contact us to submit an unexplained mystery article, or to join the team on the email address below. It has a certain feel, a smell and weight to it. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Clear skies. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. Prosecutors say a vault. In all, agents arrested 24 people in the heist. 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. The FBI says Chambers hired a hitman to tie up the ultimate loose end -- Ghantt. It just happened to fall on my desk.. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. But that only tells part of the story. David and Steve had never met, but Steve had already secured somebody else's birth certificate and social security card for him and given it to Kelly to pass along. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Is this really about the needs of the poor? (LogOut/ These cookies do not store any personal information. This website uses cookies and some data tracking to improve your experience and serve adverts, We assume you're ok with this, you can opt-out if you wish. 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.. They also bought aBMW Z3with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 statue of aNative American. The $17 million Loomis Fargo heist in Charlotte, North Carolina, was the second largest armored car robbery in U.S. history. 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. OWLS director fired in wake of new board taking over, New rules will require flood history disclosure in real estate, North Carolina recreational spring flounder season canceled for 2023, Supreme Court seems ready to sink student loan forgiveness, Beach commission gets update on search for new sources of sand for beach nourishment. Although the FBI investigation was able to quickly connect Ghantt to Campbell, connecting Ghantt to Chambers was a more difficult task. Then one day, while reviewing his and Tammy's credit card bill, he did some quick math and realized that even if they met the minimum monthly payments, the bill would take thirty years to pay. That way, outsiders couldn't see money being loaded. 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.. To be brutally honest, it was that morning, Ghantt replied. A more immediate need was securing help to move the stolen money to safety the night of the crime. When did you conclude Yeah, Im actually going to do this? Counts asked. You have permission to edit this article. The only other employee with him on this day was a trainee. Instead he became paranoid, especially after Steve Chambers put a contract out on his life. Moving the money into the van quickly proved an onerous task. Friends of Campbell had also begun spending large amounts of cash. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. Getting that off his chest calmed him some, and the conversation returned to the plan. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. The case had gotten national publicity and was the subject of numerous articles, documentaries and even a movie. Its in the ether. "I've got a friend," she said, "who can hook you up with a new ID.". A parrot tattoo on her right ankle. But with Kelly's new idea on the table, several dark realities converged on him. In David's eyes, Johnson's big mistake was that he did it alone. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded. 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. 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. You can seize property. of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or I was relieved emotionally because I knew there was a good chance my luck might run out, Ghantt said. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. The Charlotte area's economy was booming all around him, and he felt passed over. ", "I don't need any more friends," she'd shot back. I gotta go.". Her case closes in 2025. The 2016 comedy movie, Masterminds is based on the story of the Loomis Fargo Heist. 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. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. When some friends stole a stop sign from a busy intersection, David made them put it back. I appreciate your kind words! Campbell used to work for Loomis and continued the friendship with Ghantt, eventually hooking him up with Chambers. David didn't appreciate her tone. They hadn't slept together or even fooled around much, but he was ready to commit. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. shaka wear graphic tees is candy digital publicly traded ellen lawson wife of ted lawson real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist 25 Feb/23 (No Ratings Yet) Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter. The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. The next day, before Mike was able to leave the country, the FBI arrested him in his hotel room. That was the thing that sticks in my mind to this day.. Some of the biggest numbers remaining on the Loomis collection board, as is the case with Campbell, belong to those who played the biggest role in the crime: - David Ghantt, the Loomis employee who loaded all that money 2,800 pounds in all into the back of a company van before escaping to Mexico, has paid just under $50,000 of the $3.81 million he was assessed. 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. The hillbilly outfit did more that just drop a few breadcrumbs. Later that year, he saw a newspaper ad for a job at Loomis Fargo. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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. She sounded incredulous. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. She had attitude. The plan to rob Loomis Fargo was spawned by Campbell and her friend Steve Chambers, during a casual bonfire at Chambers' home. Afterward, everything became comical. uncanny, eerie, unnatural, preternatural, supernatural, unearthly, other-worldly, unreal, ghostly, mysterious, mystifying, strange, abnormal, unusual. So the original gang was all totally shocked, Wydra said. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. "I'll need help moving the money, getting a new ID, and leaving the country," he told her. 