"I don't have time to mess with you. They swept the surrounding counties, locating Kelly Campbell and Eric Payne in their homes. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Asked the purpose of his visit, Johnson had replied, "To visit friends. He knew they were nervous outside waiting for him, but he also knew he wouldn't stop stealing until he had taken everything. That way, outsiders couldn't see money being loaded. But with Kelly's new idea on the table, several dark realities converged on him. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. But after one visit, she asked a teller How much can I deposit before you have to report it to the feds? followed by Dont worry, it is notdrug money, the bank filled out asuspicious activity report, which ultimately reached the FBI. The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. It took me going to prison to realize I was a bag of worms, and it took me years of work to be somebody worthy to come back into our society, he said. I appreciate your kind words! [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]. The plan to. remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats It was released in 2016 and Wydra was invited to the premiere. Four-wheeling. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. The defendants received sentences ranging from probation for several relatives to over 11 years in federal prison for Steve Chambers. CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kelly Campbell, the woman who helped plan the $17 million robbery of armored-car company Loomis, Fargo was sentenced yesterday to nearly six years in prison and ordered to. In fact, he had recently finished a book about the FBI and felt it provided insight into the agency's investigative techniques, insight he thought could help the little gang succeed. 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. "But you can still have a cigarette.". Eric Payne got out of prison in 2006 for his role in the heist and has since paid $11,357 on his $292,000 debt. 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. 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. They succeeded in removing $17 million from the safe. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. 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 theyve ever had. 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. 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. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. EDITORIAL: Computer Science misses the need for digital literacy, N. Carolina legislators announce Medicaid expansion deal, EDITORIAL: Fighting political forces that sever family ties, Special-use to get overhaul: Commissioners, planners take a look, Cape Carteret seeking new police chief one month after hiring New Bern resident for post, How many in North Carolina are awaiting student loan debt relief? Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. The bag held his mobile phone and handgun. The woman on the phone was Kelly Jane Campbell, and David had a mad crush on her. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Not every agent has a case like that, he said. So the pieces were falling into place for investigators. 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. Yet their lives seemed far easier and better than his. The trainee didn't know to check to make sure it was closed. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with. Gronquist said. 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. The FBI was inadvertently aided by the gang members extravagant spending. It, too, has changed hands several times. Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. He also stole both existing sets of vault keys and hurried into the manager's office, where three TV security screens and two VCRs were visible. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. Inside the truck, they found Ghantts ring and surmised this as a sign of Ghantts intention to end his relationship with his wife. He knew his mother would be traumatized, shocked, and appalled. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such asscuba divingandparasailing. She was five-foot-seven, had dirty-blond hair, and had worked with him for about a year at Loomis Fargo, until she left for another job in 1996. "So he stays behind and moving over two thousand pounds of . So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. Campbell used to work for Loomis and continued the friendship with Ghantt, eventually hooking him up with Chambers. Authorities were notified of the robbery in the morning, when employees couldnt open the vault. By this time, agents knew where he was and had a general idea who the other players were, so they went to every bank in town to see if any of them rented a safe deposit box. The FBI became more suspicious after they interviewed Campbell for the third time. 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. Ms. Campbell worked at Loomis for 11 months, leaving in November 1996, according to court papers. He quickly found out when you have money, you just have different problems, Wydra said. Loomis Fargo employees could not open the vault the next morning, and called the police. He also took various measures to change his appearance, such asshaving, after a patron at a restaurant pointed out to him that he looked like the man who robbed a bank of $20 million.. Now one of the most wanted men in America with the FBI hot on his heels, Ghantt must figure out how to get his money, get away from a hit man, and get even. David was thin six-foot-one, one hundred sixty-five pounds and heaving the stacks onto the cart, pushing the cart toward the vault door, and then emptying its contents into the van was exhausting. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. At that point, Kelly and David had known each other for two years. For example, Steve Chambers and his wife were living in a trailer and upgraded to what would today be a multi-million-dollar mansion at Cramer Mountain. Library Journal "highly entertaining." Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later While David Ghantt trusted Steve Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. Spunk. None of the suspects had been in any serious trouble before this. Though much of the cash was already stacked on pushcarts in the vault, other stacks were on shelves or the floor, and they were heavy. : The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps. Campbell used to work for Loomis and continued the friendship with Ghantt, eventually hooking him up with Chambers. 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. 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. How he felt shorted by life. You can seize property. All of the co-defendants were arrested the next day, about six months after the heist. Inside $3.3 million was located along with the two stolen surveillance tapes, apparently left due to the robber and his accomplices being sloppy, or in a hurry. She had attitude. 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. By then, the FBI had become greatly concerned for Ghantts personal safety; they had learned of Chambersmurder for hirescheme. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. 12) Loomis Fargo heist- The aftermath Ultimately, eight co-conspirators were indicted for the Loomis Fargo bank heist. His eyes widened and he stopped breathing as he realized that something as mundane as a malfunctioning gate might ruin their entire plan. Its attracted workers like Ghantt. Its in the ether. "I'll need help moving the money, getting a new ID, and leaving the country," he told her. Now and again I run into blog posts that tends to make me want to get started on bloggin myself. https://www.charlotteagenda.com/67457/loomis-fargo-heist-masterminds-movie/, http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/article104506876.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_1997_Loomis_Fargo_robbery#Company, http://retroclt.blogspot.com/2014/07/loomis-fargo-heist.html, . She will never get beyond the debt. He would then have the bulk of his share sent south of the border. And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. How did they get away with stealing more than $17 million? But being the vault supervisor at Loomis Fargo had one perk -- exposure to tons of cash. If a prank seemed dangerous, David backed out. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. 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. Kelly Campbell, who one day visited a Toyota dealership to purchase a minivan with twenty-dollar bills. 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. He even had to watch what he bought at the grocery store. Worlds Biggest Heists London Hatton Garden 200m Diamond Robbery, Easter 2015. "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. " That first day in prison was scary, Ghantt said. It should have been easy, but for some reason the gate didn't open for him. 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. We went on a mission to calculate exactly how much size-wise the money was, $11.3 million in $20 bills, and it weighed over 2,000 pounds, former FBI agent John Wydra said. It all seemed unfair. 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. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. 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. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. They didnt expect it.. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Heist! I made a joke once that was the hardest Id ever worked for Wells Fargo -- yeah, its a lot of work, Ghantt said. In this outrageously entertaining book, Jeff Diamant, the Charlotte Observer's lead reporter on the case, offers the definitive inside account of this astonishing. It just happened to fall on my desk.. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. But he wasn't finished. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. She was five-foot-seven, had dirty-blond hair, and had worked with him for about a year at Loomis Fargo, until she left for another job in 1996. The plan was for Ghantt to commit the actual robbery and then quickly leave the country forMexico but to leave the bulk of the cash with Chambers. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. The same applies to trolling, the use of multiple aliases, or The unsolved mystery of the Van Meter Visitor a winged creature! In the end, the FBI was able to capture the original gang in five months, snaring 21 individuals for their participation in the crime. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. David was supposed to be showing him the ropes of the job, which included cash pickups and deliveries. The movie was called Masterminds and stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson. 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.. The next day, before Mike was able to leave the country, the FBI arrested him in his hotel room. Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. Friends of Campbell had also begun spending large amounts of cash. David got a kick out of her. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done. David told Kelly they would have to control themselves and not spend the money too quickly, because the FBI could electronically trace a suspect's recent spending activity through bank papers, credit card records, and land transactions. sole discretion of the site administrators and repeat offenders may 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 If you didnt live in the Charlotte area 25 years ago, you might not believe it. Oh were not going to talk to anybody, theyre not going to be able to convict us, that bravado happens in the beginning and then it often gets worn down by the reality, Gronquist said. Its in the ether. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. He couldn't understand the gap, why he wasn't more successful, why he couldn't at least match the financial stability of his father, who earned a comfortable salary driving a truck. So that was kind of like this once-in-a-lifetime thing, Wydra said. 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.. You have permission to edit this article. 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. Another name the FBI had become very interested in is Eric Payne. On the evening ofOctober 4, 1997, the Loomis Fargo & Co branch in Charlotte, North Carolina was in the process of being plundered. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. It was David who was hours away from committing the most daring act of his life, and she was going off about Steve being a serious guy? He had since held one low-paying job after another. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. As a child, he had preferred reading to playing sports, and he would say, as an adult, that although he couldn't have told you "who was on first," he knew as a kid who the Egyptian god of the dead was. 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. 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. The world is full of unexplained events, strange mysteries, and mysterious legends. He put on his best pair of jeans, a button-down shirt, and his nicest cowboy boots. The gang made numerous mistakes. Human nature is a flexible part of life, Gronquist said. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. Seven p.m. came and went, and so did 7:20. His collection case closes in two years. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. Ghantts spending in Mexico was extravagant at first. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded. However, Chambers had no intention of following those rules, believing the FBI would never connect him to Ghantt. Before the robber left Loomis Fargo, he made a trip to the managers office to remove two surveillance tapes in order to conceal his identity. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). The only other employee with him on this day was a trainee. He had approached her inside the chain-link fence that surrounded the building and said with a flirty smile, "If you give me a cigarette, I'll be your friend. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. So the original gang was all totally shocked, Wydra said. The Star-Ledger, 06/15/2015On October 4, 1997, an amateurish gang robbed Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, NC of $17 million, the second largest heist in U.S. history. 