". 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. He didn't want to abandon his parents. Meanwhile, Michele Chambers was laughing and saying, repeatedly, "Look at all this money!" I didnt pick the heist team. Steve also offered $100,000 to his 26-year-old cousin. Ghantt spent a solid hour moving what ended up being 2,700 pounds of cash more than an actual ton into an unmarked company van. Inside were, along with other personal items, his keys and wedding ring. 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. This is the person I counted as my friend. There was, however, one problem with his plan. Her marriage--at which she was making another ambivalent effort after multiple separations--and even the jobs she'd been able to get with a diploma couldn't come close to providing the kind of life she dreamed about, the life she felt she deserved: a house in the country, a swimming pool, and enough cash so she didn't need to rely on men. David was sentenced to 7 1/2 years. Truth was, David wanted more than help leaving, he wanted company.
Job Search - Career Portal - Dayforce HCM Twice a week over the next 12 months, we will take you back to the winter of sheep cloning and the summer of Con Air. About 20 ago, Campbell sent him a letter of apology, but he never responded. He had just returned to his home in Jacksonville, Fla., when he agreed to talk about the heist, his life now and what went wrong when a group of friends who thought they could get away with stealing $17 million cash. After years of reflection and time in prison to work on himself, Ghantt was able to find a way to a better version of himself. One number is working in Campbells favor. But it was the rural, Southern backgrounds of many of the key players, along with the many botched twists and bungled turns, that led the media to dub it the hillbilly heist.. Her only brush with the law had been a DUI arrest. But few could have guessed how spectacularly the heist would go wrong after the criminals initially got away with it.
October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery - Wikipedia They decorated their 6,000-square-foot stucco house with antiques, paintings and statues, including a six-foot wooden Indian that Michele had bought for $600. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. Inside the Mazda, Steve told Scott Grant to get out and help David. There it was, "The Heist." how to match 8 hypercubes in bejeweled. Ghantt would go on to spend six and a half years in federal prison. shes now Miss USA. Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with. Gronquist said. LeVaughn Kelly Campbell (born July 23, 1980 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former football wide receiver. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. 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.
She tried to apologize for the murder plot. Working together, they got the gate open, then drove in a caravan to the Reynolds & Reynolds parking lot. Three weeks later, the couple purchased, in cash, a $635,000 stone mansion. Steve told her to send David to Atlanta on a bus and drive back to the trailer. I hear her typing. All I needed was a change of pace.". Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. They set the date, Oct. 4, a Saturday when David knew he could be alone in the building after his shift. 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) Explain? You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-869-1823 or Twitter.com/TheGazetteKevin. Money'll turn your head, I don't care who you are. That week, the FBI designated the theft its 142nd "major case," putting it on a list--begun in the 1970s--that includes such other infamous crimes as the World Trade Center bombing. . But first they wanted to know if it was a robbery or a robbery-homicide. You can garnish wages. In real life: False. When he said, 'I'll give you $20,000 to hold a million,' I said, 'Sure.' Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. When we worked together [for Loomis], we'd joke about it. But McKinney never stopped trying to kill Ghantt although, initally, McKinney thought Chambers had paid for the hit over a drug deal gone bad, Diamant said. Everything came crashing down on an early March morning in 1998. The top-ranked pie in North Carolina doesnt look like pie at all. David didn't even know Steve's name. They paid for all of it in cash. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. In the wee hours of the morning, Chambers and the Erics drove back to the town of Vale, North Carolina, and holed up in a double-wide trailer while counting their cash. That day, FBI agents also would arrest Scott Grant and Eric Payne, who had spent his share of the money on a motorcycle and breast implants for his wife and two sisters. Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. He flip-flopped on the heist idea three or four times. Scott, 26, had a larceny conviction as a teenager, but he'd since cleaned up his act and now had a steady job, a daughter and a girlfriend. Soon, the couple would be paying for something else, too: a hitman. In early December, Steve and Michele invited relatives to their daughter's sixth birthday party. Before long, the FBI had wiretaps on the ringleader, Steve Chambers, and then they waited for the right time to make their arrests. Kelly's company. So yeah, Ghantt continues, I took a bus from there to Atlanta, and then I hopped a cab from the bus station to the airport in Atlanta., Back in North Carolina, his accomplices were working as fast as they could to hide the $17 million.
Loomis Fargo Defendants Owe as Much as They Stole in 1997 David kissed his sleeping wife on the cheek on the morning of Oct. 4. He and his wife, Tammy, lived in a mobile home in Kings Mountain, N.C. Money was always tight. His wife, Tammy, was as shocked as Loomis officials.
