So the pieces were falling into place for investigators. } I did do a lot of diving down in Mexico, which is a great diving spot. Hed never really been in trouble, he wasnt a career criminal, said retired FBI agent John Wydra. They bought a BMW roadster. PFF: Below Average Campbell is the top linebacker on the PFF big board but ranks just 39th overall. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. Accompanying her was Steve Chambers, who, though unemployed, had recently moved . The judge said he would recommend that Michele Chambers be given mental health treatment in prison. Im assuming you dont have any more contacts with your co-conspirators. Ghantt, who had been with the bank since 1994, was promoted from driver to vault supervisor in 1997, where he earned $360 a week and befriended Kelly Campbell (Wiig), who got Ghantt mixed up in the plans for the heist after she left Loomis. They heard Michele brag about her $43,000 ring. Kelly relayed his message to Steve. I was working sometimes 75-80 hours a week at $8.15 an hour. Additionally, we also discussed about his life in Mexico, the discoveries, and his life today after all this fame. The connection to Chambers took more time. On Feb. 27, agents listened in on a call from David to Kelly and learned David's location in Mexico. Federal prosecutors would ultimately charge 21 defendants in the case, including the Floyds, who were charged with (and pleaded guilty to) money laundering. It wasn't how much you stole that mattered most; it was that you had stolen in the first place. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. I might be a little biased. 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. Kelly, she says now, was thinking about how happy she would be to Well she was a pretty happy-go-lucky person, he said. Her husband, Steve Chambers, whom prosecutors have called the main defendant, began serving an 11-year sentence earlier this year. Every day he drives an armored car, transporting millions with no escape in sight. 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. island escape cruise ship scrapped; Income Tax. His wife, Tammy, was as shocked as Loomis officials. He para-sailed, power-skied and scuba-dived. david ghantt wife Web29 David Ghantt Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images. Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain. Scott Grant said he hesitated, but agreed if no guns would be involved. I was also made myself available on set in case if someone wanted to talk to me. Several cars and nine safety deposit boxes were seized, authorities said. The first weekday after the heist, Michele Chambers, co-conspirator Steve's wife, walked into a NationsBank branch with a briefcase containing $5,000. All Rights Reserved. . Together with his wife, Chambers bought a new luxury home (upgrading from his mobile home), a BMW Z3, and some extravagant furnishings. He realized his life wouldn't improve unless he did something drastic. They agreed that after the heist, David would immediately move to Mexico, alone, but Kelly would soon join him there, with her two children. After meeting up with Chambers, Campbell, and some other co-conspirators, Ghantt hightailed it to Mexico with $50,000 in cash in his car. In the first days after the arrests, agents recovered or accounted for all but about $2 million of the stolen money. All Rights Reserved. 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., Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it,, You can garnish wages. David placed their odds of success at 85 percent, a confidence inspired by faith not just in his planning but also in his feelings for Kelly. He was also married. . Hes a family man with a wife and daughter. That led to better jobs, like the one at Loomis. So what made you do it? WebDavid Ghantt discovers the true meaning of adventure far beyond his wildest dreams. He frequently entertained there, buying steaks for his guests. Creative Insights. It had been drilled into my head that if you give me a team of five good people, I can go anywhere, do anything," David explained. He stayed at a luxury hotel and took scuba diving lesson. I went in there to do a basic search. All of the defendants except for one pleaded guilty and accepted their sentences. He would pay McKinney $250,000, half upfront. David trusted her. The next day, Kelly drove back to Steve's mobile home to watch the news with Steve and Michele. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. Chambers, now 32, didn't grant an interview for this article, but last year, in response to written questions, he said the biggest lesson he learned was: "Family is more important and valuable than money. One of my compatriots, Steve Chambers was in charge of the money. They hadn't slept together or even fooled around much, but he was ready to commit. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. A Comprehensive Guide. 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. 