loomis fargo heist kelly campbell loomis fargo heist kelly campbell

A parrot tattoo on her right ankle. 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. Chambers had no intention of wiring any money to Ghantt and intended to have him killed to keep him from implicating the others. Over the next two weeks, David thought about it. He loves his motorcycle and enjoys going fishing and, while hes sorry for the past, hes not ashamed to talk about it. That sounds like a lot of money until its compared to the $18,930,201.26 the group was ordered to pay. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. He had since served time in prison for the crime and told our sister station WSOC-TV Channel 9s Glenn Counts he learned a valuable lesson while behind bars. I appreciate your kind words! Afterward, she and David would talk just occasionally on the phone. 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), JSO K9 escapes kennel, bites three people in Jacksonville neighborhood, To know Nancy was to love Nancy: St. Johns County woman killed in suspected DUI crash, JSO says missing child alert results in deadly drowning, Senator proposes bill giving state emergency jurisdiction over custody of kids with trans parents, Florida woman accused of killing terminally ill husband released from jail. One day, Campbell was speaking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. The van used to move the money was later located a few miles from the warehouse. That was the thing that sticks in my mind to this day.. The FBI was inadvertently aided by the gang members extravagant spending. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. He said at first, they were very proud of what they had been able to do. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft [Jeff Diamant] on Amazon.com. 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. 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. The FBI became more suspicious after they interviewed Campbell for the third time. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.'. He hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. If it didn't work out, he could return to the United States later with a new identity. In this outrageously entertaining book, Jeff Diamant, the Charlotte Observer's lead reporter on the case, offers the definitive inside account of this astonishing. Copyright The Nashua Telegraph | https://www.nashuatelegraph.com | 110 Main St, Ste 1, Nashua, NH 03060 | 603-882-2741, Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997, Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Is this really about the needs of the poor? Later that year, he saw a newspaper ad for a job at Loomis Fargo. Tuesday marked 25 years since a group of buddies pulled off the third-largest money grab in U.S. history -- the Loomis Fargo heist. OWLS director fired in wake of new board taking over, New rules will require flood history disclosure in real estate, North Carolina recreational spring flounder season canceled for 2023, Supreme Court seems ready to sink student loan forgiveness, Beach commission gets update on search for new sources of sand for beach nourishment. They had met in December 1995 on one of her first days at Loomis. How many people have walked the red carpet at a movie premiere in a case that was yours?. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. She had previously been making frequent small deposits to avert suspicion. Later, they also arrested Nathans older brother. Heist! This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Another time, the day after a Christmas in the late 1980s, David and some friends planted all the discarded Christmas trees from the area in one neighbor's front yard. To visit friends.". He has been a staff writer for the Star-Ledger in New Jersey since 2000. The same applies to trolling, the use of multiple aliases, or He ejected the two VCR tapes that he knew had recorded him stealing the money, took them, and prepared to leave. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. The building was configured so vans could drive inside and pull up next to the vault. After hanging up on her, David returned to work. 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. The unsolved mystery of the Van Meter Visitor a winged creature! them. Ghantt studied how to rob his employer and advised the others not to spend the money lavishly. "Don't back out on us. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. Two days later, when the FBI found the Loomis Fargo armored van, they discovered almost $3.3 million in cash left in the back of the van; it was later discovered that the thieves had miscalculated the sheer bulk of the small denomination currency, and that they simply left the cash that they could not take with them in the back of the van. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. Hed never really been in trouble, he wasnt a career criminal, said retired FBI agent John Wydra. He quickly found out when you have money, you just have different problems, Wydra said. Well they were in some sense celebrities, Gronquist said. He is a graduate of Yale and has worked for the Connecticut Post, the Associated Press, and the Palm Beach Post. 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. In the grand scheme of things, the prison sentence for stealing $20 million wouldn't be much worse than for stealing just $500,000 maybe a few extra years behind bars. The inspiration behind the major motion picture Masterminds starring Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Sudeikis! Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. From there, the money was moved from the armored car to private vehicles. "its a great readsuspenseful, often funny, just the thing for those wondering what it might feel like to have, as these hapless, small-town criminals did, literally too darn much cash lying around. " To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. In preparation for what lay ahead, David had backed an unmarked company Ford Econoline van near the vault entrance and opened the van's back door. He wanted to leave his wife for her, and Kelly, who also was married, let him think she wanted the same. 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They had initially agreed to control their spending for a year or two, in the belief that the government would vigorously track the spending habits of any and all suspects for at least a year before relenting. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. They hadn't slept together or even fooled around much, but he was ready to commit. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. uncanny, eerie, unnatural, preternatural, supernatural, unearthly, other-worldly, unreal, ghostly, mysterious, mystifying, strange, abnormal, unusual. Discover some of the worlds strangest ancient places. Learning from this error, David planned to leave the stolen money behind with his coconspirators while he fled to Mexico. These weren't the hardest of criminals, and though there was logic to not knowing each other's names, they had derived some of their methods from Hollywood depictions of crime. More calls between the two men, and also between Steve and Kelly Campbell, made it clear that the group was starting to turn on David Ghantt. true story that has captivated American audiences on the news and now on the big screen in the major motion picture, Masterminds. A third surveillance tape was carelessly left behind, and the company was able to identify the man who robbed the vault as David Ghantt. : The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft. What kind of surprised me is how much the car smelled like money, like if you ever hold money up to your nose it has a distinct smell, Wydra said. He shut the empty vault and set its timer so the vault could not be opened for two or three days. And they hit the jackpot -- FBI video shows agents recovering most of the stolen cash. I made a joke once that was the hardest Id ever worked for Wells Fargo -- yeah, its a lot of work, Ghantt said. The robbery was committed by David Scott Ghantt who was the vault supervisor and accomplices Kelly Campbell, Steve Chambers, Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobies, and other four members. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. sole discretion of the site administrators and repeat offenders may It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. A more immediate need was securing help to move the stolen money to safety the night of the crime. A few of the Loomis restitution cases have already been closed either because the amount was paid in full or because the 20-year clock wound down. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Instead he became paranoid, especially after Steve Chambers put a contract out on his life. 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. The plan to. David Scott Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. I dont know if Steve would have done it himself, but he definitely was capable of buying someone to do it for him and I think that was going to happen if we didnt step in and arrest Ghantt, Wydra said. The affidavit described Chambers as a former FBI informant who had provided information on another Loomis armored car robbery that never materialized. The movie was called Masterminds and stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson. Now and again I run into blog posts that tends to make me want to get started on bloggin myself. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) They kept several furnishings from the previous owners, including avelvet Elvis. Husband and wife Steven and Michelle Chambers, whose conspicuous consumption of a luxury home, a BMW convertible, breast implants and a $600 wooden Indian, among other purchases, helped the FBI solve the crime, were assessed $3.81 million and $4.8 million, respectively. Their most important conversation occurred one afternoon in August 1997 after Kelly paged him at work. This was several years before the advent of smartphones and the post-9/11 increase in federal surveillance of electronic communications, and public knowledge about this tracking was less widespread. David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis), an employee of Loomis Fargo, robbed his own vault, left the $17.3 million in cash with his co-conspirators, Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig) and Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson) and fled the country to Mexico. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]. 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. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done. Unexplained Mysteries - owned by Aliens since 2011. Discover the truth behind unexplained ancient mysteries, UFO mysteries, secret locations and paranormal events. But you cant get blood from a stone,, Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. 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Marine Fisheries Commission advocates for water quality, North Carolina the only state allowing unnecessary killing of sea turtles, 'Pagan' bike gang leader in N. Carolina sentenced to prison, Deputy cleared in shooting death of Gloucester woman, Beaufort amends charter to allow four-year mayoral term. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats Theres no way to get it back,, And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. Outside of 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. Loomis has received $978,983.79, according to Sally Butcher, an assistant clerk in the federal courts of the Western District of North Carolina who specializes in criminal debt. So the original gang was all totally shocked, Wydra said. LeVaughn Kelly Campbell (born July 23, 1980 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former football wide receiver. The Charlotte area's economy was booming all around him, and he felt passed over. I think if you remember some of her early photographic opportunities, shall we put it that way, she was sort of laughing, not seeming to take it seriously.. They succeeded in removing $17 million from the safe. Winds light and variable. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. So the pieces were falling into place for investigators. At that point, Kelly and David had known each other for two years. 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. Her case closes in 2025. In the parking lot, David sat in his pickup truck smoking a cigarette and waving good-bye as the trainee drove home. All of the co-defendants were arrested the next day, about six months after the heist. A former FBI agent who helped crack the case sat down with Channel 9 Reporter Glenn Counts to talk about the clues that led to solving the crime, and how the group got caught. The figures can be astounding. We dont have the manpower to track all that (restitution) money down I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. You can seize property. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Campbell led Ghantt to think she loved him and they would flee to Mexico together, but she actually wanted to make a better life for herself in the U.S. With the plan in place, Ghantt sent a newly hired employee he had been assigned to train home early (reportedly, at 6 p.m.) and then proceeded to load a little more than $17.3 million in cash (approximately $11 million of which was in$20 bills) into the back of a company van. She sounded incredulous. Ghantt, in order to conserve this money, curtailed his spending. Low 46F. 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. Accompanying her was Steve Chambers, who, though unemployed, had recently moved . But they'd stayed in touch, and now they were poised to attempt a crime like almost no other. For example, Steve Chambers and his wife were living in a. The FBI heard about the plot and agents knew they could no longer wait. An additional tip reached the FBI when Michelle Chambers made a large deposit at a bank. Her case closes in 2025. 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. VERDICT The first edition of this work was published in 2002. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. Then they returned it. The Loomis Fargo Heist Over the next months, Ghantt, Campbell, and Chambers developed a plan.