Heist: The Oddball Crew Behind the $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft by Back in North Carolina, Ghantts former accomplices were living high on the hog. . Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Charlotte Magazine even ran a feature story about the Loomis Fargo heist with the title, White Trash Crime. The headlines, however, never bothered Ghantt. No hard feelings. Then he was driving in the darkness with a van full of cash. Our success depends on our team members, and that's why it's important for us to offer an employee benefits program that is not only extremely comprehensive but also one of the best in the industry. She could walk under the trees, with the chickens and goats and dogs that live around her mobile home. Just under $14 million sat in an outbuilding behind his home, inside blue steel barrels. "That would be living on the run, and I didn't want my kids to live that way. When I call Ghantt to discuss his involvement in the Loomis Fargo heist, he confesses that hes feeling a bit tired from a day of honest labor. Speaking of his co-defendants, Ghantt says hes not currently in contact with any of them. Without really intending to, Kelly recalls, she turned the conversation to the possibility of a heist. Campbell, 29, had pleaded guilty to charges of bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder. Ive never taken offense to anything like that, he tells me.
SEVEN NABBED IN CHARLOTTE HEIST\ - Greensboro News and Record Kelly told the FBI she had done drugs with David but denied knowing about the theft. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. On October 5, 1997, FBI agents gathered at the Loomis, Fargo & Co. warehouse in Charlotte, North Carolina, to watch a security videotape of a man loading stacks of cash into a pushcart and wheeling them from the vault. As you probably know, it's loosely based on the Loomis Fargo heist in Charlotte back in the late nineties. Theres no management around. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist seeing a woodpecker after someone dies lectomano que significa. Ghantt:I don't think he ever really meant to harm me. In that time, I realized most of my problems were because of me. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. The FBI's final challenge is finding the remaining $2 million. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. But as soon as he drove off, I went right back in and opened the vault. This is where it starts to unravel, Ghantt tells me with a wry laugh. ". "He was in tears.
The true crime behind Asheville-based Galifianakis film That's the kind of movie they wanted to make. That October, the Chamberses' bank accounts ballooned. A week later, another informant told the FBI that Eric Payne had quit his job at a printing company soon after the heist and was spending money he probably hadn't earned legally. The authorities didn't know yet how much was missing from the armored-car company, but Steve did. I didn't think I had the guts. David trusted her. While the agents initiated their investigation, the Chambers spent money as quickly as they could. Depression had led to smoking a lot of marijuana and taking Prozac, a combination she figures affected her judgment. His new life in Mexico had begun. I think I always knew that, but lost my way for a while.". Kelly called David at Loomis; he told her he'd be ready for them with the cash at 6:30 or 7 p.m. Alone in the building, David was trying to finish loading cash from the vault into an unmarked white Ford Econoline van belonging to Loomis. I'll never pay it off on my paycheck."
Looking back at the Loomis heist - Gaston Gazette Though he never found the right moment to carry out the hit, McKinney did find time to make a friend--a shady character named Robert, to whom he revealed more than was prudent. Exciting. Hidden in it was a 3 1/2-carat diamond ring that cost $43,000. Given the presence of the surveillance tapes and a gun belonging to Ghantt, they started with Ghantts phone and pager records and discovered a pattern they attributed to an accomplice. Besides her prison sentence . First, they loaded the cash into blue 55-gallon barrels, and then they moved the barrels into a rental van. He told Steve he hadn't been able to find David. But it wasnt. It's one of the biggest jokes at the place. On his way out, he grabbed the surveillance video, hoping to cover his tracks. Instead of lobster, the man who stole $17 million survived on home-cooked pasta and grilled cheese sandwiches. I just want people to go to the movies and have a good laugh, even if it's at my expense. She never really worried about the moral end of it--she was focused only on getting what she wanted out of life, what so many others seemed to have in this booming part of the South. ". He's a very likable person. Should David be killed after he gave them the money? Loomis has received $978,983.79, according to Sally Butcher, an assistant clerk in the federal courts of the Western District of North Carolina who specializes in criminal debt. "I've learned that I'm a fortunate man," he said. "I" has one letter. Steve, who had sworn Kelly, Eric and Scott to secrecy the night of the theft, named them all to the FBI. . The movie was overly silly and, based on a post-screening conversation with former Observer reporter Jeff Diamant who wrote a detailed 279-page book about the occasionally funny but mostly just-plain fascinating crime, titled Heist much of what wound up in the film is fiction. Kelly was no criminal. "I wanted to be more like my mom and dad were.". She came from a blue-collar background, a high school dropout who had grown tired of working in a mill and gotten an equivalency diploma. The pager entry was 1-4-3. In real life: False. I would call us friends. They also left behind a life-changing fortune in small bills $3.3 million in fives and ones that they overlooked and the two videotapes that Ghantt had pulled from the security cameras at the bank. She laughed for like 45 minutes. It affects everybody different. If you want me to leave, Ill leave. Then, Ghantt went into another room. On the radio, the "John Boy and Billy" show played the song "Take the Money and Run. They soon realized David had stolen more money than would fit in their 55-gallon barrels. Steve led the planning. Heres what happened on Sunday nights episode. More than 20 people ended up in the FBI's dragnet. Nah, it was always about the money, he told the agents. To say nothing of their art purchases like the aforementioned velvet Elvis portrait and a painting of a bulldog dressed as General George S. Patton. I mean, it was dark, Ghantt explains. Ghantt worked at Loomis Fargos regional office vault in Charlotte. Basic and voluntary life insurance plan. I did a little research into crime statistics and the local cops. . He told him McKinney was in Mexico to kill somebody. The audacity of the act was breathtaking. . It wouldn't work, Kelly told him. A couple weeks pass, and I call again, Hey, Id like to get some more money. Posted on . After a Gulf War stint in the Army, David got married in 1992. Michelle, meanwhile, purchased new breasts for herself, along with a $43,000 diamond ring and a new convertible BMW Z3.
