When he was done, the man drove off to a nearby printing press, where the money was distributed into private vehicles amongst a handful of people. The next day, the Chambers’, Campbell, and some other notable parties were arrested in Charlotte. When Ghantt called Campbell asking for more money, a plan was set in motion to take him out. On March 1, 1988, Mexican police arrested Ghantt at Playa del Carmen. The connection to Chambers took more time. 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. : The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft. The two struck up a friendship during work that would continue after Campbell left the company. 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. Steve had hired a bodyguard named Mike McKinney. When Ghantt called Campbell however, the FBI was able to track his location, and arrested him with the help of the Mexican police on March 1, 1998. Then he let Campbell and Chambers in, and the three of them loaded the company’s armored van with over 2,000 pounds of cash. 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. As the FBI listened in to Chambers’ calls, they discovered that he was also planning to have Ghantt assassinated, hoping to keep all the money for himself. so make sure you’re taking the right ones for you. A connection between each suspect began to emerge slowly, and as the intensity of spending grew, suspicion did as well. He completed his prison sentence in November 2006. ... including David’s wife, Tammy. Thank you so much. He stayed at a luxury hotel and took scuba diving lesson. A Snap rep later confirmed Naylor was joining the Los Angeles-based company. What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? Thank you! Working by himself, Ghantt would commit the robbery and then flee for Mexico, leaving the bulk of the cash with Chambers. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. I am currently 48 years old, a husband, a father, a photographer, and an author (book to be released soon). Two days after the heist, the FBI found the missing van with $3.3 million of cash left in it. Before the robber left Loomis Fargo, he made a trip to the manager’s office to remove two surveillance tapes in order to conceal his identity. The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score, How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, Is the ACT easier than the SAT? Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing her husband. Another name the FBI had become very interested in is Eric Payne. I was working sometimes 75-80 hours a week at $8.15 an hour. A Comprehensive Guide. When Campbell started at Loomis Fargo, the two quickly struck up a friendship and would frequently joke around with each other while at work. He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. He made it across the border just as his deception was discovered. In order to receive more evidence, the FBI decided to listen. The next day, before Mike was able to leave the country, the FBI arrested him in his hotel room. Ghantt and his compatriots, it turns out, had underestimated how bulky money is. Agents speculate that after the Loomis robbery in Jacksonville, many Loomis employees including Ghantt and Campbell, sat around discussing the incident. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. Still facing possible unknowns of other people involved, the FBI needed to gather more information without the suspects getting suspicious of them. They moved from a mobile home to a $600,000 house on Cramer ... One of the FBI's wiretaps caught a conversation between David Ghantt and Kelly Campbell, the one who bought the minivan and shopped for the liposuction. This article will teach you more about the SAT subject tests. Get the latest articles and test prep tips! Fed up, exhausted, and seeing a way out, Ghantt agreed. David Scott Ghantt was the vault supervisor at the regional branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina. A comedy film called Masterminds, based on the Loomis Fargo heist and starring Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, and Jason Sudeikis, was released in 2016. Authorities were notified of the robbery in the morning, when employees couldn’t open the vault. The van used to move the money was later located a few miles from the warehouse. In October of 1997, I was a vault supervisor for armored truck company Loomis Fargo, when I made off with $17.3 million … They left behind the cash they couldn’t fit in their cars. So he hatched a plan to rob his employers. But last Oct. 4, when he still hadn't gotten home by 2:30 a.m., she called his parents in … David Ghantt normally came home between 6 and 8 p.m., and often he was late, his wife said. 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. The FBI quickly connected Ghantt to Campbell, who was a former Loomis Fargo employee. First, they tapped the Chambers phone, and began listening in on February 11th, 1998. Some of the friends and family members received parole, while Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. Well to put it simply, David Scott Ghantt is a man who once upon a time made a rather poor decision. ( Log Out /  David Scott Ghantt, 28, was arrested Sunday on an island off the Mexican coast, near the resort city of Cozumel, FBI spokesman William Perry said today. Pocketing $50,000 for himself, that man, named David Ghantt, hopped into a car of his own and headed towards Mexico. The phone calls began to get more intense when Steve and Eric got suspicious of a man who was “running his mouth about them and the vault job over in Charlotte”. I actually loved reading through this post. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. The details of the heist itself, coupled with the missteps the crew made after stealing the money, attracted the attention of writers and movie producers. David Ghantt was the vault supervisor for Loomis, Fargo & Co. armored cars, which managed the transportation of large sums of cash between banks in North Carolina. More than 2 million dollars are still missing to this day. They knew Steve Chambers had worked as an informant in the past, and were nervous he would smell out an undercover. The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. Hulu declined to comment, but an individual familiar confirmed AdAge’s report. More calls between the two men, and also between Steve and Kelly Campbell, made it clear that the group was starting to turn on David Ghantt. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: © PrepScholar 2013-2018. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Eventually, Ghantt would return to the United States and the full sum would be split up between the conspirators. Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. Said Ghantt, “... one day life kinda slapped me in the face. 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. I was working all the time and unhappy… I felt cornered and one day the joking in the break room about robbing the place suddenly didn’t seem so far-fetched.”. ( Log Out /  This article will teach you more about the SAT subject tests and help you decide whether you should take them. Ask questions; get answers. They swept the surrounding counties, locating Kelly Campbell and Eric Payne in their homes. Curiously, Payne had recently paid of his Visa in one payment and had been driving around new and rented vehicles for the past weeks. In the first couple of weeks, they had heard both Steve and Shelley bragging about their new-found fortune, and spending remarkable amounts of money. When Ghantt called Campbell asking for more money, a plan was set in motion to take him out. If so, check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. Ghantt was joking in the breakroom with fellow Loomis Fargo employee Kelly Campbell. Campbell and her husband had always been just scraping by, however in the weeks following the robbery, the two seemed to have more money than they’ve ever had. Anonymous tips had the FBI monitoring Chambers’ calls. Over 88% of the money has been recovered since the heist. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. Ghantt was joking in the breakroom with fellow Loomis Fargo employee Kelly Campbell. In this extract from his memoirs, Tom Mangold recounts the real story of what happened to his friend, the world's leading weapons inspector, Dr David Kelly. They located Steve and Shelley Chambers in their newly-purchased home at the top of a hill. Most high schools offer a variety of history classes, so make sure you’re taking the right ones for you. Not only was Ghantt the only unaccounted for employee the morning after the heist, there was also footage of Ghantt moving the cash into the back of the Loomis Fargo van. Learning about US history? Ghantt sent home a new employee and quickly loaded the money into the back of a bank van. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis), an employee of Loomis Fargo, robbed his own vault, left the $17.3 million in cash with his co-conspirators, Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig) and Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson) and fled the country to Mexico. In February, Hulu promoted Kelly Campbell to president to serve as his replacement under Disney direct-to-consumer chief Kevin Mayer. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The two struck up a friendship during work that would continue after Campbell left the company. The corporation handled armored transportation, ATM maintenance and other cash handling services, and had millions of currency stashed in the vault of the North Carolina branch. Michelle Chambers received a few more months than Ghantt, because she had violated several bond conditions. Ghantt had worked with the branch since 1994, and had been promoted from a driver to the vault supervisor. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? The jokes between Ghantt and Campbell about their disgruntlement with their jobs took on a more serious note when Campbell introduced Ghantt to an old high school classmate of hers named Steve Chambers. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. On the evening of October 4, 1997, the Loomis Fargo & Co branch in Charlotte, North Carolina was in the process of being plundered. David Scott Ghantt was the vault supervisor at the regional branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina. SAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. The total amount was $17 million, although some newspapers reported it was $15 million at the time. Change ). I appreciate your kind words! Thirteen friends and family members were also charged with money laundering, as they had helped Ghantt, Chambers, Campbell, and the others deposit money illegally. He kept looking over his shoulder. Ghantt, who had been with the bank since 1994, was promoted from driver to vault supervisor in 1997, where he earned $360 a week and befriended Kelly Campbell (Wiig), who got Ghantt mixed up in the plans for the heist after she left Loomis. Friends of Campbell had also begun spending large amounts of cash. He worked close-by to where the van and over $3 million dollars had been ditched, and was friends with Steve Chambers. I felt cornered and one day the joking in the break room about robbing the place suddenly didn’t seem so far-fetched.”Ghantt was joking in the breakroom with fellow Loomis Fargo employee Kelly Campbell. In addition to his phone calls with Ghantt, Chambers began extravagantly spending the money, even though the co-conspirators had agreed to lay low for a year or two. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. Over the next months, Ghantt, Campbell, and Chambers developed a plan. More calls between the two men, and also between Steve and Kelly Campbell, made it clear that the group was starting to turn on David Ghantt. Together with his wife, Chambers bought a new luxury home (upgrading from his mobile home), a BMW Z3, and some extravagant furnishings. A £400 signed copy of the Hutton Report, and the day Alastair Campbell danced on Dr David Kelly's grave. Bubbling under the surface, however, was a deep frustration at the way he was treated. By Miles Goslett. Now and again I run into blog posts that tends to make me want to get started on bloggin myself. Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. The news was first reported by AdAge. In addition, he also rented Mike his own apartment, paid him $400/weekly and bought him a gun. Chambers, it turned out, became the biggest source of evidence for the FBI. Later, they also arrested Nathan’s older brother. Having only brought $50,000 in cash, however, Ghantt soon found himself short on funds. Ask below and we'll reply! Across the border in Mexico, Ghantt was also living it up. One of the best ways to learn more about U.S. history is to make sure you’re taking history classes. ( Log Out /  hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? Galifianakis plays the role of David Ghantt, who worked at Loomis Fargo in Charlotte. On the evening of October 4, 1997, one man loaded $17.3 million in cash from the vaults of Loomis, Fargo & Co. into the back of a van. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! In the movie: While talking to Campbell from Mexico, Ghantt discovers a gym membership card with Chambers’s name and photo on it, in a wallet that Chambers gave Campbell to give to Ghantt. After meeting up with Chambers, Campbell, and some other co-conspirators, Ghantt hightailed it to Mexico with $50,000 in cash in his car. They called the police, who brought in the FBI, classifying the heist as a bank robbery. Chambers’ wife, Michelle, bought a minivan in cash and began taking frequent trips to the bank to make deposits. There was a book published in 2002 as well, by author Jeff Diamant called, Heist! David Campbell on the 'other man' his wife 'is in love with' The investigation ultimately resulted in the conviction of eight people directly involved, as well as sixteen others who had indirectly helped them. While she made small deposits at first, she became more reckless, eventually making a deposit of thousands of dollars in cash, telling the teller not to worry: “It’s not drug money.”. The True Story of David Ghantt and the Loomis Fargo Heist, Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Score, check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. According to Campbell, Chambers could help Ghantt execute a massive cash robbery of the vault at Loomis Fargo in one night. Published: 04:31 EST, 21 June 2012 | Updated: 07:15 EST, 22 June 2012 Steve began talking about wiring money to overseas accounts, and even purchasing a nightclub. 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, —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  6.5k votes, 905 comments. Steven Chambers, left, and David Scott Ghantt leave federal court. You should definitely start your own blog, I highly recommend it. Who is David Ghantt? On Feb. 27, agents listened in on a call from David to Kelly and learned David's location in Mexico. But even though he worked for a company that regularly moved millions of dollars, David Ghantt himself was underpaid. When Ghantt called Chambers to have the latter wire him more money, Chambers sent just a few thousand dollars. The FBI knew they needed to make their move. Who all wanted a Rambo movie which explored his time training as a green beret and his time serving in Vietnam as a prequel to first blood WATCH Antebellum 2020 FULL MOVIE. A third surveillance tape was carelessly left behind, and the company was able to identify the man who robbed the vault as David Ghantt. The FBI says Steve and his wife, Michelle, have been busy the past five months. The 2016 comedy movie, Masterminds is based on the story of the Loomis Fargo Heist. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Once they were in custody, the overwhelming task of clearing out possessions possibly purchased with the stolen money began. On that day, Ghantt had been joking about robbing the company with fellow employee Kelly Campbell. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. Ten days later, the group was indicted for bank larceny and money laundering. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females. The morning after the height, employees of Loomis Fargo realized they couldn’t open the vault. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points, How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer. Ghantt was charged in … All rights reserved. On October 4, 1997, Ghantt waited in the vault where cash was kept until his shift was over. On the night of October 4, the plan went into action. On March 1, David Ghantt left his hotel to do some laundry. All of the defendants except for one pleaded guilty and accepted their sentences. Before he decided to steal $17 million from the bank, Ghantt had worked for years as a relatively taciturn and compliant employee. Eventually, Ghantt called in from Mexico, seeking more money, and the FBI officially recognized Chambers as a co-conspirator. The defendants received sentences ranging from probation for several relatives to over 11 years in federal prison for Steve Chambers. After meeting up with Chambers, Campbell, and some other co-conspirators, Ghantt hightailed it to Mexico with $50,000 in cash in his car. From the beginning, the FBI’s prime suspect was David Ghantt. Nathan, Steve’s cousin, was found in a mobile home the Chambers had abandoned. In all, they recovered $6.6 million. Did you know that the SAT offers subject exams, too? The Loomis Fargo heist became something of a media lightning rod. The FBI became more suspicious after they interviewed Campbell for the third time. I didn’t even have a real home life because I was never there.

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