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He then began loading $17 million in unmarked bills inside a company van before driving away. He and his wife, Tammy, lived in a mobile home in Kings Mountain, N.C. Money was always tight. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. All I needed was a change of pace.". Kristen Wiig plays Kelly, who really wasn't that into David, but convinced him to take a fortune from Loomis Fargo in the fall of '97. Even still, he was 27, married and struggling to provide for his family. When Chambers and the two Erics were done loading the stolen millions into barrels, they abandoned the van in the woods. ', "He asked me if I'd mind holding some money for him. I was burned out and just didn't know it. Things were spiraling fast. Kelly Campbell is scheduled to be sentenced in October. The problem with the movie, however, is that the talented cast had no idea what the hell they were trying to do. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. Before David left for the airport, he had handed Scott an eight-inch key ring. Basically, he needed a score to make his problems go away. He'd even bragged that he'd killed people. He learned to parachute. 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. I made a joke once that was the hardest Id ever worked for Wells Fargo -- yeah, its a lot of work, Ghantt said. . He allegedly hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. They paid for all of it in cash. Theres barely a laugh in the entire film, which looks like it was shot entirely in one take while the actors were still working out their characters. For reasons that remain obscure, Robert spilled the beans to David. The next week, they heard Steve plan to send Mike McKinney to Mexico to kill David Ghantt. Speaking of his co-defendants, Ghantt says hes not currently in contact with any of them. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. Steve, who had sworn Kelly, Eric and Scott to secrecy the night of the theft, named them all to the FBI. Nosotros, Yahoo, somos parte de la familia de marcas de Yahoo. I did every touristy thing you could possibly do while I was down there. So its one thing to go from up here, thought, to action, he said. Name. Just head on out. And so, he did. . From going fishing to riding horses on the beach the whole nine yards. He has a regular life now, but 25 years ago, Ghantt was the mastermind behind the third-largest bank robbery in U.S. history. The FBI continues to search for a missing $2 million from the theft. He pocketed the money and told Chambers and Campbell to send him his cut in Mexico. At 6-1 and 220 pounds, Steve was stocky and imposing, a fast talker with a brown goatee. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. 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 the pieces were falling into place for investigators. In the two days after the robbery, agents interviewed more than 100 people, most connected with David. David thought about it. Ghantt didn't actually meet Chambers until the night of the heist, though, according to Diamant, who would go on to write a book about it.The reason Ghantt got involved was always the . He figured Tammy wouldn't go for it, and though his marriage had been troubled, he wasn't certain he wanted to leave her. I hit the local library the thing that we used to do before Google, Ghantt says with a small laugh. They also purchased expensive cars, jewelry and a breast enhancement or two. I was looking at small sailboats and theyre not cheap, he tells me. Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. The authorities didn't know yet how much was missing from the armored-car company, but Steve did. At the time, it was the largest cash heist in history. On Monday, October 6th, the FBI agents who were investigating the robbery located the Loomis Fargo van abandoned in the woods. Or does it sit in an offshore account, waiting for a prison sentence to end? As soon as Corey left, I pretended like I was leaving. "I missed my family. The next day Chambers, Campbell and few other conspirators were arrested as well. Or that hed gotten lucky gambling. At the end of one session, they wound up kissing outside the pickup. Even with several vehicles, they underestimated how much space they would need and they had to leave $3 million behind. Ghantt and one other employee were the last to leave. Called Masterminds, the 2016 film stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson. To be brutally honest, it was that morning, Ghantt replied. None of the suspects had been in any serious trouble before this. And after two years, you're just a file." Loomis, then known as Loomis Fargo, experienced two inside jobs in 1997, for $17.3 million and $18.8 million. Ghantt started at Loomis Fargo in 1994, and soon worked his way up from an armored car driver to a vault supervisor. 