Enforcement of this policy is at the She will never get beyond the debt. Curiously, Payne had recently paid of his Visa in one payment and had been driving around new and rented vehicles for the past weeks. 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. The $17 million was stolen last Oct. 4 from the armored-car company's vault in Charlotte. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. 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. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). You can garnish wages. 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. These cookies do not store any personal information. 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. David Scott Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. They also bought aBMW Z3with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 statue of aNative American. In Reservoir Dogs, released just five years earlier, the pawns in a robbery knew each other only by assigned colors: Mr. The figures can be astounding. The FBI says Chambers hired a hitman to tie up the ultimate loose end -- Ghantt. 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Marine Fisheries Commission advocates for water quality, North Carolina the only state allowing unnecessary killing of sea turtles, 'Pagan' bike gang leader in N. Carolina sentenced to prison, Deputy cleared in shooting death of Gloucester woman, Beaufort amends charter to allow four-year mayoral term. 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 theyve ever had. 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. Two days later, when the FBI found the Loomis Fargo armored van, they discovered almost $3.3 million in cash left in the back of the van; it was later discovered that the thieves had miscalculated the sheer bulk of the small denomination currency, and that they simply left the cash that they could not take with them in the back of the van. Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. But they'd stayed in touch, and now they were poised to attempt a crime like almost no other. 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. 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. 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. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars worth of temptation. The hillbilly outfit did more that just drop a few breadcrumbs. 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.. Heist! Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. The movie was called Masterminds and stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. But being the vault supervisor at Loomis Fargo had one perk -- exposure to tons of cash. By this time, agents knew where he was and had a general idea who the other players were, so they went to every bank in town to see if any of them rented a safe deposit box. He couldn't understand the gap, why he wasn't more successful, why he couldn't at least match the financial stability of his father, who earned a comfortable salary driving a truck. So its one thing to go from up here, thought, to action, he said. Sunny. Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. The friend was Steve Chambers, and Kelly said he knew his way around the world of crime. 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. 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. And they hit the jackpot -- FBI video shows agents recovering most of the stolen cash. The robbery was committed by David Scott Ghantt who was the vault supervisor and accomplices Kelly Campbell, Steve Chambers, Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobies, and other four members. Four-wheeling. ", "I don't need any more friends," she'd shot back. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. You can seize property. If the American Dream involved being better off as adults than your parents were, David was experiencing a version of the American Nightmare. remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats My knee-jerk reaction was to be angry, and then the sarcastic ass side of me started laughing about it, Ghantt said. He also took various measures to change his appearance, such asshaving, after a patron at a restaurant pointed out to him that he looked like the man who robbed a bank of $20 million.. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. Kristen Wiig plays Kelly, who really wasn't that into David, but convinced him to take a fortune from Loomis Fargo in the fall of '97. He quickly found out when you have money, you just have different problems, Wydra said. Library Journal "highly entertaining." In Gastonia, David would run into high-school classmates who had never struck him as especially smart. 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 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. When they hung up, she called his pager and left the code 1-4-3, beeper-speak for "I love you," based on the number of letters in each word. Though Wydra is retired, 25 years ago, he was an agent with the FBI. He hated his job and his bosses, he'd lost hope in his marriage, he wasn't going to advance at Loomis, and he couldn't afford to quit to enroll in college. 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. But with Kelly's new idea on the table, several dark realities converged on him. Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing Some of that money is just gone. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. 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., Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it,, You can garnish wages. And Kelly thought he was funny. Sure enough, she called a few days later, around September 16. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. be blocked or permanently banned without warning. Spunk. Jim Gronquist was Campbells defense attorney. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. And once he started, he didn't stop with one cartful. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. 2023 Cox Media Group. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. 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. David and the trainee left the warehouse. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 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. A connection between each suspect began to emerge slowly, and as the intensity of spending grew, suspicion did as well. Inside the truck, they found Ghantts ring and surmised this as a sign of Ghantts intention to end his relationship with his wife. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. Moving the money into the van quickly proved an onerous task. 