Thanksgiving and Christmas were difficult. I don't want to be mean, but that's probably the dumbest thing they could do. That time in prison was actually good for me. In early November, Steve lured the real Mike McKinney, an ex-Marine, to North Carolina from his Illinois home. He placed stacks of currency on a cart and wheeled it to the van about 15 feet away, inside the building. ". Will Vin Sant Leave You Jacked or Scammed? Kelly says she underestimated the value of her life before the heist. Meanwhile, Steve was keeping a close eye on Kelly.
Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 As with Kelly, the worst blotch on 29-year-old Eric's record until now was a driving-while-intoxicated conviction. Now, I kind of know something is fishy., Alone in Mexico with limited cash, Ghantt thought about turning himself in. 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.. Where I was going was right there near the Cayman Islands. I threw you out, and then threw the parachute after you. I knew that the news wouldnt break until later that morning. Im a very deliberate person. They planned to kill a man named David Ghantt, the guy who had made their extravagant new lifestyle a reality. I don't blame him.". Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. Down in Jacksonville, a Loomis Fargo employee took $18 million from an armored van he was driving. The Evergreen State takes the top spot again in the U.S. News Best States ranking on the strength of its tech sector and other industries. I wish them all a happy life and that's about it. The last time he called me, he said, Hey Ghantt, I just saw a big Loomis Fargo truck. Ghantt pulled out $50,000 from the back of the unmarked Loomis Fargo van. Dependent care account. Exhibit A was that Steve had no steady job but plenty of cash. He recalled that another agent, Phil King, said, "Hey, there was an article in the [Charlotte] Observer about beeper codes. At the time, it was the largest cash heist in history. Mine did. He was an old friend from East Gaston High School, tough and sure of himself. Kelly, she says now, was thinking about how happy she would be to send this man far away from her. . This real-life crime is the core of "Untitled Armored Car Project," which stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson and Kristen Wiig. To protect themselves, David and Steve didn't meet or talk. 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. Ghantt was apprehended in Mexico and returned to the United States in custody. Is he telling the truth? ", "I wouldn't do it. Kelly drove David to the airport. The FBI, in fact, obtained the evidence they needed to bring down the major players, including Chambers, after catching them talking about the murder plot on the telephone via wiretap. I've got a good woman.". I wanted to make a drastic change and I went for it," Ghantt said. The FBI was also surveilling Kelly Campbell and followed her to a pay phone that she used to place calls to Mexico. David had grabbed $50,000 cash, but could figure out only how to carry $25,000 with him on the plane. Scott didn't want to, but then he remembered the hundred-grand payday. On his second trip, Steve gave McKinney David's hotel address. Its a yes: Clover teen shakes off nerves to earn American Idol golden ticket, Mail carrier cant believe his eyes after seeing NC lottery win. Its hilarious. Get to me. Its that kind of excitement.. He had a favorite restaurant, Zandunga, which had a mariachi band each night and a view of the Caribbean. Question: You were a consultant? CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) _ A woman who helped plan the $17 million robbery of armored car company Loomis, Fargo & Co. was sentenced Tuesday to nearly six years in prison and ordered to pay back more than $4 million. You might as well go all the way now.". Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. Ghantt:I hate to say it, but I had six years of sitting in a box to think about my life. She could spend time with her children and parents. Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis employee; Michael L. McKinney . The bash had a Cinderella theme, with a three-tiered cake that looked like a castle. But Ghantt, who served as an unpaid consultant to the movie and attended the big Los Angeles premiere earlier in the week, has no such reservations. On Monday, October 6th, the FBI agents who were investigating the robbery located the Loomis Fargo van abandoned in the woods. In real life: False. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. About the same time, Kelly and McKinney received phone calls from agents who told them to open their doors. Then another. The whole town I was staying in was 98.9 percent Mexican, except for when the cruise ships were in, Ghantt recalls. Michelle Chambers received seven years and eight months, while Steve Chambers was handed an 11-year sentence.