It was his goodbye. So I was glad it was over. I just had to call you., Today, Ghantt cant look back on the whole ordeal without some degree of pride. They heard Michele brag about her $43,000 ring. When she realized Ghantt never came home from work the night before, she contacted the police and filed a missing persons report. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars worth of temptation. I flew from Atlanta to New Orleans. I did every touristy thing you could possibly do while I was down there. That was the thing that sticks in my mind to this day., ALSO READ: Man released from jail, accused of robbing banks while wearing electronic monitor, police say. "I said, 'That's all they gave me,' " McKinney recalled. Soon, the couple would be paying for something else, too: a hitman. He took bus tours of Mayan ruins. They also purchased tanning beds, a pool table, a Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle and all kinds of expensive furniture. Ghantt would go on to spend six and a half years in federal prison. Or does it sit in an offshore account, waiting for a prison sentence to end? Ghantt worked at Loomis Fargos regional office vault in Charlotte. He drove to the edge of the Loomis compound, which was surrounded by a chain-link fence. Three weeks after the theft, Steve and Michele moved from their Lincoln County mobile home to a $635,000 house in a gated Cramerton, N.C., neighborhood. Even still, he was 27, married and struggling to provide for his family. 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. The cash was covered with dog food. "But I had to know.". . Some of that money is just gone. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers, carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Instead of lobster, the man who stole $17 million survived on home-cooked pasta and grilled cheese sandwiches. He para-sailed, power-skied and scuba-dived. 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. Search by Name Search . "Steve said, 'I think we ought to do it that night, when he drops off the van,' " Kelly recalled. Exhibit A was that Steve had no steady job but plenty of cash. He rewarded Robert with $3,000 and vowed never to meet McKinney alone. * I understand and. Because lets be brutally honest: Theyre not wrong, okay? A guard at an armored car company in the Southern U.S. organizes one of the biggest bank heists in American history. . Search Tools . Still, she wasn't happy. They didn't know it, but they were leaving $3.3 million behind. . Directed by Jared Hess and written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer and Emily Spivey, the film stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Jason Sudeikis.. . It has a certain feel, a smell and weight to it. Steve Chambers and Kelly Campbell, who had been friends on and off since growing up together in the mid-1980s, were at a cookout, playing cards and drinking Budweiser at Steve's Lincoln County, N.C., mobile home, Kelly recalled. But after a year, they'll cut it down to two agents. One of them tapped him on the back. Kelly had resisted this suggestion before the heist: She and David were friends. Campbell used to work for Loomis and continued the friendship with Ghantt,. 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. We got this guy named Bruno. I said, Probably, the best time would be on the weekend; theres fewer people there. Steve Chambers and his wife (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) were a little more difficult to connect to the heist. Name. He had an endearing smile, a beautiful wife and two children. And so, he told her, Google my name. "He was in tears. Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain. In the meantime, however, Chambers not only refused to wire money to Ghantt in Mexico, but ultimately hired a hitman (Jason Sudeikis) to take him out. As soon as Corey left, I pretended like I was leaving. As with many recent historic events, this one had been caught on videotape, a fact that a few dozen Charlotte FBI agents would learn in a hastily organized Sunday morning meeting. 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. Loomis, then known as Loomis Fargo, experienced two inside jobs in 1997, for $17.3 million and $18.8 million. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. David was sentenced to 7 1/2 years. So Im like, Can you get a move on with my money? After a couple of weeks passed, I get a phone call from Kelly: Okay, Brunos coming to you, blah, blah, blah. So I get a phone call from this guy, and I tell him where to meet me. When he walked onto the plane, he was wearing big, tall cowboy boots, where hed stuffed a majority of the smuggled cash. About 5:30 the next morning, McKinney knocked on David's door and dropped $8,500 on the bed. Theres some things I want to do., Ghantt planned on traveling from Mexico to the Cayman Islands, bypassing customs along the way. This machine is the property of Loomis. This is the person I counted as my friend. At the end of one session, they wound up kissing outside the pickup. An officer rang the doorbell. Part 2: Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago. In Campbells case, Gronquist says his client was buried in court-ordered debt despite the fact that she took responsibility for what she had done and cooperated with prosecutors and the FBI. 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. FBI video shows the agency searching that home and finding drawers full of cash. Michele told her mother she and Steve had been saving gambling winnings for the down payment. Some family members hid money in bank deposit boxes, other friends were asked to mule cash to the Cayman Islands. But he tried to keep his face averted, so David wouldn't be able to ID him. I ride motorcycles and fish -- normal guy, Ghantt told Counts. Time passed, and Campbell eventually quit her job at Loomis Fargo. These days, the 52-year-old husband and father lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where he works at a heavy equipment rental agency. Federal prosecutors would ultimately charge 21 defendants in the case, including the Floyds, who were charged with (and pleaded guilty to) money laundering. He figured Tammy wouldn't go for it, and though his marriage had been troubled, he wasn't certain he wanted to leave her. My love for my family is by far the most important thing in my life. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. And I said, Hey, man, I got this. I mentioned it to Kelly. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) During one overnight shift, a bumbling conspiracy of thieves just west of Charlotte stole more than $17 million from Loomis Fargo. I said, Listen, You all need to get your shit together, or Im just going to walk over here to the government building and tell them who the fuck I am. That lit a little fire under her ass, for a bit.. If we work together, we can all have plenty of pie.. A couple weeks pass, and I call again, Hey, Id like to get some more money. Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing her. The FBI now knew Chambers had Loomis cash. Michelle Chambers received seven years and eight months, while Steve Chambers was handed an 11-year sentence. Ghantt spent a solid hour moving what ended up being 2,700 pounds of cash more than an actual ton into an unmarked company van. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. Steve, who had sworn Kelly, Eric and Scott to secrecy the night of the theft, named them all to the FBI. And going to see the Mayan ruins. Its everything thats coming north.. So yeah, Im kind of proud of it.. Copyright 2022 TheAssociated Press. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. Sandra Floyd, Michele Chambers's mother, remembers the first time she saw the house. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. ". Then, he proceeded to load 2,800 pounds of cash into a van. In mid-November, McKinney carried $10,000 to Cancun but wound up spending most of it on himself. The pager entry was 1-4-3. Ghantt met up with the other members of the plot and offloaded the cash. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. Steve now needed a hit man. His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. I was just going to get the money into the van. Everybody seemed stunned. . In the meantime, the FBI was closing in looking to bust a total of 21 suspected accomplices. What it does is put a ball and chain on that person for the rest of their lives, they are walking around and they are basically an indentured servant, Gronquist said. Scott Grant said he hesitated, but agreed if no guns would be involved. Im a very deliberate person. But what did that mean? To protect themselves, David and Steve didn't meet or talk. "A lot of people out there had it worse than me, but . While the agents initiated their investigation, the Chambers spent money as quickly as they could. He would pay McKinney $250,000, half upfront. Thanksgiving and Christmas were difficult. Kelly told the FBI she had done drugs with David but denied knowing about the theft. But that only tells part of the story. All of the co-defendants were arrested the next day, about six months after the heist. With the help of Aldo, a Mexican waiter he had befriended, David found a beach apartment in Cancun. "So he stays behind and moving over two thousand pounds. In early September 1997, Kelly found herself chatting on the phone with a friend who still worked at Loomis, a 27-year-old man who, despite being married, had made no secret of the fact that he had a crush on her. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. Ghantt simply got ready for work one morning knowing it would be his last day on the job. Michele received the best gift of the night. Meanwhile, Michele Chambers was laughing and saying, repeatedly, "Look at all this money!" Things started to go south the night of the robbery. Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. But as soon as he drove off, I went right back in and opened the vault. Too many questions remained: Where was the cash? Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Down in Jacksonville, a Loomis Fargo employee took $18 million from an armored van he was driving. The others sat in their cars across the street and watched him struggle to open the heavy gate. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. 1-4-3 is 'I love you.' I did a little research into crime statistics and the local cops. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. 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. Things went from bad to worse when, in November, Michelle strolled into a bank with a briefcase filled with 200 grand and asked the manager, How much can I deposit without the bank reporting the transaction? When she showed the bank manager that she really had the money to invest, the cash was still bound in Loomis Fargo wrappers. www.loomis.com. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. Thatd probably been the best thing for me to do, really. I had to go in there and tell her the whole story, and she was real cool about it. There was a little voice in my head that said, 'Don't do it. The FBI's final challenge is finding the remaining $2 million. Cool, I say. Mine did. David had grabbed $50,000 cash, but could figure out only how to carry $25,000 with him on the plane. The teller, who hadn't asked, filed a "suspicious activity report." She'd heard his stories of other successful schemes, like getting refunds on phony tax returns, or operating a loan shark business. I said, It comes down to picking the right day, and the right time of the month, and all that good stuff. I even told her, It wouldnt be all that difficult. Kelly was lying. This meant a bump in pay, up to $8.15 an hour. "I wanted to be more like my mom and dad were.". . This robbery is the largest cash robbery on U.S. soil. "I said, 'I don't want him killed.' Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. So the pieces were falling into place for investigators. Now worried about both the FBI and McKinney, he spent even more time alone in his room. But because David's relationship with his Loomis bosses had been rocky, he says, he doesn't feel sorry about what he did to the company. After a couple of weeks, Ghantt and the rest of the heist team were ready to strike. Eric watched. To celebrate Halloween, about seven of Steve's friends, including Eric Payne and Kelly, gathered for a party at Steve's house. They decorated their 6,000-square-foot stucco house with antiques, paintings and statues, including a six-foot wooden Indian that Michele had bought for $600. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. Would n't be able to ID him, so David would n't be able to him... Where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers fewer people.. Six months after the heist in mid-November, McKinney knocked on David 's door and $! Looking to bust a total of 21 suspected accomplices alone in his.. Rest of the biggest bank heists in American history man, I got this for... Their cars across the street and watched him struggle to open the heavy gate and dropped 8,500. Planned on traveling from Mexico to the Cayman Islands, bypassing kelly campbell loomis fargo now along the way was and... 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