One day, the two employees were in the break room and got to talking about the news of the day a massive bank heist that just occurred in Florida by someone at their company. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Whisler said he didn't think those factors should result in a reduced sentence. MAIL. Its a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I went down and talked to them, got to meet Zach Galifianakis and the director, Ghantt said. Chambers essentially put a hit on Ghantt. ``This defendant was second to Steve Chambers in (benefiting) from the crime,' he said. Perry identified the other six people arrested as Steve and Michelle Chambers; Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis employee; Michael L. McKinney; Thomas Nathan Grant; and Eric Haley Payne. To connect Chambers to them was more difficult. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. Ghantt went on to explain that he rarely even looks at his debt statement to the government, but believes the IRS says he still owes them $3.8 million. Regular folks, big dreams and a ton of money: How the Loomis Fargo heist happened. After the Loomis Fargo heist, when the arrests were made, Ghantt and seven others pleaded guilty in federal court to the charges. Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. In 97 me and my wife were just barely scraping by, Ghantt recalled in Mondays episode. 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. Kelly : Oh, it's a real magical place. Loomis Fargo & Company was established in 1997 by the consolidation of Wells Fargo Armored Service and Loomis Armored Inc. Kelly : No, Rio. Some received probation for money laundering, many others did hard time. In that time, I realized most of my problems were because of me. David Ghantt had been a model employee for an armored car company before pulling off the second biggest cash heist in U.S. history, fleeing with more than . Keeping with the plan, Ghantt took $50,000, which was the maximum that could by law be taken across the border of Mexico without authorization. That movie, Masterminds was filmed in 2014. Question: Do you ever think you could have been killed? All six were charged with aiding, abetting and counseling the commission of a bank larceny and being accessories after the fact, and hindering Ghantt's apprehension. Guided by federal sentencing rules, prosecutors had requested a sentence of nine years for Michele Chambers. After this, he began loading $17 million in unmarked bills inside a company van before driving away. ENTERTAINMENT. I hope everyone has moved on. They drove off to a printing business called Reynolds & Reynolds in northwest Charlotte. I wasnt attracted to him or anything, but he was a nice guy, Campbell said. $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. Federal Judge Graham Mullen sentenced her to between those lengths. 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. Finally, despite a few hiccups, Ghantt successfully made his way to Mexico with $50,000 in hand. He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. Today's guest author is David Ghantt. 1998 The Associated Press. Ghantt fled to Mexico. LRM had an exclusive phone . Answer It is based on the October 1997 Loomis Fargo Robbery in North Carolina, which was the subject of the 2016 American comedy film Masterminds. : The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft. David Ghantt was sentenced to seven years in prison and Steven Chambers was sentenced to 11. Explain? David Ghantt, Kelly Campbell, and their friends stole an astonishing $17.3 million. From the start, David Ghatt was considered to be a prime suspect. This was all the evidence the authorities needed. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. 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 . The feds say these six were involved with David Scott Ghantt, and were sharing the loot from Ghantt's $17 million armored-car-company heist in . LIFE. Meanwhile, Chambers would hold on to most of the cash and send Ghantt small amounts of money as and when required. Steve hires hitman Mike McKinney to kill David, but the two become friends. In all, they recovered $6.6 million. The office in Charlotte would be the victim of Ghantt in the year of the opening. ``None of these defendants , in this court's opinion, are capable of making substantial restitution, no matter what they do, or no matter what they try,' Mullen said. David Ghantt: [after the loaded gun in the back of his trousers goes off] Oh, that burns! He misses Tonys Ice Cream in Gastonia, and he discusses how he tells employers about his criminal history. Ghantt:It started out as a mental exercise and somewhere between the mental exercise and the actual event, it became serious. One day, Campbell met up with Steven Chambers, an old high school classmate and a small-time crook. When Ghantt called Campbell asking for more money, a plan was set in motion to take him out. 69-year-old suffers stroke in his home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. It was nearly the perfect crime, but while Ghantt fled to Mexico to lay low, his partners' lavish spendingand their own alleged plans for murderwould ultimately be the group's demise. The ludicrous thing was that the bundles of cash still had Loomis Fargo bands stuck on them. Question: How much of 'Masterminds' is true? However, he was running short of funds. The bandits had such a sudden influx of cash that they didnt know how to spend it. Defense lawyer Andy Culler sought a seven-year, three-month sentence. Robbing the 7-Eleven and getting $40 bucks and a pack of Marlboros was not for me. Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. The FBI heard about the plot and agents knew they could no longer wait. She also . SEARCH. Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago. Ghantt:I've always known that story had potential to be a comedy or a drama. All Rights Reserved. But when he's convinced by his work crush, Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig) and her accomplices to join in a far-fetched plan to rob a bank vault, David soon throws everything on the line for love, money, and a . But before the hit could be carried out, the FBI swooped in and arrested Ghantt and the others. The FBI recovered several million dollars in a van found in Mecklenburg County, but about $14 million in cash is still missing, authorities said. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars-worth of temptation. SPORTS. Her sentence would've been ``substantially' less if she hadn't kept it, officials said. More than 20 people ended up in the FBI's dragnet. As Ghantt was the only employee absent, he was marked as the obvious suspect. Ghantt ended up doing more than five years in prison, Chambers did more than 11 years. This caused them just to leave the cash they could not take with them in the back of the van. This story was originally published October 1, 2017, 6:44 PM. An armored car driver suspected of taking $17 million from his company's vault has been captured in Mexico after a manhunt of nearly five months. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later David Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. The Gaston Gazette spoke with Ghantt, who is now in his late 40s and lives in Florida as a free man. Not many people can say they stole $17 million from their employer and had Zach Galifianakis play them in a movie. He rarely went to the nearby beach, she said. It was one of those things everyone (at Loomis Fargo) joked about, but in time, it became serious. When to set your clocks for daylight saving time, A raw bar, Asian restaurant, ice cream shop and arcade debut at Concord food hall. More than 20 people were arrested by the FBI, making this one of the largest heists in history. Ghantt met up with the other members of the plot and offloaded the cash. The heist led to a book, TV specials, a major movie. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM 1998 and ACTORS IN MOVIE. David Ghantt, who pulled off the Loomis, Fargo & Co. vault robbery in 1997 and was sentenced to seven years in prison for the crime, served as a consultant for the film (in theaters Friday . Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. Let me see! Zach Galifianakis stars as Ghantt, sporting an impressively pronounced bowl-cut and a perpetually pained smile. Six other people also were arrested, including a couple who suddenly moved from a trailer to a $635,000 house. Did you get paid? "I've moved on with my life," he said Tuesday. Most people are going to forgive you. The move bought him a little extra time to make his escape. The corporation handled armored transportation, ATM maintenance and other cash handling services, and had millions of currency stashed in the vault of the North Carolina branch. He would leave most of the money with Campbell and share it evenly when he returned with Campbell to leave him enough money to live. The FBI investigation was able to connect Ghantt to Campbell quickly. The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. Authorities say Steve and Michele Chambers moved from a mobile home into a $635,000 house three weeks after the theft. Once they were in custody, the overwhelming task of clearing out possessions possibly purchased with the stolen money began. One day, David's girlfriend Campbell was talking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. It was Chambers' extravagant spending after the Loomis Fargo heist that led to the arrests. The Legend of the Green Man: Raymond Robinson, The Incredible Dunkirk Evacuation- in rare pictures, Elizabethan Food and Drink- Brief History & Key Facts, 10 Famous Female Warriors Who Made Their Mark On History, 15 Intriguing Facts About The Middle Ages. According to federal indictments, some of Ghantts co-conspirators were planning to fly to Mexico and kill him. A couple by the names of Steve and Shelley Chambers also became people of interest in the investigation due to their extreme sudden increase in spending. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. The investigation ultimately resulted in the conviction of eight people directly involved, as well as sixteen others who had indirectly helped them. It was over. Chambers also promised to join Ghantt in Mexico as soon as she could, but she admitted to Super Heists she never had any intention of actually making the trip. He had sent home early a newly hired employee and then proceeded with the loading of the funds. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. The only person not to plead guilty in the case, former Gastonia attorney Jeff Guller, ended up doing eight years for money laundering. During the next few months they bought a BMW-Z3 roadster and tens of thousands of dollars in antiques, furniture and decorations. $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. In his hurry, Ghantt had simply overlooked the third security camera. Ghantt began to complain vocally. And the company soon calculated how much was missing--$17 million. The affidavit also cited telephone conversations between Steve Chambers and McKinney that indicated they may have been plotting Ghantt's murder in Mexico only days ago. The reason for this was because, after the Loomis Fargo heist, the thieves had miscalculated the sheer bulk of the small denomination currency. Even when Ghantt left, they continued to maintain contact. They also bought a BMW Z3 with cash and made several large purchases, not wanting to keep a low profile. Whisler told the judge that the couple had searched for a new house before the theft, and that Michele Chambers bought rubber bands from Wal-Mart to count the money the night of the crime. The Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery was the $17.3 million cash robbery of the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis Fargo & Company on the evening of October 4, 1997, by armored car driver and vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt.An FBI criminal investigation (which became international in scope) ultimately resulted in the arrest and conviction of eight people . He said every year he files his taxes and the IRS takes all of his tax return. Robbing the 7-Eleven and getting $40 bucks and a pack of Marlboros was not for me. While listening in, they uncovered another more sinister alleged plan to kill Ghantt. It all went down in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the man at the center of that heist, David Scott Ghantt, now lives in Jacksonville. The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. Afterward, outside the courthouse, her parents said the length was about what she had expected. I appreciate your kind words! That 3-carat ring came back to haunt Michele Chambers at Tuesday's hearing. It was committed by David Ghantt and the heist subsequently inspired the comedy movie Masterminds. David gets Steve to confess to planning the heist. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars-worth of temptation. Just days after agreeing to the plan, the group set a day to carry out the robbery. I knew it was over then, Ghantt said. } Twenty years ago this Wednesday, a small group of people stole $17 million in cash from the main vault of a Loomis Fargo & Co. armored-car warehouse in west Charlotte. He has a regular life now, but 25 years ago, David Ghantt was the mastermind behind the 3rd largest bank robbery in U.S. history. And theres the story of then-Observer reporter Joe DePriests race to Mexico to catch Ghantt as he was getting arrested. I was relieved emotionally because I knew there was a good chance my luck might run out, Ghantt said. David Ghantt was a nuisance to Steve Chambers and Kelly Campbell, John Wydra, a retired FBI agent who handled the case, told Super Heists.. David Scott Ghantt, 28, was arrested Sunday on an island off the Mexican coast, near the resort city of Cozumel, FBI spokesman William Perry said today. View contact info: Address, Phone, Email & Photos. When Loomis Fargo employees could not open the vault the following day, they called authorities, and the investigation was started. David Ghantt was a Gulf War veteran who never had a problem with the law. Investigators eventually connected Campbell and Chambers to the robbery, which led to the arrest of more than 20 people. The plan went off with few problems, but after Ghantt was safely in Mexico, his partners were left storing large amounts of cash. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. Based on the October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery. . Ghantt:Since I still owe the federal government money I can't get paid. Its available to stream on Netflix, and the description on the site starts with the phrase Four dim-witted Southerners, which should tip you off that this retelling deserves a few grains of salt. Founder With Four Million Fake Customers Tricked JPMorgan Out Of $175 Million, Police Search For More Than 70 Bodies After Woman Claims Dad Was A Serial Killer, Mother Turned Her Own Son In To Police As She Was Afraid He Would Attack School. Authorities said they hired a man named Michael McKinney to meet up with Ghantt and kill him, under the guise that he was planning to give Ghantt more of the money he was owed. Kelly Campbell: Oh, my gosh. Steve began talking about wiring money to overseas accounts, and even purchasing a nightclub. If we work together, we can all have plenty of pie.. David Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Ghantt says he operates a bulldozer for a small company. WSOC TV facebook feed(Opens a new window), Part 1: When you have money, you just have different problems: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later, ALSO READ: Trio charged following takeover-style bank robbery in South End, sources say, ALSO READ: Police: Suspect arrested in Rock Hill following bank robbery in northwest Charlotte, ALSO READ: Business owner says more than $100K in checks stolen, then forged and deposited, 13-year-old girl killed in crash involving tractor-trailer on I-485 in west Charlotte, police say, Tattooed arm of missing man found inside shark caught by fishermen, Shanquella Robinson case needing high-level diplomatic intervention, attorney says, Wells Fargo to close Charlotte-area branch, two others in NC in consolidation move, Murdaugh Trial, Day 27: Jury visits crime scene before closings at trial, WSOC - TV Public File Contact / Program Director, WAXN - TV Public File Contact / Program Director. Bank heists are ideally supposed to have meticulous planning right? 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