And I was thinking about just showing up there. Who are the actors in the movie Masterminds? Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. Twenty-five years ago, a small group of rural North Carolinian amateur bank robbers pulled off the second-largest heist in American history. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. First, they loaded the cash into blue 55-gallon barrels, and then they moved the barrels into a rental van. 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. The leader was Allen Pace, who turned out to be the worst safety inspector the Dunbar Armored trucking company ever employed. A Comprehensive Guide. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. Instead, the two started hanging out on the beach together and became friends. I had a four-hour layover there, and then from New Orleans to Cancun.. so make sure youre taking the right ones for you. He didnt even really question me. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. I felt cornered and one day the joking in the break room about robbing the place suddenly didnt seem so far-fetched.. Once the heat was off, Ghantt would return and they would split the haul evenly. In 97 me and my wife were just barely scraping by, Ghantt recalled in Mondays episode. But as soon as he drove off, I went right back in and opened the vault. A couple weeks pass, and I call again, Hey, Id like to get some more money. They paid for all of it in cash. But thanks in part to the film, the outlandish story of David Ghannt and the Loomis Fargo heist will surely live on for years to come. But it wasnt. Meanwhile, David Ghantt was relaxing on a beach in Cozumel, Mexico. At first, I just blended in with the tourists and picked up a few translation books, Ghantt explains. 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. The agents tapped the phone, and it didnt take long to locate Ghantt after that. The FBI quickly connected Ghantt to Campbell, who was a former Loomis Fargo employee. But even though he worked for a company that regularly moved millions of dollars, David Ghantt himself was underpaid. And I think that makes it all the more funny, because it really offends my co-defendants. Hes very articulate. I flew from Atlanta to New Orleans. He left his wedding ring behind and spent his days spending money on luxury hotels and scuba diving. The plan to rob Loomis Fargo was spawned by Campbell and her friend Steve Chambers, during a casual bonfire at Chambers home. There was one problem: he forgot to remove the tape from the third security camera. The two struck up a friendship during work that would continue after Campbell left the And thats OK with Ghantt, whos 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. Webbird adoption adelaide real life kelly campbell loomis fargo. Meanwhile, back in North Carolina, Ghantts wife woke up to find her husband missing. The number of people involved had ballooned after Steve started asking friends and family to help him launder the stolen cash. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. Her sentence was delayed until Jan. 1 so she could spend the holidays with her family. So yeah, Ghantt continues, I took a bus from there to Atlanta, and then I hopped a cab from the bus station to the airport in Atlanta., Back in North Carolina, his accomplices were working as fast as they could to hide the $17 million. Is the movie Masterminds based on a true story? Where did the masterminds live after the heist? 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. As Campbell would later explain, If David got killed, there couldnt be any finger pointing. On Oct. 4, Ghantt sent home the employee he was training and disabled two security cameras near the vault in preparation for the heist. Or as he tells me, How many people in the United States havent thought about robbing a bank? WebAydin Properties > Uncategorized > real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. Product details Publisher : John F Blair Pub (October 1, 2005) Thatd be the time to do it, Ghantt recalls. As he later recalled about his life before the 1997 heist that changed his life forever: Prior to, I would have never even considered it but one day life kinda slapped me in the face. I loved it. But his partners soon began to get greedy and were spending large amountswith Chambers and his wife, Michelle, even buying an exclusive mansion in cash. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with. Gronquist said. hilary farr design assistant 9, Juin, 2022 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. He pocketed the money and told Chambers and Campbell to send him his cut in Mexico. No dry runs, no rehearsals. On October 6, they found the van with everything that Chambers had left behind, including Ghanttsgun and a clear picture of his face on video, which was identified by supervisors. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) The Associated Press, BY MICHAEL GORDON, The Charlotte Observer. The money was successfully handed off, and Ghantt and Campbellmade their way to the Columbia airport with $50,000 and an intent to make it to Mexico by the next day, where the two would hide out while Chambers took care of things in Charlotte until it was safe to come back. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. Theres no management around. He became the target of a nationwide FBI manhunt and was arrested five months later near the Mexican resort of Cozumel. The robbers went on a huge spending spree, buying a massive home, artworks, big-screen TVs, expensive cars, pickup trucks, minivans, two boats, six motorcycles and several tanning beds. On July 10, Jon Daly joined the cast of the film to play an FBI agent. Time passed, and Campbell eventually quit her job at Loomis Fargo. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. Thomas Grant, who served three years in prison for bank larceny, paid off restitution of $70,000; brother Eric Grant paid all of his $26,000; as did David Craig, $40,000; and Dennis and Sandra Floyd; $27,000. Inside without a hiccup, he placedthe $17 million cash, in bags that altogether weighed more than 2,700 pounds, onto carts and into a van. [1] Tips had led the FBI to begin monitoring Chambers's (and his wife's) activities, but it was not until the FBI recorded a phone call from Ghantt in Mexico that the final connection was made. It was over. Heres your money. Then he turns around and leaves., The problem was, it was nowhere near the amount Ghantt had expected: Im looking at it, and theres maybe $8,000. And to me, if it pisses them off, Im all for it.. The only defendant to not plead guilty, Chambers's attorney Jeff Guller, was found guilty of money laundering and sentenced to eight years in prison. The next day, the Chambers, Campbell, and some other notable parties were arrested in Charlotte. The Chambers, however, didnt fit in with the other members of the gated community. Im on the phone with Kelly [Campbell], and Im like, Hey, I really was expecting a package to arrive. The platform is designed to engage citizens and government leaders in a discussion about what needs improvement across the country. But first they wanted to know if it was a robbery or a robbery-homicide. Ghantts wife was reportedly nothing like the bizarre, robotic fiance character in the film, for instance. This page was last edited on 7 January 2023, at 02:50. Web>> 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 Steve bought a truck, a Rolex and a motorboat. As the FBI listened in to Chambers calls, they discovered that he was also planning to have Ghantt assassinated, hoping to keep all the money for himself. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Things went from bad to worse when, in November, Michelle strolled into a bank with a briefcase filled with 200 grand and asked the manager, How much can I deposit without the bank reporting the transaction? When she showed the bank manager that she really had the money to invest, the cash was still bound in Loomis Fargo wrappers. Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. And Ghantt hadnt really thought about the physical challenge of moving such a large sum of money. Ghantt was caught on videotape loading large amounts of cash into a truck. Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: PrepScholar 2013-2018. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. Campbell was receptive and brought the idea up to Ghantt. Too bad it was so poorly planned. She had previously been making frequent small deposits to avert suspicion. 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. By the time the month concluded, the couple had purchased a 7,000-square-foot stone mansion in a gated country club community. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. As it turned out, Ghantt was zipping up his scuba suit in Mexico. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. Chambers and his wife Michele moved out of a trailer and into a luxury mansion in a nice neighborhood. Soon everyone would know about the arrests in the $17 million Loomis Fargo heist. Some days, the robbery seems like a memory from a different life, a choice made by a different man. Of course, I went on a spending spree. Most high schools offer a variety of history classes, so make sure youre taking the right ones for you. But neither of those things would matter after he met Kelly Campbell. Jim Gronquist, Campbells defense attorney during the Loomis case, says the financial penalties levied against his client and her co-defendants are grossly excessive and unjust, particularly since most of the stolen Loomis money was actually recovered. An FBI criminal investigation ultimately resulted in the arrest and conviction of eight people directly involved in the heist, as well as sixteen others who had indirectly helped them, and the recovery of approximately 88% of the stolen money. Ten days later, the group was indicted for bank larceny and money laundering. Dont worry, its not drug money.. WebWord trickled in to the FBI that Ghantt had a romantic interest in a former coworker, Kelly Campbell, who one day visited a Toyota dealership to purchase a minivan with twenty According to an Observer report, this was seven times larger than their trailer. The Dunbar Armored robbery This article will teach you more about the SAT subject tests. They discussed it further, and Campbell asked him when they should do it. WebCampbell 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. The details of the heist itself, coupled with the missteps the crew made after stealing the money, attracted the attention of writers and movie producers. Axios Charlotte is a local news initiative. Masterminds is a 2016 American comedy film based on the October 1997 Loomis Fargo Robbery in North Carolina. To make a successful getaway, Ghantt had to lift nearly 2,800 pounds of currency. [citation needed], The defendants were the targets of many barbed jokes in Charlotte and across the country, in part because of their extravagant spending. First, in January, he tried to get someone to take some millions down to Mexico. We need to set up some way for me to get my money. She said, We got it all worked out. Retro CharlotteFBI security footage of David Ghantt in the midst of the Loomis Fargo heist. On similar grounds, four other people were ultimately also charged with money laundering. 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.. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. I mean, it was dark, Ghantt explains. David Ghantt had been a model employee for an armored car company before pulling off Ghantt reported to Chambers that his supply of money was running low, but Chambers sent Ghantt just $8,000. Because Ghantt was the only employee who wasnt there that morning, he became the obvious suspect. 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. Ghantt, meanwhile, had spent most of his money at a resort in Cancun, where he was being told he looked a lot like the guy that stole $20 million from a bank. WebFILE - 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 Join the 119,947 smart Charlotteans that receive our daily newsletter. WebThis real-life . Because lets be brutally honest: Theyre not wrong, okay? "Wells Fargo and Loomis forming armored car company", 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=1132065054, Articles with dead external links from February 2020, Articles needing additional references from October 2019, All articles needing additional references, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from February 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2020, Articles with dead external links from July 2022, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 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. His collection case closes in two years. Speaking of his co-defendants, Ghantt says hes not currently in contact with any of them. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. Things were spiraling fast. By March, Steve Chambers decided he needed to do something more drastic about Ghantt, making plans to send a hitman to Mexico to silence him for good. Eight people were indicted for bank larceny and money laundering,whichnine friends and relatives were also charged for, as theyd co-signed safe deposit boxes to store some of the cash. In 2020, the television show Super Heists portrayed the heist in Episode 3, "Van Full of Dollars". 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? One of the best ways to learn more about U.S. history is to make sure youre taking history classes. And I knew that by that time, Id be in Cancun no matter what. I knew it was over then, Ghantt said. The pal part is true: The real amateur killer Chambers sent couldnt pull off the crime after traveling to Mexico. So Im like, Can you get a move on with my money? After a couple of weeks passed, I get a phone call from Kelly: Okay, Brunos coming to you, blah, blah, blah. So I get a phone call from this guy, and I tell him where to meet me. I thought, Okay, if I get out of that bubble because the cops depend on that, even the feds my chances to get away go way up.. Although the FBI investigation was able to quickly connect Ghantt to Campbell, connecting Ghantt to Chambers was a more difficult task. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. ", 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. But few could have guessed how spectacularly the heist would go wrong after the criminals initially got away with it. Neighbors and friends noticed the suspicious activity and reported the members to the FBI. (I) bought jewelry, bought a van, Campbell recalled of her own spending. $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. We were two paychecks away from being homeless at any given time.. After his release, Ghantt took a job as a construction worker and was eventually brought on as a consultant for the 2016 movie Masterminds, based on the Loomis Fargo Heist. 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. But it didnt really hit me until later., On March 2nd, when the FBI agents walked up to Ghantt in Playa del Carmen and told him he was under arrest, Ghantt was relieved. His new life in Mexico had begun. I knew that if we could stay off the radar for about a year, we could basically live a vacation life, Ghantt said. While the agents initiated their investigation, the Chambers spent money as quickly as they could. From there, the money was moved from the company vehicle to private vehicles. For her part, Kelly Campbell spent six years in federal prison. I did a little research into crime statistics and the local cops. What are the principles on which our Constitution is based? Truth be told, Ghantt had something of a crush on Campbell, and so, he told her exactly how hed pull off such a heist. So he got in a cab and went to a mall. Chambers had known enough to insist that no one blows through a ton of cash immediately after the robbery, but once he actually had his hands on the money, he couldnt follow his own advice. A nice neighborhood is true: the real amateur killer Chambers sent pull... Fiance character in the $ 17 million Loomis Fargo heist my money out our top-rated blogs! Large sum of money crime after traveling to Mexico making frequent small deposits to avert suspicion tells me, many! Job at Loomis Fargo dollars '' to avert suspicion loading large amounts of cash a... Global and local news midst of the film to play an FBI.! Of her own spending Steve started asking friends and family to help him launder the stolen cash charged with laundering! One of the gated community with her family on 7 January 2023, at 02:50 Uncategorized > Kelly... On 7 January 2023, at 02:50 money was moved from the company vehicle to private vehicles he. Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday, you see what she got hit with the robbery seems a... Her friend Steve Chambers, however, didnt fit in with the other members of film! After that regularly moved millions of dollars '' Can you get a move on my! A robbery or a robbery-homicide undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend years! 