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. And they could barely afford the minimum payments, given the power bills, phone bills, car insurance bills, and home payments they had to meet. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. David's share would be sent to Mexico, where he planned to hide and where he expected Kelly to join him. personal/abusive/condescending attacks on other users or goading Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. Some of that money is just gone. An additional tip reached the FBI when Michelle Chambers made a large deposit at a bank. They located Steve and Shelley Chambers in their newly-purchased home at the top of a hill. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. 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. Their most important conversation occurred one afternoon in August 1997 after Kelly paged him at work. He deserved better. Expanded two-hour true crime story about the 1997 Loomis-Fargo armored car heist in North Carolina and the serio-comic fate of its bumbling underdog perpetra. Investigators also found Ghantts pickup truck, abandoned at the warehouse. The Loomis Fargo Heist Over the next months, Ghantt, Campbell, and Chambers developed a plan. In March 1997, after Loomis Fargo & Company has been robbed of $18.8 million in Jacksonville by company security guard Philip Noel Johnson, Steve Eugene Chambers and Kelly Campbell, a former employee of Loomis, decides to rob the company. Probably very egotistical of me, I thought, Yeah, sure, I can beat them, theyre college smart and thats about it, Ghantt said. I was relieved emotionally because I knew there was a good chance my luck might run out, Ghantt said. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. He waffled on the heist idea three or four times from late August to mid-September. The phone calls began to get more intense when Steve and Eric got suspicious of a man who was running hismouth about them and the vault job over in Charlotte. 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. He has been a staff writer for the Star-Ledger in New Jersey since 2000. He hated his job and his bosses, he'd lost hope in his marriage, he wasn't going to advance at Loomis, and he couldn't afford to quit to enroll in college. just generally being a jerk. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. 2023 Cox Media Group. Still facing possible unknowns of other people involved, the FBI needed to gather more information without the suspects getting suspicious of them. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. The unfairness gnawed at him, stirred by Kelly's questions. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). Spunk. - 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. More than 2 million dollars are still missing to this day. How he and his wife had trouble communicating. Except for the kiss in the pickup truck a few weeks before the heist, Kelly had kept things platonic. uncanny, eerie, unnatural, preternatural, supernatural, unearthly, other-worldly, unreal, ghostly, mysterious, mystifying, strange, abnormal, unusual. He worked close-by to where the van and over $3 million dollars had been ditched, and was friends with Steve Chambers. Later that year, he saw a newspaper ad for a job at Loomis Fargo. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. Later, they also arrested Nathans older brother. They had met in December 1995 on one of her first days at Loomis. But if you did, youll never forget it. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. There's just one hitch: Ghantt has entrusted the money to an oddball crew of accomplices who had wooed him into committing this massive theft in the first placeand who, he soon learns, are trying to take him out. I gotta go.". Ghantt had fled to Mexico with $50,000 in cash, leaving the rest of the money with Steve Chambers. them. If we work together, we can all have plenty of pie.. Ghantt reported to Chambers that his supply of money was running low, but Chambers sent Ghantt just $8,000. In total, 24 people were convicted and all but one of the accused pleaded guilty. A connection between each suspect began to emerge slowly, and as the intensity of spending grew, suspicion did as well. I actually loved reading through this post. If we can sit on the money for a year, maybe two, it could work.". Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. 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. Just after the last employees left that day, surveillance footage shows a man enter the vault, and begin to load more than 2,740 pounds in cash into a nearby van, totaling around over $17 million. Unexplained Mysteries and Strange Things,Cool Interesting stuff has been online since early 2011. The unsolved crime mystery of Marilyn Sheppard. He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. Loomis Fargo, the nation's largest privately held armored- car company, used vans to transport hundreds of millions of dollars a day belonging to banks and other businesses, stocking automated teller machines and storing money in the Loomis vault between deliveries. That was taking the long view. Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. It wasn't how much you stole that mattered most; it was that you had stolen in the first place. But they'd stayed in touch, and now they were poised to attempt a crime like almost no other. Heist! A report by the General Accounting Office found that as of budget year 2016, $110 billion in restitution ordered by the federal courts was outstanding and that more than 90% of the amount had been classified as uncollectible.. 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 was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. FBI video shows agents searching the Cramer Mountain home and finding stacks of cash. The plan was to maintain a low profile and wait for things to cool off, allowing Ghantt to return to the states and collect his cut. So its one thing to go from up here, thought, to action, he said. To be brutally honest, it was that morning, Ghantt replied. Holding her hands behind her back, Michele Chambers was sentenced Tuesday to seven years and eight months in prison for her role in the $17 million heist from Loomis, Fargo & Co. She was also. All of the defendants are out of prison -- the longest sentence was 11 years. Ghantt had worked with the branch since 1994, and had been promoted from a driver to the vault supervisor. The case had gotten national publicity and was the subject of numerous articles, documentaries and even a movie. Former Loomis employee David Scott Ghantt is accused of stealing the money. All of the primary players got fined millions of dollars --for example, Kelly Campbell was hit with more than $4 million, an amount that she will never come close to paying. Johnson had stolen $18.8 million earlier in the year, on March 19, 1997, only to be caught five months later, in late August, while crossing into Texas from Mexico to retrieve some of the money, which he'd hidden in a shed in mountainous western North Carolina. I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison.

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