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. The bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. Stealing from Loomis Fargo could make him rich, if he got away with it. In order to receive more evidence, the FBI decided to listen. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. Well they were in some sense celebrities, Gronquist said. Steve was a serious guy? But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. Getting that off his chest calmed him some, and the conversation returned to the plan. In all, agents arrested 24 people in the heist. He could even be famous, perhaps joining the ranks of legendary master thieves. The 2016 comedy movie, Masterminds is based on the story of the Loomis Fargo Heist. But after a year, they cut it down to two agents. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Now one of the most wanted men in America with the FBI hot on his heels, Ghantt must figure out how to get his money, get away from a hit man, and get even. He ejected the two VCR tapes that he knew had recorded him stealing the money, took them, and prepared to leave. And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. Kelly had approached David with the idea in the summer, knowing he had a crush on her and winning him over with the promise that a shady friend of hers with Mafia ties would help them. 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.. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. The FBI was inadvertently aided by the gang members extravagant spending. David and Kelly had driven to Rock Hill, South Carolina, and used the documents to obtain a fake ID that David would also rely on after the theft. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later Former FBI agent John Wydra, 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. Money. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. It just happened to fall on my desk.. 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. Except for the kiss in the pickup truck a few weeks before the heist, Kelly had kept things platonic. It's still the hot topic . Some of that money is just gone. Her case closes in 2025. 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) Sure to be in demand as the book has been made into a movie, Masterminds, to be released in August.Michael Sawyer, Pine Bluff, AR. Over 88% of the money has been recovered since the heist. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) Change). Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Booklist "Librariesshould consider purchasing this entertaining and lightly edited version, which reads like a fast-paced novel." He even had to watch what he bought at the grocery store. The next day, before Mike was able to leave the country, the FBI arrested him in his hotel room. Once they were in custody, the overwhelming task of clearing out possessions possibly purchased with the stolen money began. 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. Thirty years! 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. The woman on the phone was Kelly Jane Campbell, and David had a mad crush on her. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. Then they returned it. In his youth, his mother had taken him to Sears and JCPenney, but as a man he shopped at Walmart, and while he knew there was nothing wrong with that, he wished he could afford more. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such asscuba divingandparasailing. As a child, he had preferred reading to playing sports, and he would say, as an adult, that although he couldn't have told you "who was on first," he knew as a kid who the Egyptian god of the dead was. However, Chambers had no intention of following those rules, believing the FBI would never connect him to Ghantt. Twenty years ago this Wednesday, a small group of people stole $17 million in cash from the main vault of a Loomis Fargo & Co. armored-car warehouse in west Charlotte. He hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. Steve began talking about wiring money to overseas accounts, and even purchasing a nightclub. "What would it take to convince you to do it?" Ghantt had fled to Mexico with $50,000 in cash, leaving the rest of the money with Steve Chambers. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft . He had approached her inside the chain-link fence that surrounded the building and said with a flirty smile, "If you give me a cigarette, I'll be your friend. The plan was to exit through the building's electronic back gate, which consisted of horizontal metal plates that opened at the touch of a button. Later that year, he saw a newspaper ad for a job at Loomis Fargo. Over the next two weeks, David thought about it. The trainee didn't yet know how the place worked, a fact David planned to use to his advantage. Its in the ether. The world is full of unexplained events, strange mysteries, and mysterious legends. While David Ghantt trusted Steve Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. It has a certain feel, a smell and weight to it. There was no reason to leave anything, he felt. It was David who was hours away from committing the most daring act of his life, and she was going off about Steve being a serious guy? Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. The figures can be astounding. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. Then, he proceeded to load 2,800 pounds of cash into a van. The unfairness gnawed at him, stirred by Kelly's questions. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). If we work together, we can all have plenty of pie.. true story that has captivated American audiences on the news and now on the big screen in the major motion picture, Masterminds. 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. 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). He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. The October 4 shift was lasting longer than expected, due to delays involving pickups and deliveries. He had since held one low-paying job after another. After marrying Tammy in 1992, he worked fueling airplanes at the airport in Hilton Head, South Carolina. "I was unhappy with my life. contact us to submit an unexplained mystery article, or to join the team on the email address below. One number is working in Campbells favor. Of course the most famous thing inside the home was a velvet Elvis portrait. The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. It was 2:00 p.m. on October 4, 1997, and tension was building between two planners of what would rank high among the largest heists in United States history. He knew it would mean leaving Tammy. (LogOut/ Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. Not every agent has a case like that, he said. You can seize property. 