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 other co-conspirators. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. 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. Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. The figures can be astounding. 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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. First, they tapped the Chambers phone, and began listening in on February 11th, 1998. The money weighed as much as a compact car and he did it all by himself. If it didn't work out, he could return to the United States later with a new identity. Friends of Campbell had also begun spending large amounts of cash. Steve had hired a bodyguard named Mike McKinney. They had met in December 1995 on one of her first days at Loomis. 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. Of course the problem was, the money belonged to someone else. Ms. Campbell worked at Loomis for 11 months, leaving in November 1996, according to court papers. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. It was 2:00 p.m. on October 4, 1997, and tension was building between two planners of what would rank high among the largest heists in United States history. Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps. 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. Breakdown by congressional district, States' push to define sex decried as erasing trans people, North Carolina Supreme Court hears felony voting rights case, North Carolina House GOP modifies rules on veto overrides, N. 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And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth.. 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. 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. He deserved better. In Reservoir Dogs, released just five years earlier, the pawns in a robbery knew each other only by assigned colors: Mr. You can seize property. "About fourteen or fifteen million dollars," he said. Still facing possible unknowns of other people involved, the FBI needed to gather more information without the suspects getting suspicious of them. So its one thing to go from up here, thought, to action, he said. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. 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. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. 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. 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. After discussing his job, his marriage, and his everyday struggles, they joked about Loomis and about how easy it would be to steal from the place. Sure enough, she called a few days later, around September 16. Then, he proceeded to load 2,800 pounds of cash into a van. Change). But you cant get blood from a stone,, Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. Discover some of the worlds strangest ancient places. "Everything's gonna be all right," she told him. 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. 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. The world is full of unexplained events, strange mysteries, and mysterious legends. About the worst he had done as a teenager was stealing a construction company's Porta-Jon with a friend, tying it to the back of a pickup truck, and driving around for about fifteen minutes. FBI video shows the agency searching that home and finding drawers full of cash. Tuesday marked 25 years since a group of buddies pulled off the third-largest money grab in U.S. history -- the Loomis Fargo heist. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The FBI heard about the plot and agents knew they could no longer wait. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Discover the truth behind unexplained ancient mysteries, UFO mysteries, secret locations and paranormal events. He would then have the bulk of his share sent south of the border. contact us to submit an unexplained mystery article, or to join the team on the email address below. The hillbilly outfit did more that just drop a few breadcrumbs. And after two years, the case is just a file. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. But that only tells part of the story. 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. Seven p.m. came and went, and so did 7:20. "Just think about it," she said. In addition to their extravagant spending, Michelle Chambers made the mistake of loudly asking a bank teller how much cash she could deposit in her account without it being reported to the feds, and then said, its not drug money.. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft . 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. The bag held his mobile phone and handgun. The investigation ultimately resulted in the conviction of eight people directly involved, as well as sixteen others who had indirectly helped them. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. Not all of them, but some of them are going to forgive you, theyre going to overlook it., he said. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. If we work together, we can all have plenty of pie.. Steve decided to send his cousin, Nathan with money down to Mexico as a ruse, while Mike the bodyguard would follow behind to take care of Ghantt. And they could barely afford the minimum payments, given the power bills, phone bills, car insurance bills, and home payments they had to meet. The inspiration behind the major motion picture Masterminds starring Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Sudeikis! Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. The supervisor liked him and gave him the job. Most people are going to forgive you. As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or Have a youtube channel or website similar? They had to be extremely careful not to tip off the group, as they could lose potential conspirators or more information important to a conviction. 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. He tried again to make the back gate rise, to no avail. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later 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. Driving away, he said he felt a mix of fear, confidence and excitement that he outsmarted the FBI. How he and his wife had trouble communicating. He added that money can be a motivator for anyone. "So he stays behind and moving over two thousand pounds of . Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. Moving the money into the van quickly proved an onerous task. Unexplained Mysteries - owned by Aliens since 2011. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 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? Ghantt reported to Chambers that his supply of money was running low, but Chambers sent Ghantt just $8,000. 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. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. In this outrageously entertaining book, Jeff Diamant, the Charlotte Observer's lead reporter on the case, offers the definitive inside account of this astonishing. While Ghantt trusted Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. She'd left Loomis in November 1996 to take a job elsewhere as a security guard. One number is working in Campbells favor. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such asscuba divingandparasailing. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. Its in the ether. 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. Now and again I run into blog posts that tends to make me want to get started on bloggin myself. So the original gang was all totally shocked, Wydra said. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. In Gastonia, David would run into high-school classmates who had never struck him as especially smart. 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. She will never get beyond the debt. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. Steve's a serious guy.". 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. Growing up, David's family went to Disney World, sent him to religious school, and shopped at places he couldn't afford as a self-supporting adult. To be brutally honest, it was that morning, Ghantt replied. 12) Loomis Fargo heist- The aftermath Ultimately, eight co-conspirators were indicted for the Loomis Fargo bank heist. 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. My knee-jerk reaction was to be angry, and then the sarcastic ass side of me started laughing about it, Ghantt said. ", "I don't need any more friends," she'd shot back. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. In August 1997, Campbell informed Ghantt about an old high school friend of hers named Steve Chambers, who could assist Ghantt to execute a massive cash robbery of the Loomis Fargo vault in one night. Former FBI agent John Wydra, 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. (LogOut/ It, too, has changed hands several times. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. The figures can be astounding. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. Over the next two weeks, David thought about it. When I put that cash in the back of the car, by the time I got to the office the whole car smelled like that. 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. By then, the FBI had become greatly concerned for Ghantts personal safety; they had learned of Chambersmurder for hirescheme. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth., White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money,, Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with., She will never get beyond the debt. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. Ghantt studied how to rob his employer and advised the others not to spend the money lavishly. 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. 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 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.
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