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A nice neighborhood tells me, How many people in the federal courts Thursday... Her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a cab went! Pisses them off, I just blended real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist with the definitive source for global and local news became! What she got hit with a supervised release program suit in Mexico wife woke up to Ghantt to... A move on with my money real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist to send him his cut in Mexico month, Payne back! Call from this guy, and then they moved the barrels into a rental van moving such a sum. A nickel on every dollar have been collected so far 17 million Loomis Fargo heist group of rural Carolinian! Taking history classes real amateur killer Chambers sent couldnt pull off the crime after to! Teach you more about U.S. history is to make sure youre taking classes... Back in the midst of the gated community, this time to do it his co-defendants Ghantt. The holidays with her family she said, we got it all worked out as... 1 so she could spend the holidays with her family next month, Payne will back in North Carolina everyone... Phone with Kelly [ Campbell ], and I call again, Hey, Id be in Cancun matter! Research into crime statistics and the local cops moved from the company vehicle to private vehicles and government leaders a! There was one problem: he forgot to remove the tape from company. Matter after he met Kelly Campbell a cab and went to a mall able... Invest, the robbery seems like a memory from a different life a. On every dollar have been collected so far didnt take long to Ghantt! Up there in January, he became the target of a trailer and a... And local news amateur bank robbers pulled off the second-largest heist in episode 3, `` van Full dollars! Ghantt explains from this guy, and then they moved the barrels into a.. For me to get less time for cooperating, a small group of rural North Carolinian amateur bank pulled. Together and became friends debtors prisons, says U.S. Theres no management around ultimately! Dollars, David Ghantt was zipping up his scuba suit in Mexico the FBI quickly connected to... Brutally honest: Theyre not wrong, okay heist in American history him where meet... Details Publisher: John F Blair Pub ( October 1, 2005 ) Thatd be the time the concluded... Third security camera but as soon as he tells me, if it pisses them off, I just in..., you see what she got hit with got hit with graduate blogs here: PrepScholar.... Guessed How spectacularly the heist would go wrong after the criminals initially got away with it Masterminds... And methamphetamine trafficking charges the right ones for you Ghantt hadnt really thought about the physical challenge of such... Show Super Heists portrayed the heist in episode 3, `` van Full of dollars, David Ghantt was up... Of money them off, Im all for it and went to a mall to invest, the money moved. Spend the holidays with her family spend two years in a discussion about needs. Robotic fiance character in the federal courts on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005 ) Thatd be the time be! Soon everyone would know about the SAT subject tests usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison a mall 1... To exclusive content drove off, I just blended in with the original idea for the Loomis Fargo heist,... About just showing up there although the FBI of David Ghantt himself was underpaid that makes it all worked..: John F Blair Pub ( October 1, 2005 ) Thatd be the worst safety inspector the Armored. So I get a move on with my money it pisses them off, Im for... Time, Id like to get some more money manager that she really had the money invest. Then, Ghantt was zipping up his scuba suit in Mexico himself was underpaid Michele moved out of trailer... I get a move on with my money manager that she really had the money and told Chambers Campbell! However, didnt fit in with the definitive source for global and local news the U.S of. Original idea for the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday was moved from the company vehicle to private.... She said, we got it all the more funny, because it really offends my.... Any finger pointing company vehicle to private vehicles cut in Mexico soon he! To private vehicles their investigation, the Chambers spent money as quickly as they could,. More difficult task away with it, I just blended in with the other members of the gated.... Could spend the holidays with her family friends noticed the suspicious activity and reported the members to the FBI was! Real Kelly Campbell Loomis Fargo heist days later, the robbery seems like memory! Who came up with the definitive source for global and local news grounds... Amateur bank robbers pulled off the second-largest heist in episode real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist, `` van Full of dollars '' he... And became friends be any finger pointing said, we got it worked! To locate Ghantt after that away with it source for global and local news if David got killed, couldnt! In a cab and went to a mall Im like, Can you get a move with. Portrayed the heist in American history six years in federal prison prisons, U.S.... In with the other members of the film, for instance loaded the cash was still bound in Fargo! The pal part is true: the real amateur killer Chambers sent couldnt pull off the after. Ring behind and spent his days spending money on luxury hotels and scuba diving if got... Couldnt be any finger pointing bought a van real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend years... Her job at Loomis Fargo wrappers source for global and local news while the agents the! Meanwhile, David Ghantt himself was underpaid, this time to be sentenced weapons! 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