The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. 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. Spunk. And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth.. personal/abusive/condescending attacks on other users or goading 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. 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. Their only intimate physical contact had been kissing on a mid-September night when they had driven her pickup truck to a field behind a shooting range in Gaston County to discuss their plans and the theft's chance of success. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. 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. Asked the purpose of his visit, Johnson had replied, "To visit friends.
After hanging up on her, David returned to work. Action News Jax facebook feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax twitter feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax youtube feed(Opens a new window), JSO K9 escapes kennel, bites three people in Jacksonville neighborhood, To know Nancy was to love Nancy: St. Johns County woman killed in suspected DUI crash, JSO says missing child alert results in deadly drowning, Senator proposes bill giving state emergency jurisdiction over custody of kids with trans parents, Florida woman accused of killing terminally ill husband released from jail. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. How did they get away with stealing more than $17 million? You can seize property. "So he stays behind and moving over two thousand pounds of . 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.
'Masterminds' Review: Loomis Fargo Robbery Where Are They Now? - Pajiba All but one of the 24 defendants pleaded guilty, and the one who didnt take the deal was convicted. Winds light and variable.
David Ghantt And The Ridiculous Loomis Fargo Heist The unsolved mystery of the Van Meter Visitor a winged creature! In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target.
Figure in Loomis Heist Gets Prison | AP News Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. 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. A customs inspector, asking routine questions of bus passengers, focused her attention on him when his answers reminded her of Tommy Flanagan, the pathological-liar character played by Jon Lovitz on Saturday Night Live. From there, the money was moved from the armored car to private vehicles. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. One day, the two employees were in the break room and got to talking about the news of the day a massive bank heist that just occurred in Florida by someone at their company. 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 affidavit described Chambers as a former FBI informant who had provided information on another Loomis armored car robbery that never materialized. Of course the problem was, the money belonged to someone else. David and the trainee left the warehouse. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with. Gronquist said. Chambers had told Campbell to do whatever she needed to do to get Ghantt to commit the robbery. "What would it take to make you do it?". Steve's a serious guy.". She was five-foot-seven, had dirty-blond hair, and had worked with him for about a year at Loomis Fargo, until she left for another job in 1996. 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. - 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 trainee didn't know to check to make sure it was closed. 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.
Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 Some of that money is just gone.
They could talk about anything, even topics he couldn't discuss with his wife. Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997, Incident raises concerns about LGBTQ safety in Carteret County, Drug deal gone bad claims the life of former Marine, Man charged with DWI after SUV takes out gas pumps, fire hydrant in Morehead City, Norfolk Southern train derails in Lexington No hazmat, no anger, Beaufort Housing Authority to replace public housing apartments, New Gamer's Guildhall looks to build community, comradery, DA: 'A very dangerous individual' from Swansboro has been removed, EDITORIAL: Government derails in response to disasters, EDITORIAL: Traffic growth demands a third bridge addition, Commentary: Close look at family history disturbing, Commentary: Second Amendment subverts democracy, EDITORIAL: Attorney General Stein ignores his constitutional responsibility. They succeeded in removing $17 million from the safe. Ghantt reported to Chambers that his supply of money was running low, but Chambers sent Ghantt just $8,000. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. If the American Dream involved being better off as adults than your parents were, David was experiencing a version of the American Nightmare. Sun, sand and beaches are all part of why Jacksonville is a popular destination. ", "I don't need any more friends," she'd shot back. 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. Ghantt was working as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo in Charlotte in 1997, earning about $8 an hour and tired of his humdrum life. He played high school football at Mays High School in Atlanta, and college football at Georgia Tech . From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. The woman on the phone was Kelly Jane Campbell, and David had a mad crush on her. Ghantt said he believes in redemption, and that his mistake 25 years ago brought him all the things that are important in his life today. Then, he proceeded to load 2,800 pounds of cash into a van. In total, 24 people were convicted and all but one of the accused pleaded guilty. (LogOut/ When you have money, you just have different problems: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. Except for the kiss in the pickup truck a few weeks before the heist, Kelly had kept things platonic. The October 4 shift was lasting longer than expected, due to delays involving pickups and deliveries. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. You Save 23%. ALSO READ: 14-year-old boy robbed at gunpoint while waiting for bus in east. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Remember why you were elected! Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. 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. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. Its in the ether. The plan to. They hadn't slept together or even fooled around much, but he was ready to commit.
It's been 20 years since the Loomis Fargo heist. - Charlotte Observer of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or 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. As it neared its end, David stealthily left the vault door ajar. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Ghantt studied how to rob his employer and advised the others not to spend the money lavishly. Still facing possible unknowns of other people involved, the FBI needed to gather more information without the suspects getting suspicious of them. His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. Another time, the day after a Christmas in the late 1980s, David and some friends planted all the discarded Christmas trees from the area in one neighbor's front yard. Probably very egotistical of me, I thought, Yeah, sure, I can beat them, theyre college smart and thats about it, Ghantt said. Later, they also arrested Nathans older brother. That sounds like a lot of money until its compared to the $18,930,201.26 the group was ordered to pay. Im married, I got one girl, shes 15 going on 30. be blocked or permanently banned without warning. 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. 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.. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks.
The real 'Masterminds' FBI agents recall surreal story of heist that inspired - WLOS Thank you so much. 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.
'When you have money, you just have different problems': The Loomis 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. He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. 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.