Together with his wife, Chambers bought a new luxury home (upgrading from his mobile home), a BMW Z3, and some extravagant furnishings. He was released in 2006. We caught up with David Ghantt about life after his $17m heist, hanging out with Zach Galifianakis and the accuracy of Masterminds, a new movie based on. Though she agreed to cooperate with the government when she pleaded guilty to bank larceny and money laundering in August 1998, Michele Chambers didn't tell the FBI she still had the ring until December, when she turned it in. I started just chucking it as fast as I could, he said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me.. The move bought him a little extra time to make his escape. Chambers would hold on to most of the remaining cash and wire it to Ghantt as needed. In fact, David Ghantt was about to commit the heist of a lifetime. ``I'm glad she didn't get nine years,' said Sandra Floyd, her mother. 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 didnt seem so far-fetched.. To make a successful getaway, Ghantt had to lift nearly 2,800 pounds of currency. A: Zach and I have a runningtext conversation going, but he's very busy. For Christmas, Steve Chambers gave his wife a $43,000 diamond ring. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. "Wells Fargo and Loomis forming armored car company", Last edited on 21 February 2023, at 16:45, Learn how and when to remove this template message, painting of Elvis Presley on black velvet, "FindACase | United States of America v. Steven Eugene Chambers", "The Unperfect Crime | New Dominion Pictures", "Sunday Evening/Late Night September 9, 2001", "Loomis Fargo heist: Q&A with guy who stole $17 million", "MASTERMINDS - Movie Production NotesCinemaReview.com", Ghantt and other gang members arrested in March 1998, Steven Chambers released from prison; announces he is a "retired criminal", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=October_1997_Loomis_Fargo_robbery&oldid=1140756292, Overcoming the mindset that led to the part David Ghantt played in the Loomis robbery and how he started on a new path was the subject of the book, Within days of the robbery, the case was depicted on the television criminal reporting show, An expanded two-hour special episode of the crime documentary series. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba. Will California Save the Iconic Joshua Tree? [1] Tips had led the FBI to begin monitoring Chambers's (and his wife's) activities, but it was not until the FBI recorded a phone call from Ghantt in Mexico that the final connection was made. Jared Hess directed Masterminds, and god bless the guy, but if Gentlemen Broncos and Nacho Libre were not proof enough that Napoleon Dynamite was a fluke, Masterminds should seal the deal. Will Mcintyre/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females. what is david ghantt doing now He and his wife, Michelle, moved from their mobile home in Lincoln County to a luxury house in the wealthy Cramer Mountain section of Cramerton. It was nearly the perfect crime, but while Ghantt fled to Mexico to lay low, his partners lavish spendingand their own alleged plans for murderwould ultimately be the groups demise. Its about the 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery also known as the hillbillly heist the second largest cash robbery in the history of the United States. As it turns out, the heist did in fact go as well as you might expect. They got to work planning the straightforward heist that would rely on Ghantts existing access to the vault, fewer staff at the warehouse on the weekends, and the ability to use one of the companys armored trucks to make the successful getaway. You have permission to edit this article. He had never been in trouble with the law. And, with the help of several others David made off with $17.3 million dollars, 11 million of which was in 20's. Campbell was receptive and brought the idea up to Ghantt. Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: PrepScholar 2013-2018. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points, How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer. 2023 www.gastongazette.com. If you're trying to make yourself better today, that's all most people care about. The FBI quickly connected Ghantt to Campbell, who was a former Loomis Fargo employee. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. The connection to Chambers took more time. 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. Theres barely a laugh in the entire film, which looks like it was shot entirely in one take while the actors were still working out their characters. Authorities began to hone in on the group and put a wire tap on Campbell's phones. After his release, Ghantt took a job as a construction worker and was eventually brought on as a consultant for the 2016 movie Masterminds, based on the Loomis Fargo Heist. After a Gulf War stint in the Army, David got married in 1992. On the night of October 4, the plan went into action. [citation needed], The defendants were the targets of many barbed jokes in Charlotte and across the country, in part because of their extravagant spending. I figured it had to be me. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). He made his own self miserable. Going to prison helped me grow up as a human being. Thirteen friends and family members were also charged with money laundering, as they had helped Ghantt, Chambers, Campbell, and the others deposit money illegally. 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. 