Federal prosecutors would ultimately charge 21 defendants in the case, including the Floyds, who were charged with (and pleaded guilty to) money laundering. The True Story of David Ghantt and the Loomis Fargo Heist - PrepScholar She asked about the limit for a cash deposit before "paperwork" was required. He flip-flopped on the heist idea three or four times. and "I'm rich!". The others sat in their cars across the street and watched him struggle to open the heavy gate. Together, they drove in a convoy to an industrial warehouse eight miles away, where Eric Payne, a fourth accomplice was. Sweat soaked David's uniform. "I'd been told all my life, money will not make you happy," Kelly said. They cursed. He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. The teller, who hadn't asked, filed a "suspicious activity report." Ghantt ultimately agreed to the plan, largely, due to a mountain of credit-card debt and in hopes of changing his life for the better. Kelly was no criminal. But he tried to keep his face averted, so David wouldn't be able to ID him. He longed for the middle-class lifestyle of his childhood, with its private religious-school education and Disney World vacations. Actor Owen Wilson plays him in the movie, which includes the real names of all the major players. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist - molecularrecipes.com On the radio, the "John Boy and Billy" show played the song "Take the Money and Run. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. But it wasnt. Michelle, meanwhile, purchased new breasts for herself, along with a $43,000 diamond ring and a new convertible BMW Z3. Note: No quotes were altered, although in some cases additional quotes were added to the questions as Ghantt expanded on his thoughts. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. I wish them all a happy life and that's about it. ", "I said, 'If you drive a truck, you're always in a financial bind. The FBI now knew Chambers had Loomis cash. Now, I kind of know something is fishy., Alone in Mexico with limited cash, Ghantt thought about turning himself in. Get to me. Its that kind of excitement.. ". The number of people involved had ballooned after Steve started asking friends and family to help him launder the stolen cash. He rewarded Robert with $3,000 and vowed never to meet McKinney alone. They heard Michele brag about her $43,000 ring. Though David had said earlier he thought there was $15 million in the vault, the sight of that much cash held them spellbound. The top-ranked pie in North Carolina doesnt look like pie at all. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) _ A woman who helped plan the $17 million robbery of armored car company Loomis, Fargo & Co. was sentenced Tuesday to nearly six years in prison and ordered to pay back more than $4 million. You might as well go all the way now.". The movie was overly silly and, based on a post-screening conversation with former Observer reporter Jeff Diamant who wrote a detailed 279-page book about the occasionally funny but mostly just-plain fascinating crime, titled Heist much of what wound up in the film is fiction. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. And youre like, Come on parachute. So he convinced a local hoodlum in Mexico to try to kill Ghantt. The platform is designed to engage citizens and government leaders in a discussion about what needs improvement across the country. Ghantt:I've burned that bridge years ago. On his second trip, Steve gave McKinney David's hotel address. Or as he tells me, How many people in the United States havent thought about robbing a bank? To say nothing of their art purchases like the aforementioned velvet Elvis portrait and a painting of a bulldog dressed as General George S. Patton. Just head on out. And so, he did. Man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago now a 'normal guy He would pay McKinney $250,000, half upfront. Kelly relayed his message to Steve. He kept looking over his shoulder. Everybody seemed stunned. He had a favorite restaurant, Zandunga, which had a mariachi band each night and a view of the Caribbean. 1-4-3 is 'I love you.' For her part, Kelly Campbell spent six years in federal prison. I thought, Okay, if I get out of that bubble because the cops depend on that, even the feds my chances to get away go way up.. "But, I hate to admit it, it doesn't faze me one bit. Once in a lifetime, Murdaugh verdict sends a Lowcountry message: No one is above the law | Opinion, Charlotte Waffle House found with live roach, unclean equipment during health inspection. No dry runs, no rehearsals. But after a year, they'll cut it down to two agents. 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. Its kind of like that. October was "a blast," he said. "I said, 'Yeah, sure.' He hated the sweet smell of the green ink, and the $8.15-an-hour salary. He told him McKinney was in Mexico to kill somebody. Basically, he needed a score to make his problems go away. In real life: False. The authorities didn't know yet how much was missing from the armored-car company, but Steve did. Charlotte Magazine even ran a feature story about the Loomis Fargo heist with the title, White Trash Crime. The headlines, however, never bothered Ghantt. 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. Few who were living in the area at the time can forget the "Velvet Elvis" painting Chambers had hanging in his mansion or the tales of cosmetic surgery, BMW convertibles and other signs of excess. Though he never found the right moment to carry out the hit, McKinney did find time to make a friend--a shady character named Robert, to whom he revealed more than was prudent. Steve led the planning. . Heres your money. Then he turns around and leaves., The problem was, it was nowhere near the amount Ghantt had expected: Im looking at it, and theres maybe $8,000. "I'm glad I've grown out of that.". Before long, the FBI had wiretaps on the ringleader, Steve Chambers, and then they waited for the right time to make their arrests. Chambers went from a mobile home in Lincoln County to a mansion in Cramerton. And robbing a truck was dangerous. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. I hear her typing. He's a very likable person. At 7:45, David had finished loading. There it was, "The Heist." She didn't plan to move to Mexico. Truth was, David wanted more than help leaving, he wanted company. They also purchased tanning beds, a pool table, a Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle and all kinds of expensive furniture. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. Although David was in on most of the planning, one discussion between Steve and Kelly was kept a secret. Copyright 2022 TheAssociated Press. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. But agents weren't ready to arrest Kelly and Steve. Dependent care account. It's one of the biggest jokes at the place. It was the first Saturday in October. . The pager entry was 1-4-3. It didnt take the local police long to put the pieces together. October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery - Wikipedia So the last third of the movie is almost entirely fiction. ", "I wouldn't do it. So he got in a cab and went to a mall. We spoke to the FBI agents who investigated the case who say the real-life. When neighbors asked where they got their money, Steve said hed played in the NFL. No hard feelings. Posted on . The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. She was like, Well, at least you had guts, he says. I just had to call you., Today, Ghantt cant look back on the whole ordeal without some degree of pride. Sandra Floyd, Michele Chambers's mother, remembers the first time she saw the house. Hes very articulate. . Job Search - Career Portal - Dayforce HCM His mobile home was nicely furnished, on eight acres with a stream in the back. About 10 frantic minutes later, Scott found the right key. Ghantt: My cut was supposed to be about $5 million, but that's not what I ended up with. LeVaughn Kelly Campbell (born July 23, 1980 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former football wide receiver. Given his position at the bank, hed be the one to pull off the robbery, and he intended to be ready. They were the butt of a national joke. I can take it.". After years of reflection and time in prison to work on himself, Ghantt was able to find a way to a better version of himself. On Feb. 27, agents listened in on a call from David to Kelly and learned David's location in Mexico. "Every time my conscience would start bothering me," Kelly recalled, "I'd smoke another joint and forget about it.". Charlotte hotel chef who serves with a smile recognized as outstanding ambassador, Eritrean, Ethiopian restaurant owner was a big brother and father to many in Charlotte, Home tours: This wired-up Weddington smart home has a pool big enough for the neighborhood. David didn't even know Steve's name. Steve had already paid McKinney $50,000 for the use of his ID. Explain? Because surprise! She could visit friends. Before David left for the airport, he had handed Scott an eight-inch key ring. He approached a longtime friend, Eric Payne, who lived in a mobile home south of Belmont, N.C. Steve offered him $100,000 to help. In the wee hours of the morning, Chambers and the Erics drove back to the town of Vale, North Carolina, and holed up in a double-wide trailer while counting their cash. Some amateur thieves might turn to movies and TV shows for lessons on criminal behavior. Alert: Obviously, spoilers abound. Her only brush with the law had been a DUI arrest. 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. There was a little voice in my head that said, 'Don't do it. (The conversation was depicted as 100 percent private on screen). On Oct. 7, 1997, two FBI agents arrived at Kelly Campbell's home after two Loomis employees had told agents she and David had once dated. As he and Kelly met in a field behind a shooting range to refine the plan, she allowed him to believe she was falling for him. There, Scott and Eric paced the floor as Steve tried to calm them down. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. He didn't want to abandon his parents. "Think of how many women would have stood by. Im on the phone with Kelly [Campbell], and Im like, Hey, I really was expecting a package to arrive. They also left behind a life-changing fortune in small bills $3.3 million in fives and ones that they overlooked and the two videotapes that Ghantt had pulled from the security cameras at the bank. "I said, 'That's all they gave me,' " McKinney recalled. There was, however, one problem with his plan. At 6 that morning, FBI supervisor Rick Shaffer led 12 agents and several Gaston County police officers up a winding road on Cramer Mountain to Steve's home. Its everything thats coming north.. ', "He asked me if I'd mind holding some money for him. A couple weeks pass, and I call again, Hey, Id like to get some more money. 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. Ghantt was never in Chamberss presence until he actually handed off the money to him. On Monday, October 6th, the FBI agents who were investigating the robbery located the Loomis Fargo van abandoned in the woods. ];Kelly Jane Campbell [Misc. If you want me to leave, Ill leave. Then, Ghantt went into another room.

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