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. He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kelly Campbell, the woman who helped plan the $17 million robbery of armored-car company Loomis, Fargo was sentenced yesterday to nearly six years in prison and ordered to. just generally being a jerk. They had met in December 1995 on one of her first days at Loomis. "So he stays behind and moving over two thousand pounds of . In total, 24 people were convicted and all but one of the accused pleaded guilty. Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain. He had joined the army and earned an honorable discharge, but because of defense-industry cutbacks he hadn't been able to find a good job for himself. "I'll need help moving the money, getting a new ID, and leaving the country," he told her. 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. 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. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. As it neared its end, David stealthily left the vault door ajar. Discover the truth behind unexplained ancient mysteries, UFO mysteries, secret locations and paranormal events. Im married, I got one girl, shes 15 going on 30. When some friends stole a stop sign from a busy intersection, David made them put it back. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. 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 supervisor liked him and gave him the job. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or The woman on the phone was Kelly Jane Campbell, and David had a mad crush on her. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. One day, Campbell was speaking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. David said he needed Kelly to drive to Loomis before the theft that night to remove a duffel bag from his parked pickup truck. By now, you probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve Chambers and his wife Michelle, and Kelly Campbell. RELATED: When you have money, you just have different problems: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later, How I held it together is beyond me, Ghantt said. "I don't have time to mess with you. 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. The building was configured so vans could drive inside and pull up next to the vault. Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with. Gronquist said. Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter. Well she was a pretty happy-go-lucky person, he said. If it didn't work out, he could return to the United States later with a new identity. Have a youtube channel or website similar? 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. In this outrageously entertaining book, Jeff Diamant, the Charlotte Observer's lead reporter on the case, offers the definitive inside account of this astonishing. On the evening ofOctober 4, 1997, the Loomis Fargo & Co branch in Charlotte, North Carolina was in the process of being plundered. Charlotte Observer"more than a crime story, and one that's worth reading." Even with several vehicles, they underestimated how much space they would need and they had to leave $3 million behind. After hanging up on her, David returned to work. 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. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. He wanted to leave his wife for her, and Kelly, who also was married, let him think she wanted the same. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. High around 65F. 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. 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. Now, at 7:45 p.m., with all the money finally inside the van, his aching muscles could take a breather. People dont seem to understand human nature. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. It wasn't how much you stole that mattered most; it was that you had stolen in the first place. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. To be brutally honest, it was that morning, Ghantt replied. These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. 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.. The walk-in vault was a fortified gray room, more wide than long, with shelves, cabinets, desks, and multiple pushcarts stocked with shrink-wrapped cash. They succeeded in removing $17 million from the safe. If we can sit on the money for a year, maybe two, it could work.". Learning from this error, David planned to leave the stolen money behind with his coconspirators while he fled to Mexico. How he felt shorted by life. But after one visit, she asked a teller How much can I deposit before you have to report it to the feds? followed by Dont worry, it is notdrug money, the bank filled out asuspicious activity report, which ultimately reached the FBI. David would simply empty the vault and deliver the money to the others. The money weighed as much as a compact car and he did it all by himself. He realized his life wouldn't improve unless he did something drastic. 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. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. 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. That way, outsiders couldn't see money being loaded. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers, carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. Not all of them, but some of them are going to forgive you, theyre going to overlook it., he said. Though much of the cash was already stacked on pushcarts in the vault, other stacks were on shelves or the floor, and they were heavy. And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth.. He and his wife, Michele, moved from theirmobile homeinLincoln Countyto a luxury house in the wealthy Cramer Mountain section ofCramerton. At about 6:40 p.m., he went back inside. 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? "Are you serious?" 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. 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. 12) Loomis Fargo heist- The aftermath Ultimately, eight co-conspirators were indicted for the Loomis Fargo bank heist. 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. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. First, they tapped the Chambers phone, and began listening in on February 11th, 1998. Some of that money is just gone. He angrily hung up the phone at Loomis, Fargo & Co., his soon-to-be former employer in Charlotte, North Carolina. Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte. 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.