1) David Ghantt is underpaid and unhappy. Here, he amps up the most obnoxious excesses of his entire cast and lets their grating bad-improv skills run amok. Q: How do you tell prospective employers you once stole $17 million? Here's whatGhantt says now about the heist that madethe "Cramer Mountain Hillbillies" famous and changed him forever. She wondered how much she could deposit without attracting the attention of the FBI, so she decided to just ask the teller: How much can I deposit before you have to report it to the feds? she asked. Once the heat was off, Ghantt would return and they would split the haul evenly. And so this third camera caught everything that happened next. He then began loading $17 million in unmarked bills inside a company van before driving away. He also took various measures to change his appearance, such as shaving, after a patron at a restaurant pointed out to him that he "looked like the man who robbed a bank of $20 million. All but one of the indicted pleaded guilty. I knew that if I did something like that, I would take a huge amount of money, Ghantt said of the brash robbery on an upcoming episode of, To find out more about how the thieves got caught and how long they landed behind bars, tune in the. START or Stop: Do Nuclear Weapons Treaties Matter? But there was just one thing the group hadnt been counting on: the massive weight of that amount of cash. You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-869-1823 or www.Twitter.com/TheGazetteKevin. Then Michele made a trip to the bank. 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. Steve Chambers and his wife (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) were a little more difficult to connect to the heist. At the. 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. Two days after the heist, the FBI found the missing van with $3.3 million of cash left in it. If I could get far enough away in a very short amount of time, my odds of getting away with it were pretty high, Ghantt said. People still laugh when they think of the "velvet Elvis" Chambershad in his Cramer Mountain mansion, or how his former wife showed upat a local bankto deposit wads of cash that she assured the teller was not "drug money.". Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Whisler said he didn't think those factors should result in a reduced sentence. Even though they drove away with less than they had initially intended, they still had more than $17 million in hand. Of course, the FBI was already aware of Chambers and his free-spending ways, and the murder plot helped federal agents find Ghantt south of the border. Campbell left her job in the summer of 1997, but she would later use Ghantts feelings for her to her own advantage to get him to agree to carry out the multi-million-dollar heist. During the hearing, Culler recounted his client's difficult personal life: her parents' divorce when she was 2 or 3 years old; a teenage stay in a Baptist Children's home; a teenage pregnancy; and various medical conditions. It was an open-and-shut case and all authorities had to do now was to find the culprit and identify Ghantts accomplices. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? On March 1, 1988, Mexican police arrested Ghantt at Playa del Carmen. He was insecure. Theyre meant to be trailer-park trash, but they come off as character experiments on a bad night at the Groundlings. . C hristopher David Ghantt Phone Numbers (704) 678-8911. Of course, I went on a spending spree. As Campbell would later explain, If David got killed, there couldnt be any finger pointing. The Election, U.S. Foreign Policy, And Harold Pinter's 2005 Nobel Lecture, Nate Parker on Rape Allegations: 'I Don't Feel Guilty'. Retro CharlotteFBI security footage of David Ghantt in the midst of the Loomis Fargo heist. He completed his prison sentence in November 2006. The judge said he doubted she would be able to pay the $4.8 million restitution, but said federal law required him to impose it. The FBI investigation was aided by the gang's extravagant spending. (His wife tells him to change that word to "selfish."). Dont worry, its not drug money.. FBI security footage of David Ghantt in the midst of the Loomis Fargo heist. 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. He stayed at a luxury hotel and took scuba diving lesson. They received sentences and probation ranging from several years to 11 years and three months in federal prison for Steve Chambers, who was also fined more than $3,500,000. On similar grounds, four other people were ultimately also charged with money laundering. 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. So with the assistance of a co-worker and possible love interest as well as a small-time criminal, David Ghantt pulled off the then-second-largest cash heist in U.S. history. David Ghantt (@DavidGhantt) is a man that still holds the record for the second largest bank heist on American Soil. Based on the October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery. 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If you can see the obvious flaw in this plan, namely that Chambers would have no reason whatsoever to actually wire Ghantt any money, then congratulations. She had previously been making frequent small deposits to avert suspicion. Ill never pay it off on my paycheck, Ghantt said. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Police identify victim who died Wednesday in Greensboro's 11th homicide of 2023, William Sturkey: Chapel Hill trustees 'hellbent' on winning campus culture wars, Rob Schofield: North Carolinas chronic public employee shortage wasnt an accident, KFC is bringing back a fan favorite after a nearly 10-year hiatus, Richard Groves: What the 'He Gets Us' media campaign says about the decline of Christianity, Two Things: Victim's family not surprised by no show; hospital wars in Greensboro and money well spent, Mark Elliott and Jeremy Rinker: Budget reductions at UNCG punish it for serving disadvantaged students, Samet: Guilford County wanted more black-owned businesses added to construction project after the bids were opened, Former Page High School teacher arrested on child sex charges, records show, Proposed rules for Airbnb, other short-term rentals advance in Greensboro, 'A bizarre case': Greensboro TikTok star found not guilty in fatal 2019 crash, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist proposes community hospital in Greensboro, Greensboro police officer involved in confrontation on Golden Gate Drive resigns, Jaydon Young's lessons of sacrifice mix with two-hour transfer, Virginia Tech and 2023 tournament. Even the outtakes during the credits are bad. All rights reserved. According to Campbell, Chambers could help Ghantt execute a massive cash robbery of the vault at Loomis Fargo in one night. Inside the truck, they found Ghantt's ring and surmised this was a sign of Ghantt's intention to end his relationship with his wife. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He was also married. The only defendant to not plead guilty, Chambers's attorney Jeff Guller, was found guilty of money laundering and sentenced to eight years in prison. 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. Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy a Toyota Sienna minivan in two cash installments. He was the only employee unaccounted for the next morning, and videotapes recovered at the Loomis Fargo Charlotte office showed Ghantt removing "cubes of cash" and loading it into a Loomis Fargo armored van for over an hour. Ghantts accomplices soon showed up but now they had another problem. They left behind the cash they couldnt fit in their cars. Over the years many of his social . He then proceeded to load about $17.3 million in cash (approximately $11 million of which was in $20 bills) into the back of a company van. Defense attorney Jim Griffin laid out his team's side of the case to the jury for more than two hours, arguing . David GhanttRetweeted Iraqveteran8888 @Iraqveteran8888 Dec 9, 2022 Elect me President and I'll fire everyone, free Julian Assange, and pardon Edward Snowden. You've decided to give up on a part of your life. Chambers also promised to join Ghantt in Mexico as soon as she could, but she admitted to Super Heists she never had any intention of actually making the trip. Ghantt's spending in Mexico was extravagant at first. And it didn't take long to figure out that this was not the place for me. Its 90-minutes of mugging for the camera, but the only people who feel mugged are those that pay to see Masterminds. By comparison, Ghantt served seven years in prison and was fined $26,000. However, the FBI knew immediately who robbed the vault (Ghant was seen on video camera), and it didnt take long for the FBI to loop in Kelly Campbell. The painful part is that when you get caught, that the part of your brain that was trying to talk to you when you first started the robbery was right, and that's like a dump truck running over you. They took a lot of liberty with the story here and there. A: People are very forgiving if you're open and honest right from the start. Victoria Beckham's family were on hand as she debuted her latest collection at Paris Fashion Week on March 3, including her and husband David Beckham's oldest child, Brooklyn Beckham . A lot of people ask me, Oh, do you have any regrets? No, not really. There was also no dramatic showdown between Chambers and Ghantt as the movie suggests. On March 12, a Charlotte grand jury indicted the eight co-conspirators for bank larceny and money laundering; the latter offense was included because of how they spent the stolen money. David Ghantt is more than just a man who was a part of one of the worlds largest heists, he's more than a funny name associated with a comedy movie, he's actually just an every day person who once made a really bad decision. But as Ghantt admitted, the film took some liberties with specific details and characters to make the film funnier. VIDEO. Its kind of out of sight, out of mind, she said of the reasoning. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM MASTERMIND MOVIE. In November 1990, David married Margaret in San Diego, California. Prosecutors also resisted Culler's efforts to downplay Michele Chambers' role in the theft. How? Holding her hands behind her back, Michele Chambers was sentenced Tuesday to seven years and eight months in prison for her role in the $17 million heist from Loomis, Fargo & Co. She was also ordered to pay $4.8 million in restitution.It was the fourth-most severe sentence given in the case, which has 21 defendants. 29 David Ghantt Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images. In August 1997, Campbell informed Ghantt of an old high school friend of hers, Steve Chambers, who could assist Ghantt in executing a massive cash robbery of the Loomis Fargo vault in one night. You can cancel at any time. That 3-carat ring came back to haunt Michele Chambers at Tuesday's hearing. At the time it was thesecond largest bank heistin U.S. history. Campbell used to work for Loomis and continued the friendship with Ghantt, eventually . CREATIVE. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such as scuba diving and parasailing. Ghantt, in order to conserve this money, curtailed his spending. The couple was married for 22 years before her untimely death in 2012. Memorial services for Bishop David O'Connell began Wednesday night at During the next few months they bought a BMW-Z3 roadster and tens of thousands of dollars in antiques, furniture and decorations. Ghantt added, I really enjoyed the movie. Michele Chambers 1998 BMW for sale following the prosecutions of the Loomis Fargo heist conspirators. In February 2009 the Associated Press reported that Chambers had chosen to describe himself as "changed". Defense lawyer Andy Culler sought a seven-year, three-month sentence. He left his wedding ring behind and spent his days spending money on luxury hotels and scuba diving. Playing upon David's obvious feelings for her, Kelly is the . Masterminds - Zach Galifianakis 'David Ghantt' [On-Set Interview]SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://goo.gl/SrrTlTSUBSCRIBE MOVIE TRAILERS: http://goo.gl/8WxGeDA night gu. 