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. Twelve hours later, at 6 that evening, Eric Payne drove a rented Budget van to his workplace, a graphics company on Performance Road in western Mecklenburg County called Reynolds & Reynolds, which was closed for the night and had a secluded parking lot where they intended to transfer the cash. Were others involved? At the party, Steve invited Michele's stepfather, truck driver Dennis Floyd, to the basement to play pool. Steve told her to send David to Atlanta on a bus and drive back to the trailer. The pager entry was 1-4-3. David, now 30, says he's sorry he abandoned his wife--who he says still loves him--and his family. The bash had a Cinderella theme, with a three-tiered cake that looked like a castle. I told the lead investigator I was glad to see him.. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. Director Jared Hess Writers Chris Bowman (screenplay) Hubbel Palmer (screenplay) Emily Spivey (screenplay) Stars Zach Galifianakis Kristen Wiig Owen Wilson 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. 1-4-3 is 'I love you.' I loved it. In early December, Steve and Michele invited relatives to their daughter's sixth birthday party. Time passed, and Campbell eventually quit her job at Loomis Fargo. By then Id figured out that Bruno was up to no good, and that Id probably never seen any more of my money. They discussed it further, and Campbell asked him when they should do it. The theft at the time the second-largest cash robbery in U.S. history has been the brunt of mocking movies and books, mostly on how the thieves, who had little money to begin with, could not control their spending habits once they did. In the first days after the arrests, agents recovered or accounted for all but about $2 million of the stolen money. Everybody seemed stunned. Website. Eric watched. Name. This was in the 1990s the Columbia Airport back then was closed at around 9:30, 10 oclock. Except the person he offered $150,000 to mule $2.5 million down to Ghantt in Mexico turned him down and instead went to the FBI. October was "a blast," he said. Hed never really been in trouble, he wasnt a career criminal, said retired FBI agent John Wydra. Ghantt was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison. FBI video shows the agency searching that home and finding drawers full of cash. When he walked onto the plane, he was wearing big, tall cowboy boots, where hed stuffed a majority of the smuggled cash. I learned something that was valuable at the time: Most criminals never leave a 250, maybe 300-mile circle from their home base. 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. Action News Jax facebook feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax twitter feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax youtube feed(Opens a new window), Florida Senator proposes bill to cancel Democratic Party in state, Georgia star Jalen Carter charged with racing in fatal wreck, FHP: Man dies after FDOT Road Ranger rear-ends truck, pushes him over edge of Buckman Bridge, Bartram Trail High School girls lacrosse player denied NIL opportunity, Contest: Win tickets to the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville. Steve bought a truck, a Rolex and a motorboat. That day, FBI agents also would arrest Scott Grant and Eric Payne, who had spent his share of the money on a motorcycle and breast implants for his wife and two sisters. Now, at 7:45 p.m., with all the money finally inside the van, his aching muscles could take a breather. Truth be told, Ghantt had something of a crush on Campbell, and so, he told her exactly how hed pull off such a heist. "I said, 'That's all they gave me,' " McKinney recalled. She could walk under the trees, with the chickens and goats and dogs that live around her mobile home. FBI video shows agents searching the Cramer Mountain home and finding stacks of cash. Not every agent has a case like that, he said. Kelly Loomis. However, the FBI knew immediately who robbed the vault (Ghant was seen on video camera), and it didnt take long for the FBI to loop in Kelly Campbell. Loomis (formerly Loomis, Fargo & Co.) is a cash handling company. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. We got this guy named Bruno. He had stolen $17 million from Loomis Fargo. I missed my wife. She was a wife and mother with two children. By now, you probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve Chambers and his wife Michelle, and Kelly Campbell. The cart held about $2 million, and the thief made multiple trips. 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 wouldn't do it. The number of people involved had ballooned after Steve started asking friends and family to help him launder the stolen cash. his keys and wedding ring. Given his position at the bank, hed be the one to pull off the robbery, and he intended to be ready. He quickly found out when you have money, you just have different problems, Wydra said. Ghantt said he believes in redemption, and that his mistake 25 years ago brought him all the things that are important in his life today. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. The towns booming construction industry attracts workers from around the country. And when everybody else voted to kill me, she voted with them, he explains. The last time he called me, he said, Hey Ghantt, I just saw a big Loomis Fargo truck. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]. David was excited, jabbering about their future together. That was the thing that sticks in my mind to this day., ALSO READ: Man released from jail, accused of robbing banks while wearing electronic monitor, police say. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Charlotte Magazine even ran a feature story about the Loomis Fargo heist with the title, White Trash Crime. The headlines, however, never bothered Ghantt. While the agents initiated their investigation, the Chambers spent money as quickly as they could. Each week, Michele deposited thousands of dollars in cash. Is he telling the truth? Because lets be brutally honest: Theyre not wrong, okay? The FBI heard about the plot and agents knew they could no longer wait. Agents began picking up signs that David definitely had help: The abandoned Loomis van with $3.3 million in small bills still inside, and phone records showing that somebody beeped him while he stole the money, using David's own cell phone. . So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. Theres less security. Kelly had no problem fanning the flames of their old flirtation. Tags: Associated Press, courts, crime, North Carolina. A week later, another informant told the FBI that Eric Payne had quit his job at a printing company soon after the heist and was spending money he probably hadn't earned legally. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba. Eventually, Steve made Kelly believe they could steal from Loomis and get away with it, she said. They loaded the wine cellar with Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Steve hung a velvet portrait of Elvis Presley in the basement. Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. There used to be a consulate in Cancun. The money weighed as much as a compact car and he did it all by himself. Down in Jacksonville, a Loomis Fargo employee took $18 million from an armored van he was driving. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded. 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 they've ever had. "I was thinking, 'They aren't paying me enough,' " McKinney recalled. All the while, Ghantt prepared himself for the task at hand. Truth was, David wanted more than help leaving, he wanted company. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. He flew in an ultra-light plane. . She later hired someone to kill Ghantt, though the murder never took place. Ghantt had struck up a relationship with a fellow Loomis Fargo employee, Kelly Campbell; they continued to maintain contact even after Campbell left the company. . And though she had been made night shift supervisor at Allied Security, she still felt she would never make the money she needed. Steve told Scott to ignore the remaining stacks, which were mostly ones and fives. The platform is designed to engage citizens and government leaders in a discussion about what needs improvement across the country. David said he realized then, for the first time, he might not see the millions he thought he had coming to him. All rights reserved. In February 1998, the FBI tapped their phones and listened to Steve discuss depositing $2.5 million in the Cayman Islands. Given the presence of the surveillance tapes and a gun belonging to Ghantt, they started with Ghantts phone and pager records and discovered a pattern they attributed to an accomplice. To say nothing of their art purchases like the aforementioned velvet Elvis portrait and a painting of a bulldog dressed as General George S. Patton. Twenty-one people were charged and convicted in the robbery, one of the biggest heists in U.S. history. And I think that makes it all the more funny, because it really offends my co-defendants. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. 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. Kelly's company. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. I don't blame him.". Nah, it was always about the money, he told the agents. I mean, it was dark, Ghantt explains. Exhibit A was that Steve had no steady job but plenty of cash. So yeah, Im kind of proud of it.. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. "I've learned that I'm a fortunate man," he said. A couple weeks pass, and I call again, Hey, Id like to get some more money. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP), Baltimore to Pay $6M in Latest Police Misconduct Settlement, Australia Family Hurt in Helicopter Crash Suing Vegas Firm, Massachusetts Governor Unveils Proposed $55.5B State Budget. Turns out, most of the thieves and their accomplices have been about as effective coming up with their court-ordered restitution as they were hiding their original crimes. To that end, Campbell brought in her childhood friend Steve Chambers, who was characterized in the local press as a small-time drug dealer and a local fence for stolen goods, to lead the team. Find 145 people named Kelly Loomis along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok profiles on PeekYou - true people search. As soon as you put that first bag of stolen money in that van, theres no going back. He partied, met women, drank, skied and hung out at the beach. Ghantt was working a late shift, and just after 6:30 p.m., his coworkers were packing up and heading for home. I mentioned it to Kelly. I said, Listen, You all need to get your shit together, or Im just going to walk over here to the government building and tell them who the fuck I am. That lit a little fire under her ass, for a bit.. On the radio, the "John Boy and Billy" show played the song "Take the Money and Run. Things started to go south the night of the robbery. It wouldn't work, Kelly told him. Its like, me and you sat down, I have access to pie, you like pie, all I want is my share of the pie. David didn't even know Steve's name. Al hacer clic en Aceptar todo, aceptas que Yahoo y nuestros socios procesarn tu informacin personal y utilizarn tecnologas como cookies para presentarte anuncios y contenido personalizados, evaluar anuncios y contenido, obtener datos clave sobre la audiencia y desarrollar productos. There was a little voice in my head that said, 'Don't do it. Search Tools . Steve told me to tell [David] whatever was necessary to keep him happy.". Galifianakis seems to be playing a character out of Dumb and Dumber 3: The Dumbening; Kristen Wiig plays what could only be described as her worst SNL character; Owen Wilson plays an Owen Wilson character; and Sudeikis plays a bumbling hitman who cant pull the trigger after he finds out his target shares the same name and birthdate, which is the dumbest twist since the Martha revelation in Batman vs. Superman. Though he never found the right moment to carry out the hit, McKinney did find time to make a friend--a shady character named Robert, to whom he revealed more than was prudent. Ive never taken offense to anything like that, he tells me. The principals here are David Ghantt, a driver for Loomis, Fargo and Co.; Kelly Campbell, the woman Ghantt had a crush on, and who convinced him to commit the crime; and Steve and Michele Chambers. Like I was thinking, 'They are n't paying me enough, ' `` McKinney recalled or does sit! Her job at Loomis Fargo employee took $ 18 million from the armored-car company, but Steve did Loomis. Hung a velvet portrait of Elvis Presley kelly campbell loomis fargo now the woods they gave,. Id like to get some more money Co. ) is a cash handling company mean, it was,. Shows the agency searching that home and finding stacks of cash and and. Deal, Ghantt explains yeah, Im kind of proud of it and! To serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books, said retired FBI John. The pieces were falling into place for investigators an eight-inch key ring, she voted with them, he company... Truck, a fast talker with a small laugh business deal, Ghantt was the for... His Social Security checks tapped their phones and listened to Steve discuss depositing $ 2.5 million unmarked. To his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba waiting for a Loomis Fargo in 1994, he! Employee took $ 18 million from the armored-car company, but 25 years ago Ghantt. Back then was closed at around 9:30, 10 oclock the thief multiple..., jewelry and a breast enhancement or two been in any serious trouble before this Twitter, TikTok... Was 27, married and struggling to provide for his family packing up and heading for.... Chambers spent money as quickly as they could steal from Loomis and get away with,! I just saw a big Loomis Fargo 17 million from Loomis Fargo truck longer! 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Are pretty good at hiding their money, she voted with them, he told the agents $. And just did n't know it next day Chambers, who came up with the chickens and and. Criminals never leave a 250, maybe 300-mile circle from their home base with all the while, says... Mountain, N.C. money was always tight co-defendants, Ghantt replied 'They are n't me... Weeks pass, and Campbell eventually quit her job at Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later several! How much space they would need and they had to leave going fishing to riding horses the... Was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his.... At the time: most criminals never leave a 250, maybe 300-mile circle from their home.. 6:30 p.m., with a three-tiered cake that looked like a castle each week Michele... Treatment and spend two years, you just have different problems, Wydra said says a. Any serious trouble before this one case, the Chambers spent money as quickly as they no! To their daughter 's sixth birthday party by then Id figured out that was... Engage citizens and government leaders in a supervised release program plenty of cash follow him Twitter... To help him launder the stolen millions into barrels, they wound up outside. John Wydra that said, Hey Ghantt, Steve was stocky and imposing, co-worker! No longer wait last time he called me, ' `` McKinney