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. At the party, Steve invited Michele's stepfather, truck driver Dennis Floyd, to the basement to play pool. Kelly says she underestimated the value of her life before the heist. I even helped them design the set, where he breaks into the vault. This meant a bump in pay, up to $8.15 an Everything changes when he meets Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig), a new employee at his bank, Loomis Fargo. They stocked a wine cellar. Eventually, Steve made Kelly believe they could steal from Loomis and get away with it, she said. WebGhantt hadagreed to split the proceeds equally with Steve and Michele Chambersand Kelly Campbell after the others who were involved in the offensewere paid. In Florida, a Loomis Fargo employee had pulled a gun on his coworkers and gotten away with $18 million, a move that FBI agents theorize Ghantt, Campbell and other employees all sat around talking about - and what they would do with that amount of money - for a while. She is the diamond of my soul. Kelly, she says now, was thinking about how happy she would be to send this man far away from her. If they could just sit on the money until then, he said, they'd be fine. she asked. "I said, 'That's all they gave me,' " McKinney recalled. With the bandits blowing millions on lavish and ridiculous luxuries, they leave behind a glaring trail of evidence. Kelly was no criminal. Ghantt He told her he wanted more of "his" cash. David got a kick out of her. There were things in real life that my compatriots did that was pretty comedic and stupid. Anonymous tips had the FBI monitoring Chambers calls. "I felt that if I didn't do something, I was going to snap," David said. Enforcement of this policy is at the Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy aToyota Siennaminivanin two cash installments. When McKinney arrived in North Carolina, the plan had changed. This technically made it abank robbery afederal offense. It has a lot of things youll look for in a storya little romance, money, adventure and travel. According to Campbell, Chambers could help Ghantt execute a massive cash robbery of the vault at Loomis Fargo in one night. In the dark, Scott inserted one key into the back door slot. 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 ". David Ghantt: The number one question is usually, What made you do it?. BBC Motion Gallery. The two struck up a friendship during work that would continue after Campbell left the company. WebKelly lives (also in a mobile home) with an old friend named Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson) and his wife, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Ellis). Ghantt, who had been with the bank since 1994, was promoted from driver to vault supervisor in 1997, where he earned $360 a week and befriended Kelly Campbell (Wiig), who got Ghantt mixed up in the plans for the heist after she left Loomis. David kissed his sleeping wife on the cheek on the morning of Oct. 4. He couldn't talk.". ". She will never get beyond the debt. What made her abandon an ordinary existence to commit this spectacular, doomed crime? and "I love money!" Kelly had resisted this suggestion before the heist: She and David were friends. She asked about the limit for a cash deposit before "paperwork" was required. It wouldn't work, Kelly told him. He gave the rest to Kelly. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. I would like to think, in my heart-to-heart, he wasnt going [to kill me]. "Are you serious?" . Though Wydra is retired, 25 years ago, he was an agent with the FBI. After the movie [premiered in theaters], my Facebook account exploded. - 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. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. Scott didn't want to, but then he remembered the hundred-grand payday. Ghantt says he believes in redemption, and that his mistake 25 years ago brought him all the things that are important in his life today. What was the number one question? Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. He made it across the border just as his deception was discovered. There was a book published in 2002 as well, by author Jeff Diamant called,Heist! Web1997 - David Scott Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) thought being an armored car driver would be a dream come true. For reasons that remain obscure, Robert spilled the beans to David. At 7:45, David had finished loading. But this time on the phone, Kelly wasn't joking. I was taken back. Steve was sentenced to 11 years 3 months in prison. Agents noticed it two months later when it flowed to them through official channels, along with hundreds of similar reports involving other people. WebMasterminds. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.'. Themansion party is real. No Honor Among Thieves He now has a wife, a construction job, and a child. "I said, 'I don't want him killed.' and "I'm rich!". From Mexico, David usually spoke with Kelly on the phone once a week, paying with calling cards. "You" has three. What made her do it? Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. In the following months, Steve persisted, even floating the notion of placing phony hand grenades on a Loomis truck to scare away the drivers, Kelly said. display: none; Some of the friends and family members received parole, while Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers, carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Collections. EDITORIAL. Kelly drove David to the airport. Then, on a mid-September day, as he reviewed a credit card bill, David did some math. Though David had no criminal experience, he felt he could offer expert advice: He'd just finished reading a book on the FBI. Hudson Valley Panthers Aau Basketball, . She never really worried about the moral end of it--she was focused only on getting what she wanted out of life, what so many others seemed to have in this booming part of the South. In Kukulcan Plaza in Cancun, Mexico, they had a small Internet caf. "I've got a friend," she said, "who can hook you up with a new ID.". In early November, Steve lured the real Mike McKinney, an ex-Marine, to North Carolina from his Illinois home. Along with a group of half-brained criminals led by Steve Chambers and an absurdly faulted heist plan, David manages the impossible and makes off with $17 million in cash..only problem is he foolishly hands the money over to this wild group of double crossers and has been set up to take the fall. MASTERMINDS will be available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download tomorrow. why is my tiktok sound delayed iphone; is lena from lisa and lena lgbtq; charleston county school district staff Kelly's company. Its all being part as a comedy and its Hollywood. I even helped them design the set, where he breaks into the vault. WebMasterminds is a 2016 comedy starring Zach Galifianakis as David Scott Ghantt, an armored car guard who decides to pull off a heist of some bank money he is transporting. He knew his mother would be traumatized, shocked, and appalled. 1998 The Associated Press. David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) is slowly creeping by in life driving an armored truck.His life is at a stall and hes slowly dwindling down into the trash life that was destined for him. The mystery 1-4-3 caller had been Kelly, though agents didn't know it yet. Now worried about both the FBI and McKinney, he spent even more time alone in his room. Three of the 21 defendants in the case haven't been The case resurfaced in the federal courts on Thursday, Sept. 1, when the U.S. Ask questions; get answers. David Ghantt normally came home between 6 and 8 p.m., and often he was late, his wife said. Here's how. The FBI knew they needed to make their move. After the How did they get away with stealing more than $17 million? 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. David Ghantt: Mostly, it concerned for Zach [Galifianakis] to have the right shirt and carrying the right pistol. LRM: You did serve time in Federal prison and it was a very well-known bank robbery. Kelly had recently left a job driving an armored-car for Loomis, Fargo & Co. "He's the one who brought it up first," said Kelly, a year after her arrest. Campbell will collaborate on live Zach Galifianakis played David Scott Ghantt, with other roles played by Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Leslie Jones, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. David kissed his sleeping wife on the cheek on the morning of Oct. 4. She declined to take a lie-detector test. Pocketing $50,000 for himself, that man, named David Ghantt, hopped into a car of his own and headed towards Mexico. Most people are going to forgive you. David Ghantt: Since the movie came out, I probably say I would have more now. is david ghantt married to kelly campbell Chambers, it turned out, became the biggest source of evidence for the FBI. "Think of how many women would have stood by. Fed up, exhausted, and seeing a way out, Ghantt agreed. He had an endearing smile, a beautiful wife and two children. "Things I always wanted to do, but never had the time or the money," he said. Masterminds (2016 film . My love for my family is by far the most important thing in my life. On the evening of October 4, 1997, one man loaded $17.3 million in cash from the vaults of Loomis, Fargo & Co. into the back of a van. The plan called for David to leave the vault door ajar, then maneuver a few minutes alone at the end of his shift, long enough to loot the cash, then pass it to Kelly and Steve. I told them that this was the color regiment. Michele received the best gift of the night. David Ghantt discovers the true meaning of adventure far beyond his wildest dreams. I just sat back and waited on my money. His wife, they said, got breast implants and used cash to purchase a 1998 BMW Z3 sports car. At first, David Ghantt said, "I didn't take her seriously. LRM: True. No one could just pull off the crime of the decade. We are happy to work with other website publishers. . In the two days after the robbery, agents interviewed more than 100 people, most connected with David. David was excited, jabbering about their future together. Eventually, Ghantt called in from Mexico, seeking more money, and the FBI officially recognized Chambers as a co-conspirator. WebPlot David Ghantt is a simple man that lives a very dull life. They are Steve and Michelle Chambers; Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis employee and Ghantts alleged love interest; Michael McKinney; Thomas Grant; his brother, Eric Grant; and Eric Payne. Web1) David Ghantt is underpaid and unhappy. From the beginning, the FBIs prime suspect was David Ghantt. Thanksgiving and Christmas were difficult. ". In mid-November, McKinney carried $10,000 to Cancun but wound up spending most of it on himself. Were you really hailed as a hero? They were ready to set the van on fire for real. VIDEO. First Republic Bank seized by regulators, then sold to JPMorgan Chase, Reward offered as manhunt for Texas shooting suspect reaches "dead end", Louisiana's health care deserts put women, babies at risk, doctors say, Second convoy of U.S. citizens fleeing Khartoum arrives at Port Sudan, ISIS chief killed by Turkey's intelligence agency, Erdogan says, How a tall Texan became an unlikely Australian rules football star, General Mills issues Gold Medal flour recall over salmonella concerns, Investors sue Adidas over Kanye West Yeezy deal, Shaquil Barrett's 2-year-old daughter dies in drowning accident. The next day, the Chambers, Campbell, and some other notable parties were arrested in Charlotte. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. I wasnt attracted to him or anything, but he was a nice guy, Campbell said. It was unclear whether anyone will get that money, authorities said. The trainee didn't know to check to make sure it was closed. Steve began talking about wiring money to overseas accounts, and even purchasing a nightclub. Kayla Thomas Top Boy Summerhouse, At the time it was the second largest cash robbery ever to happen on US soil. He recalled that another agent, Phil King, said, "Hey, there was an article in the [Charlotte] Observer about beeper codes. Chambers would then occasionally wire Ghantt money and see to his basic financial needs; when the heat was off, Ghantt was to re-enter the U.S. and the money would be split up among all of the co-conspirators. loomis fargo heist kelly campbell - makerfaire-ruhr.com David told her he'd need help moving the money, getting a new ID and leaving the country. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. When they showed the mansion scene, the great big velvet Elvis painting was for real. candace faulkner age; water boiling Then you have the huge velvet Elvis. He rewarded Robert with $3,000 and vowed never to meet McKinney alone. Despite being caught on camera wheeling the money from the vault to the getaway van, David Ghantt makes off to Mexico before the FBI can blink. Pensacola State College Job Fair 2022, You look nothing like Zach? I was burned out and just didn't know it. Scott, 26, had a larceny conviction as a teenager, but he'd since cleaned up his act and now had a steady job, a daughter and a girlfriend. Over the next two weeks, David thought about it. "For the first year after a crime," he told her, "they're all over you, with six to ten agents. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. Day after day he drives an armoured van filled with millions of dollars. "I've learned that I'm a fortunate man," he said. Money'll turn your head, I don't care who you are. Oneida County Real Property Records, I just wanted to restart. LRM had an exclusive phone interview with David Ghantt last week, the real-life culprit who pulled off the successful bank heist. But what the bank didnt tell Michelle, and Michelle didnt know, was that one of those forms get filled out if you ask about it, or if its close to $10,000 or if they suspect that any part of that transaction is suspicious, Wydra said. WebThe 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, Ghantt believed the new employee would make a good replacement for his wife, but the feelings were not necessarily reciprocated. Then I realized I needed to be more conservative. David Ghantt: I think its a great story. Who was she to be pressuring him? David Ghantt: There are quite a few small facts and tidbits. When we worked together [for Loomis], we'd joke about it. But, thats a huge amount of money that would just disappear. AMA In October of 1997, I was a vault supervisor for armored truck company Loomis Fargo, when I made off with $17.3 million. Trending News 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. Hes a family man with a wife and daughter. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. Please enter valid email address to continue. "Everything's gonna be all right," she told him. 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. LRM: Im curious. In this outrageously entertaining book, Jeff Diamant, the Charlotte Observer's lead reporter on the case, offers the definitive inside account of this astonishing. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. 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. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM MASTERMIND MOVIE 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. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. In December, agents got the tie-in they were looking for: Kelly Campbell had bought a $30,000 Toyota minivan with cash and registered it to one of Steve Chambers's aliases. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. The site features a collection of unexplained, strange and odd mysteries. People did come up to me and asked me for my autograph. Ghantt was charged in connection with the robbery reported Oct. 5 at Loomis, Fargo & Co. Her marriage--at which she was making another ambivalent effort after multiple separations--and even the jobs she'd been able to get with a diploma couldn't come close to providing the kind of life she dreamed about, the life she felt she deserved: a house in the country, a swimming pool, and enough cash so she didn't need to rely on men. 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. Ghantt sent home a new employee and quickly loaded the money into the back of a bank van. Ghantt was captured Sunday in Mexico. He told him McKinney was in Mexico to kill somebody.
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