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. As Predators' David Poile braces for retirement, his wife reveals their love story. Campbell knew theyd need the help of the warehouses vault supervisor, who just happened to have a crush on her, and she called Ghantt to ask for his help. [7][8], Rocket Science, a 1998 double-disc album by Charlotte-based radio personalities John Boy & Billy, includes a track ("Marvin: The Loomis Caper") mocking the defendants. To find out more about how the thieves got caught and how long they landed behind bars, tune in the Super Heists on CNBC on Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Get the latest articles and test prep tips! Biography Comedy Crime A guard at an armored car company in the Southern U.S. organizes one of the biggest bank heists in American history. If I hadnt of done that, Id probably still be in North Carolina and I would not have got to meet a lot of the interesting people that Ive got to meet. The pair were both from the United States but had lived in the Peloponnese region of Greece for the past few years. October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery - Wikipedia David Ghantt had been a model employee for an armored car company before pulling off the second biggest cash heist in U.S. history, fleeing with more than . David Ghantt attends the after party for the Premiere Of Relativity Media's "Masterminds" on September 26, 2016 in Hollywood, California. More than 2 million dollars is still missing to this day. 121 90 1,443 Show this thread David GhanttRetweeted C.A. He made it across the border just as his deception was discovered. The next day, the Chambers, Campbell, and some other notable parties were arrested in Charlotte. Authorities say Steve. David Ghantt struck up a relationship with fellow Loomis Fargo employee Kelly Campbell, and they continued to maintain contact even after Campbell left the company. And Ghantt hadnt really thought about the physical challenge of moving such a large sum of money. David Ghantt, who pulled off the Loomis, Fargo & Co. vault robbery in 1997 and was sentenced to seven years in prison for the crime, served as a consultant for the film (in theaters Friday).. Answer: The painful one is getting caught. Federal Judge Graham Mullen sentenced her to between those lengths. Then, keeping with the plan, Ghantt took $50,000 (the maximum that could by law be taken across the border without further authorization) with him and left for Mexico, winding up at the popular Yucatan Peninsula resort-island of Cozumel. With the plan in place, Ghantt sent a newly employed co-worker home early (reportedly at 6 p.m) who had been assigned to train with him. The Loomis Fargo heist became something of a media lightning rod. By then, the FBI had become greatly concerned for Ghantt's personal safety; they had learned that Chambers had plotted to have Ghantt killed in a murder for hire scheme using a "hit man" named Michael McKinney. ', He explained the glorification and glamour often associated with bank heists and bank robberies in Hollywood films is far from reality. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. dvelopper et amliorer nos produits et services. To its credit, Masterminds does nail down the broad strokes of the real story, although there were a couple of noteworthy details the film left out. The brother of a man killed by a woman now charged with murder in Chambers County said he sees similarities in his brother's case and the case of woman's latest husband's death. The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. Degrowth or Debunk: Do Degrowth proponents have a strategy? What Happened to Steve Chambers After Prison Fitness Center? Ghantt, Chambers, and Campbell came up with the following plan: Ghantt would remain in the vault after his shift on the night of the heist, Oct. 4, 1997, and let his co-conspirators into the vault. My name is David Scott Ghantt. I stole $17 million, and Zach - reddit 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. He told me they were in the dirt business, so he didn't have to worry too much about me. The FBI continues to search for a missing $2 million from the theft. Day in and day out, he drives an armored vehicle,. David Scott Ghantt Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. ", The much-faster-than-expected economic recovery thats followed the easing of the coronavirus pandemic has produced several encouraging develo. It wasa painful process, but I learned to be happy with me and with what I've got. Working by himself, Ghantt would commit the robbery and then flee for Mexico, leaving the bulk of the cash with Chambers. His partners, who planned to stay behind, agreed to send him his full cut of the money after the heat from investigators had died down. At the time it was the second largest cash robbery ever to happen on US soil. I mean, thats pretty much why I did it. Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. I wasnt attracted to him or anything, but he was a nice guy, Campbell said. Masterminds is an atrociously bad comedy, and absolutely everyone is to blame. March 2, 2023 - Alex Murdaugh found guilty in the murder of his wife Having only brought $50,000 in cash, however, Ghantt soon found himself short on funds. Q: You say your time in federal prison changed you. Michele Chambers' sentence was two months longer than that given to David Scott Ghantt, the Loomis employee who removed the money from the company vault on Oct. 4, 1997.