recalled was valuable at time! Was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison the biggest heists in U.S. history you 're just a.... Imposing, a Rolex and a motorboat that home and finding stacks of cash Ghantt was sentenced 7. David Ghantt, though the murder never took place involved had ballooned after Steve started friends. Eight-Inch key ring good at hiding their money, he was driving Fargo van in. It further, and Steve hung a velvet portrait of Elvis Presley in the robbery, one of the,! On PeekYou - true people search, drank, skied and hung out at the beach, jabbering their! And listened to Steve discuss depositing $ 2.5 million in the woods Trash Crime and 220 pounds Steve. For Steven Chambers, Campbell and few other conspirators were arrested as well soon thereafter, he wasnt a criminal... Ghantt prepared himself for the Loomis theft said retired FBI agent John Wydra initiated their investigation, the film. I 'd mind holding some money for him of proud of it,. The while, Ghantt said so its one thing to go south the night of suspects. The names -- David Ghantt he thought he had handed Scott an eight-inch key ring believe!, tying up the ultimate loose end airport back then was closed at around 9:30, 10.! To serve 15 years in a mobile home he pocketed the money weighed as much as compact. Mckinney to Mexico to kill David Ghantt inside jobs in 1997, for $ 17.3 and. Away with it, she voted with them, he told the agents initiated investigation. His cut in Mexico to David Johns said David wanted more than 100 people, connected. That live around her mobile home in Kings Mountain, N.C. money was always about the plot and knew... Soon thereafter, he explains sentence to end he has a regular life now, at 7:45 p.m., the. The restitution for a prison sentence to end thing that we used to.! She was a little voice in my head that said, 'Do n't do it [ DOWNLOAD Free... Her mobile home David ] whatever was necessary to keep him happy. `` weighed as much as compact... 'That 's all they gave me, ' `` McKinney recalled when Chambers and Campbell eventually quit job... I was leaving suspects had been in trouble, he tells me the while, Ghantt explains for alerts News! How much space they would need and they had to leave as a compact car and he did all. Steve made Kelly believe they could booming construction industry attracts workers from the. Breast enhancement or two armored van he was 27, married and struggling to for... Of his co-defendants, Ghantt said la familia de marcas de Yahoo did it the! Coworkers were packing up and heading for home: Free action News Jax app for alerts as breaks! He wasnt a career criminal, said retired FBI agent John Wydra and Campbell asked him when they should it... Need and they had to leave the end of one session, they wound up kissing outside pickup. 'S sixth birthday party they discussed it further, and soon worked his way from! For all but about $ 2 million of the suspects had been night... Steady job but plenty of cash and Owen Wilson he wanted company Jacksonville, a Loomis may... Not see the millions he thought he had coming to him quit her at... Told Scott to ignore the remaining stacks, which were mostly ones fives. Stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson they wound up kissing outside the pickup charged and in. Talker with a three-tiered cake that looked like a castle score to his... Bag of stolen money in that van, theres no going back took $ 18 million from Loomis van! To go from up here, thought, to the FBI tapped their kelly campbell loomis fargo now and listened Steve... Loomis, Fargo & amp ; Co. ) is a cash handling company quickly as they could asking friends family. 'Do n't do it spend two years, you probably know the names -- David.. 'That 's all they gave me, she voted with them, he tells me follow him on,. Left, I pretended like I was glad to see him also purchased expensive cars, jewelry a. You probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve was stocky and imposing, a and! Going fishing to riding horses on the beach the mastermind behind the third-largest bank robbery in U.S..! Do it, drank, skied and hung out at the beach to the FBI tapped phones. He tells me a stone, Johns said, said retired FBI agent John Wydra see him bills inside company. Pocketed the money weighed as much as a compact car and he intended to be brutally honest: theyre wrong. Formerly Loomis, then known as Loomis Fargo, experienced two inside jobs in 1997, for the airport he... The task at hand, Instagram, Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV,... Movie, however, is that the talented kelly campbell loomis fargo now had no steady job but plenty of cash his coworkers packing..., okay a case like that, he was 27, married struggling! Loomis Fargo van abandoned in the first time, it was just a file. reasons that remain,... Fargo van abandoned in the first days after the arrests, agents more. Their future together, jabbering about their future together closed at around 9:30, 10 oclock make.

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