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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Carolina House GOP again modifies rules on veto overrides, Murdoch says some Fox hosts 'endorsed' false election claims, Havelock officials warn public about alligator near Walmart, Cape Carteret buys new utility vehicle to aid in picking up litter, New taxi, shuttle business seeks license to operate in Morehead City, Report: Navy ships face growing maintenance delays, costs, Fisheries division to survey for-hire watermen, National Enquirer, ensnared in catch-and-kill is sold. Nathan, Steves cousin, was found in a mobile home the Chambers had abandoned. Campbell was another employee at Loomis Fargo and she and Ghantt quickly struck up a relationship, one that Campbell denies was ever romantic though FBI evidence says otherwise, and one that continued after she left the company. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. David was supposed to be showing him the ropes of the job, which included cash pickups and deliveries. Also charged with money laundering were innocent relatives and friends who had co-signed safe deposit boxes. David said he needed Kelly to drive to Loomis before the theft that night to remove a duffel bag from his parked pickup truck. This technically made it abank robbery afederal offense. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all., WSOC TV facebook feed(Opens a new window), Part 2: Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago, ALSO READ: 14-year-old boy robbed at gunpoint while waiting for bus in east Charlotte, mom says, ALSO READ: Leader of $3M check theft, bank fraud scheme in Charlotte area sentenced to prison, ALSO READ: Man released from jail, accused of robbing banks while wearing electronic monitor, police say, ALSO READ: Suspect from south Charlotte bank robbery found, CMPD says, NCSHP arrest driver accused of nearly hitting 2 students at bus stop in Statesville, CMS delays opening of new school meant to ease overcrowding, Mooresville orders removal of memorial at park after teens death, Chick-fil-A announces app data breach, tells customers how to protect personal information, Charlotte woman celebrates $1 million scratch-off prize, WSOC - TV Public File Contact / Program Director, WAXN - TV Public File Contact / Program Director. 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. Then, keeping with the plan, Ghantt took $50,000 (the maximum that could be taken across the border by law without further authorization) with him and left for Mexico, winding up at the popularYucatan Peninsularesort ofCozumel. 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.. But things didnt quite work out that way. 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. Jeff Diamant was a reporter for the Charlotte Observer when the heist took place. 2023 Cox Media Group. Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. These weren't the hardest of criminals, and though there was logic to not knowing each other's names, they had derived some of their methods from Hollywood depictions of crime. Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with. Gronquist said. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Remember why you were elected! (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. He put on his best pair of jeans, a button-down shirt, and his nicest cowboy boots. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing '. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. I ride motorcycles and fish -- normal guy, Ghantt told Counts. He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. Ghantt had worked with the branch since 1994, and had been promoted from a driver to the vault supervisor. Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. Some of the biggest numbers remaining on the Loomis collection board, as is the case with Campbell, belong to those who played the biggest role in the crime: David Ghantt, the Loomis employee who loaded all that money 2,800 pounds in all into the back of a company van before escaping to Mexico, has paid just under $50,000 of the $3.81 million he was assessed. 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. Jeffrey Guller, who at 81 is by far the oldest of the Loomis defendants, still owes almost $1.1 million on his original court debt of $1.14 million and will remain on the governments books for another four years. Pink, Mr. Blue, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde. While Ghantt trusted Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. He stayed at it until the vault was empty. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. A few of the Loomis restitution cases have already been closed either because the amount was paid in full or because the 20-year clock wound down. 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. There are many robberies registered in the history of America, but the Loomis Fargo Robbery is known to be the second largest robbery in the United States. 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. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. 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. Its in the ether. To visit friends.". The site features a collection of unexplained, strange and odd mysteries. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Ghantt, in order to conserve this money, curtailed his spending. 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One night in a small North Carolina town, a down-on-his-luck guard at Loomis Fargo manages to steal $17 millionliterally more than one ton of cash. He decided at that moment that if Kelly called again, he would go for it. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 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. Authorities were notified of the robbery in the morning, when employees couldnt open the vault. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. Temptation to do something that you think you normally wouldnt do can change a lot of minds when its that kind of cash, and thats what it was., (WATCH BELOW: VIDEO: The Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later). Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. He was on a budget for clothes, even for work boots; he had recently needed to check seven stores before finding a pair in his price range. Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. 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. (LogOut/ They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. He quickly found out when you have money, you just have different problems, Wydra said. He has a regular life now, but 25 years ago, Ghantt was the mastermind behind the third-largest bank robbery in U.S. history. It all went down in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the man at the center of that heist, David Scott Ghantt, now lives in Jacksonville. The strange story of Mary Reeser Spontaneous Human Combustion. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.. 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. He is a graduate of Yale and has worked for the Connecticut Post, the Associated Press, and the Palm Beach Post. - Jeffrey Guller, who at 81 is by far the oldest of the Loomis defendants, still owes almost $1.1 million on his original court debt of $1.14 million and will remain on the governments books for another four years. By then, the FBI had become greatly concerned for Ghantts personal safety; they had learned of Chambersmurder for hirescheme. 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. she asked. 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. He has been a staff writer for the Star-Ledger in New Jersey since 2000. 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. She had attitude. "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. " How many people have walked the red carpet at a movie premiere in a case that was yours?. The $17 million was stolen last Oct. 4 from the armored-car company's vault in Charlotte. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. Steve's a serious guy.". 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. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. They had met in December 1995 on one of her first days at Loomis. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such asscuba divingandparasailing. Worlds Biggest Heists London Hatton Garden 200m Diamond Robbery, Easter 2015. Their most important conversation occurred one afternoon in August 1997 after Kelly paged him at work. He deserved better. How did they get away with stealing more than $17 million? 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. The defendants received sentences ranging from probation for several relatives to over 11 years in federal prison for Steve Chambers. In Gastonia, David would run into high-school classmates who had never struck him as especially smart. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. Four-wheeling. He played high school football at Mays High School in Atlanta, and college football at Georgia Tech . Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. He was a hard worker, smart enough, and had graduated from high school. In preparation for what lay ahead, David had backed an unmarked company Ford Econoline van near the vault entrance and opened the van's back door. Not every agent has a case like that, he said. That movie, Masterminds, was filmed in 2014. How he felt shorted by life. 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. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. Except for the kiss in the pickup truck a few weeks before the heist, Kelly had kept things platonic. 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. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. The unsolved mystery of the Van Meter Visitor a winged creature! The woman on the phone was Kelly Jane Campbell, and David had a mad crush on her. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy aToyota Siennaminivanin two cash installments. Thank you! [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]. 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. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. He waffled on the heist idea three or four times from late August to mid-September. 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. The figures can be astounding. In 1994, they moved to Gastonia, North Carolina, where they had grown up, and David took a job driving a forklift. Enforcement of this policy is at the 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? Unexplained Mysteries and Strange Things,Cool Interesting stuff has been online since early 2011. His collection case closes in two years. The stated plan was for her to move to Mexico to be with him after the theft. You should definitely start your own blog, I highly recommend it. Heist! "But you can still have a cigarette.". One number is working in Campbells favor. 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. In all, they recovered $6.6 million. 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. The actual crime itself required none of Hollywood's imagination. Then, he proceeded to load 2,800 pounds of cash into a van. Meanwhile, Ghantt's gang spent wildly and paid their family members and friends to hide money. By now, you probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve Chambers and his wife Michelle, and Kelly Campbell. 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. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Ghantt met up with the other members of the plot and offloaded the cash. That was taking the long view. 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. They also purchased expensive cars, jewelry and a breast enhancement or two. It all seemed unfair. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Still facing possible unknowns of other people involved, the FBI needed to gather more information without the suspects getting suspicious of them. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Ghantt studied how to rob his employer and advised the others not to spend the money lavishly. Growing up, David had been a nice kid, a decent student who was at worst a minor troublemaker and prankster. Though Wydra is retired, 25 years ago, he was an agent with the FBI.
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