Figure in Loomis Heist Gets Prison | AP News David placed their odds of success at 85 percent, a confidence inspired by faith not just in his planning but also in his feelings for Kelly. 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. (LogOut/ 'Masterminds' Review: Loomis Fargo Robbery Where Are They Now? - Pajiba 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.". Tips had led the FBI to begin monitoring Chambers (and his wifes) activities, but it was not until the FBIrecorded a phone callfrom Ghantt in Mexico that the final connection was made. At that point, Kelly and David had known each other for two years. As it neared its end, David stealthily left the vault door ajar. Thank you! 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. If we can sit on the money for a year, maybe two, it could work.". Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. 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. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded. Sun, sand and beaches are all part of why Jacksonville is a popular destination. Since then, there have been numerous articles, books, documentaries and even a movie about this gang -- the gang that couldnt shoot straight. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. I was relieved emotionally because I knew there was a good chance my luck might run out, Ghantt said. Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. 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, . But with Kelly's new idea on the table, several dark realities converged on him. The defendants received sentences ranging from probation for several relatives to over 11 years in federal prison for Steve Chambers. Another name the FBI had become very interested in is Eric Payne. He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy aToyota Siennaminivanin two cash installments. He played high school football at Mays High School in Atlanta, and college football at Georgia Tech . Even with several vehicles, they underestimated how much space they would need and they had to leave $3 million behind. 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. 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. Conversations about stealing from the company weren't rare for Loomis employees. He called Kelly to say he was coming and hopped into the driver's seat of the loaded Loomis van. Seven Charged In $17M Heist - CBS News All but one took plea deals, including Ghantt, who was sentenced to seven years in prison. 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. Nathan, Steves cousin, was found in a mobile home the Chambers had abandoned. They also bought aBMW Z3with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 statue of aNative American. You can garnish wages. Heist: The Oddball Crew Behind the $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft In order to receive more evidence, the FBI decided to listen. Change). As an adult, he preferred Shakespeare, Tom Clancy, and any book he could find about the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "What would it take to convince you to do it?" Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. We are happy to work with other website publishers. Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. And Kelly thought he was funny. A former FBI agent 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. I actually loved reading through this post. While David Ghantt trusted Steve Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. He quickly found out when you have money, you just have different problems, Wydra said. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Clear skies. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. Human nature is a flexible part of life, Gronquist 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. "Don't double-cross us," the woman on the phone told David Ghantt. In 1994, they moved to Gastonia, North Carolina, where they had grown up, and David took a job driving a forklift. There was a book published in 2002 as well, by author Jeff Diamant called,Heist! Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with. Gronquist said. 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. They didnt expect it.. The woman on the phone was Kelly Jane Campbell, and David had a mad crush on her. The reason David didn't know Steve's last name was so they couldn't identify each other to the police or FBI, should cops or G-men ever enter the picture. At about 6:40 p.m., he went back inside. Prosecutors say a vault. 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. Then they returned it. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. 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. 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. 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. They kept several furnishings from the previous owners, including avelvet Elvis. 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. Ghantt had fled to Mexico with $50,000 in cash, leaving the rest of the money with Steve Chambers. Copyright The Nashua Telegraph | https://www.nashuatelegraph.com | 110 Main St, Ste 1, Nashua, NH 03060 | 603-882-2741, Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997, Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. "Just remind Steve," he said, "that I might be trouble my own self." Javascript is not enabled in your browser. They assumed that whoever was involved would keep the cash in a safe place, like a safe deposit box. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago now a 'normal guy 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. Getting that off his chest calmed him some, and the conversation returned to the plan. She had attitude. The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. Michelle Chambers received a few more months than Ghantt, because she had violated several bond conditions. 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. 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. These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. 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. 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. They succeeded in removing $17 million from the safe. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. Low 46F. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. Curiously, Payne had recently paid of his Visa in one payment and had been driving around new and rented vehicles for the past weeks. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later While David Ghantt trusted Steve Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. 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. But being the vault supervisor at Loomis Fargo had one perk -- exposure to tons of cash. From there, the money was moved from the armored car to private vehicles. 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. He and his wife, Michele, moved from theirmobile homeinLincoln Countyto a luxury house in the wealthy Cramer Mountain section ofCramerton. Their most important conversation occurred one afternoon in August 1997 after Kelly paged him at work. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. 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. That sounds like a lot of money until its compared to the $18,930,201.26 the group was ordered to pay. Arrests Made in $17 Mil. N.C. Heist | AP News How Did A Model Employee Manage To Steal More Than $17 Million - Yahoo! 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. So he and some friends decided at the end of his Oct. 4 shift he would load a company van with more than 2,000 pounds of cash and just drive away. Ms. Campbell worked at Loomis for 11 months, leaving in November 1996, according to court papers. The gang made numerous mistakes. Was the temptation too much? 2023 Cox Media Group. 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. 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