loomis fargo heist kelly campbell

Once they were in custody, the overwhelming task of clearing out possessions possibly purchased with the stolen money began. Fact check: Is there much truth to the new 'Masterminds' movie? An additional tip reached the FBI when Michelle Chambers made a large deposit at a bank. In order to receive more evidence, the FBI decided to listen. Lacking a college degree, he found that his army skills felt meaningless in the 1990s job market. I dont know if Steve would have done it himself, but he definitely was capable of buying someone to do it for him and I think that was going to happen if we didnt step in and arrest Ghantt, Wydra said. "But you can still have a cigarette.". His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. 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. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. 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. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. The actual crime itself required none of Hollywood's imagination. 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. CHARLOTTE (AP) During one overnight shift, a bumbling conspiracy of thieves just west of Charlotte stole more than $17 million from Loomis Fargo. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. 25th anniversary of the incredible Loomis Fargo bank heist | wcnc.com 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. Unexplained Mysteries - owned by Aliens since 2011. Library Journal "highly entertaining." Then, he proceeded to load 2,800 pounds of cash into a van. That first day in prison was scary, Ghantt said. Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997 Instead he became paranoid, especially after Steve Chambers put a contract out on his life. Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. If a prank seemed dangerous, David backed out. Sunny. 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. Some of that money is just gone. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. About six months before the Charlotte theft, on March 29, a total of $18.8 million was taken from Loomis, Fargo in Jacksonville, Fla., in what was believed to be the largest heist in U.S.. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. First, they tapped the Chambers phone, and began listening in on February 11th, 1998. Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. 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. All of the primary players got fined millions of dollars --for example, Kelly Campbell was hit with more than $4 million, an amount that she will never come close to paying. The site features a collection of unexplained, strange and odd mysteries. He said at first, they were very proud of what they had been able to do. 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. While Ghantt trusted Chambers enough to leave his cut behind, Chambers had other plans. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. 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. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. In Reservoir Dogs, released just five years earlier, the pawns in a robbery knew each other only by assigned colors: Mr. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. Chambers had no intention of wiring any money to Ghantt and intended to have him killed to keep him from implicating the others. On the evening ofOctober 4, 1997, the Loomis Fargo & Co branch in Charlotte, North Carolina was in the process of being plundered. The FBI says Chambers hired a hitman to tie up the ultimate loose end -- Ghantt. 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. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers, carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. SEVEN NABBED IN CHARLOTTE HEIST\ - Greensboro News and Record David Ghantt And The Ridiculous Loomis Fargo Heist 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. 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. Though Wydra is retired, 25 years ago, he was an agent with the FBI. 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.. Seven Charged In $17M Heist - CBS News He could even be famous, perhaps joining the ranks of legendary master thieves. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. The trainee didn't yet know how the place worked, a fact David planned to use to his advantage. At that point, Kelly and David had known each other for two years. 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. kelly campbell masterminds - clydeautorepairs.co.uk 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. But you cant get blood from a stone,, Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. 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. Steve began talking about wiring money to overseas accounts, and even purchasing a nightclub. 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. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft [Jeff Diamant] on Amazon.com. That movie, Masterminds, was filmed in 2014. And Kelly thought he was funny. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. 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. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. 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. Getting that off his chest calmed him some, and the conversation returned to the plan. Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps. After discussing his job, his marriage, and his everyday struggles, they joked about Loomis and about how easy it would be to steal from the place. Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. Thank you! Have a youtube channel or website similar? Loomis Fargo, the nation's largest privately held armored- car company, used vans to transport hundreds of millions of dollars a day belonging to banks and other businesses, stocking automated teller machines and storing money in the Loomis vault between deliveries. By now, you probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve Chambers and his wife Michelle, and Kelly Campbell. Loomis Fargo Defendants Owe as Much as They Stole in 1997 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. '. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). 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. David said he needed Kelly to drive to Loomis before the theft that night to remove a duffel bag from his parked pickup truck. She sounded incredulous. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. After hanging up on her, David returned to work. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Remember why you were elected! Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. There was no reason to leave anything, he felt. The October 4 shift was lasting longer than expected, due to delays involving pickups and deliveries. These cookies do not store any personal information. So the pieces were falling into place for investigators. Seven p.m. came and went, and so did 7:20. One number is working in Campbells favor. You can seize property. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. Curiously, Payne had recently paid of his Visa in one payment and had been driving around new and rented vehicles for the past weeks. Hed never really been in trouble, he wasnt a career criminal, said retired FBI agent John Wydra. 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. Steve was a serious guy? Asked the purpose of his visit, Johnson had replied, "To visit friends. 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 real 'Masterminds' La vie de David Ghantt n'a rien de compliqu. - 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. Heist: The Oddball Crew Behind the $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft 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 that was kind of like this once-in-a-lifetime thing, Wydra said. OWLS director fired in wake of new board taking over, New rules will require flood history disclosure in real estate, North Carolina recreational spring flounder season canceled for 2023, Supreme Court seems ready to sink student loan forgiveness, Beach commission gets update on search for new sources of sand for beach nourishment. In addition to their extravagant spending, Michelle Chambers made the mistake of loudly asking a bank teller how much cash she could deposit in her account without it being reported to the feds, and then said, its not drug money.. Even with several vehicles, they underestimated how much space they would need and they had to leave $3 million behind. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. 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. 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. As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or That way, outsiders couldn't see money being loaded. Arrests Made in $17 Mil. N.C. Heist | AP News Campbell left her job in the summer of 1997, but she would later use Ghantt's feelings for her to her own advantage to get him to agree to carry out the multi-million-dollar heist. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. They had met in December 1995 on one of her first days at Loomis. To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. 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 swept the surrounding counties, locating Kelly Campbell and Eric Payne in their homes. 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. The real story behind the second largest bank heist in history, which 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. He shut the empty vault and set its timer so the vault could not be opened for two or three days. The $17 million was stolen last Oct. 4 from the armored-car company's vault in Charlotte. He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. That sounds like a lot of money until its compared to the $18,930,201.26 the group was ordered to pay. The bag held his mobile phone and handgun. The gang made numerous mistakes. It all seemed unfair. They succeeded in removing $17 million from the safe. And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. Now and again I run into blog posts that tends to make me want to get started on bloggin myself. The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. The van used to move the money was later located a few miles from the warehouse. They didnt expect it.. Steve's a serious guy.". (LogOut/ 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. Was the temptation too much? The Star-Ledger, 06/15/2015On October 4, 1997, an amateurish gang robbed Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, NC of $17 million, the second largest heist in U.S. history. 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? 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. Updated: 11:31 AM EDT October 4, 2022 CHARLOTTE, N.C. Tuesday is the 25th anniversary of the infamous Loomis Fargo heist in Charlotte, where a bank worker, with the help of two accomplices,. The plan was to maintain a low profile and wait for things to cool off, allowing Ghantt to return to the states and collect his cut. And after two years, the case is just a file. 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. Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 So they went to Mexico and arrested Ghantt in order to protect him. 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 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 had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such asscuba divingandparasailing. It's been 20 years since the Loomis Fargo heist. - Charlotte Observer He and Tammy could have one or two meals each week that he really liked, but the rest were hot dogs or Hamburger Helper. My knee-jerk reaction was to be angry, and then the sarcastic ass side of me started laughing about it, Ghantt said. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. 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. Its said the current owner now has it in storage in Phoenix, Arizona. Investigators also found Ghantts pickup truck, abandoned at the warehouse. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft. Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter. 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.

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