 2016 |. The plan to rob Loomis Fargo was spawned by Campbell and her friend Steve Chambers, during a casual bonfire at Chambers home. Project #ShowUs. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. According to Campbell, Chambers could help Ghantt execute a massive cash robbery of the vault at Loomis Fargo in one night. Where ever it was, it is long gone now. DUMB & - The Washington Post The FBI (Leslie Jones, Jon Daly) made easy work of the case, however, and everyone involved was eventually arrested and imprisoned. But there was just one thing the group hadnt been counting on: the massive weight of that amount of cash. Kelly Campbell is scheduled to be sentenced in October. Ghantt has never explained where that money went. Michele Chambers 1998 BMW for sale following the prosecutions of the Loomis Fargo heist conspirators. If I hadnt of done that, Id probably still be in North Carolina and I would not have got to meet a lot of the interesting people that Ive got to meet. #CLXGaming#CLXRa#evokethegods 1 2 The Book of Dave: A New Path After a $17 Million Misstep by David David Ghantt, a Gulf War veteran, had never been in trouble with the law. Galifianakis will play the armored car driver, David, who evades authorities, will be searching for his co-conspirators who betrayed him, Kelly (Kristen Wiig) and Steve (Owen Wilson). All of the cash from the Loomis Fargo heist was recovered or accounted for, except for $2 million. They kept several furnishings from the previous owners, including a painting of Elvis Presley on black velvet. Day in and day out, he drives an armored vehicle,. Loomis Fargo employees could not open the vault the next morning and called the police. In fact, David Ghantt was about to commit the heist of a lifetime. No rift here! In October of 1997, I was a vault supervisor for armored truck company Loomis Fargo, when I made off with $17.3 million. mesurer votre utilisation de nos sites et applications. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. LRM Exclusive Interview: David Ghantt, Real Life Thief Who Inspired Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. If you're trying to make yourself better today, that's all most people care about. Her husband, Steve Chambers, whom prosecutors have called the main defendant, began serving an 11-year sentence earlier this year. On similar grounds, four other people were ultimately also charged with money laundering. At the time it was thesecond largest bank heistin U.S. history. Ghantt was already married when he took part in the heist, to a woman named Tammy - who author Diamant described as "very nice." It is true, however, that she had no idea about the plot and that. When Seymour Hersh Strained to Keep Up With CounterPunch, Nichole Stephens, Administrative Assistant. . If you can see the obvious flaw in this plan, namely that Chambers would have no reason whatsoever to actually wire Ghantt any money, then congratulations. The odds of you actually getting away with something these days is pretty damn slim. I mean, thats pretty much why I did it. In February 2009 the Associated Press reported that Chambers had chosen to describe himself as "changed". The morning after the height, employees of Loomis Fargo realized they couldnt open the vault. David Ghantt And The Loomis Fargo Heist: The Outrageous True Story. To make a successful getaway, Ghantt had to lift nearly 2,800 pounds of currency. While she made small deposits at first, she became more reckless, eventually making a deposit of thousands of dollars in cash, telling the teller not to worry: Its not drug money.. Investigators also found Ghantt's pickup truck, abandoned at the warehouse. 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. WIFE, FAMILY OF HEIST SUSPECT CLING TO HOPE - Greensboro News and Record Naturally, Ghantt started to run out of cash and turned to Chambers, who was annoyed by his requests for more money. "Wells Fargo and Loomis forming armored car company", Last edited on 21 February 2023, at 16:45, Learn how and when to remove this template message, painting of Elvis Presley on black velvet, "FindACase | United States of America v. Steven Eugene Chambers", "The Unperfect Crime | New Dominion Pictures", "Sunday Evening/Late Night September 9, 2001", "Loomis Fargo heist: Q&A with guy who stole $17 million", "MASTERMINDS - Movie Production NotesCinemaReview.com", Ghantt and other gang members arrested in March 1998, Steven Chambers released from prison; announces he is a "retired criminal", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=October_1997_Loomis_Fargo_robbery&oldid=1140756292, Overcoming the mindset that led to the part David Ghantt played in the Loomis robbery and how he started on a new path was the subject of the book, Within days of the robbery, the case was depicted on the television criminal reporting show, An expanded two-hour special episode of the crime documentary series. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. After meeting up with Chambers, Campbell, and some other co-conspirators, Ghantt hightailed it to Mexico with $50,000 in cash in his car. David Ghantt : [voice-over] Steve was a petty thief, mostly known for stealing tiny wheelchairs from pediatric hospitals. 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. David Ghantt struck up a relationship with fellow Loomis Fargo employee Kelly Campbell, and they continued to maintain contact even after Campbell left the company. Federal Judge Graham Mullen sentenced her to between those lengths. David Scott Ghantt: Vault Supervisor David Scott Ghantt was the vault supervisor at the regional branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina. U kunt uw keuzes te allen tijde wijzigen door te klikken op de links 'Privacydashboard' op onze sites en in onze apps. She wondered how much she could deposit without attracting the attention of the FBI, so she decided to just ask the teller: How much can I deposit before you have to report it to the feds? she asked. I think Zachs a hell of an actor. They asked me how I felt about it and I said, Its my story, but its your movie so have at me. The FBI investigation was aided by the gang's extravagant spending. [1], This robbery was the second-largest cash robbery on U.S. soil at the time, as only seven months earlier, on March 29, 1997 in Jacksonville, Florida, Philip Noel Johnson stole $18.8 million from the Loomis Fargo armored vehicle he was driving.[2]. The missing couple were identified as David Harrison Robinson and his wife Lucretia Robinson. $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. VIDEO. However, the fact that a man who formerly lived in a mobile home was lavishly spending money on a luxury home ($635,000 in cash), expensive cars, and a ring ($42,000 in cash) eventually made it easy to connect the dots. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. Playing upon David's obvious feelings for her, Kelly is the . Defense attorney Jim Griffin laid out his team's side of the case to the jury for more than two hours, arguing . Jimmy Carter is a Liberal Saint Now, Was a War Criminal Then. Some people screw up big like you, some people screw up small.". For a time, it was nicknamed "the hillbilly heist" because nearly all of the major players in the case came from small towns around Charlotte. Q: Do you ever think about what your life would be like if you had gotten away with the money? Its a farce that never farces; a comedy without jokes. And so this third camera caught everything that happened next. 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.