Prosecutors also resisted Culler's efforts to downplay Michele Chambers' role in the theft. 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. From Oct. 6 through Feb. 20, the couple made 47 deposits totaling $271,500 at a Belmont bank, and at. I'd probably be that infamous gringo living in Belize, kicked back on the beach, fishing and bored out of my mind. 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. The judge said he would recommend that Michele Chambers be given mental health treatment in prison. 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. I started just chucking it as fast as I could, he said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me.. As it turns out, the heist did in fact go as well as you might expect. A: People are very forgiving if you're open and honest right from the start. 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. Ten days later, the group was indicted for bank larceny and money laundering. Instead, the two started hanging out on the beach together and became friends. 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. Said Ghantt, one day life kinda slapped me in the face. But before thehit could be carried out, the FBI swooped in and arrested Ghantt and the others. But in addition to a wife,. In 2020, the television show Super Heists portrayed the heist in Episode 3, "Van Full of Dollars". I got to eat my meal perfectly, but every 5 minutes, someone wanted to shoot a selfie with Zach or an autograph from Zach. Two days after the heist, the FBI found the missing van with $3.3 million of cash left in it. Do you still have contact with him? In February 2009 the Associated Press reported that Chambers had chosen to describe himself as "changed". Her husband, Steve Chambers, whom prosecutors have called the main defendant, began serving an 11-year sentence earlier this year. Lindy Hop: The Dance That Defined The Golden Age of Jazz, Inside The Unsolved Disappearance Of Jennifer Kesse, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, David Ghantt attends the 2016 after party for the Hollywood premiere of. Ghantt, a U.S. Army veteran, was living a relatively "boring" life working as the vault superintendent at a Loomis Fargo armored car warehouse just outside Charlotte, North Carolina making a relatively meager paycheck, when he crossed paths with Kelly Campbell. Her reaction seems so far away now, all these years and a Hall of Fame career later. dvelopper et amliorer nos produits et services. Also charged were several innocent relatives that the robbers had enlisted to help get safety deposit boxes in various banks. Ghantt and his compatriots, it turns out, had underestimated how bulky money is. So he hatched a plan to rob his employers. He was angry a lot. They would then load as much cash as they could carry into a van. Lorsque vous utilisez nos sites et applications, nous utilisons des, authentifier les utilisateurs, appliquer des mesures de scurit, empcher les spams et les abus; et. Some people screw up big like you, some people screw up small.". Learning about US history? 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. You see, theres a reason Loomis Fargo used armored cars to move large amounts of cash. I wanted to make a drastic change and I went for it, Ghantt remembered later to the Gaston Gazette. "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. He was like OK, yeah, we can do that, she recalled. The details of the heist itself, coupled with the missteps the crew made after stealing the money, attracted the attention of writers and movie producers. Thirteen friends and family members were also charged with money laundering, as they had helped Ghantt, Chambers, Campbell, and the others deposit money illegally. Just days after agreeing to the plan, the group set a day to carry out the robbery. Before he decided to steal $17 million from the bank, Ghantt had worked for years as a relatively taciturn and compliant employee. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Ghantt sent home a new employee and quickly loaded the money into the back of a bank van. Authorities had the receipt and had known it was missing. Just the ability to come and go as I please and walk barefooted in the backyard means so much. 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.". Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. A Comprehensive Guide. My Proof: https://twitter.com/DavidGhantt/status/827476087596789760, My AMA time is up now, but thank you all for your participation in the Ask Me Anything session :-), New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, https://twitter.com/DavidGhantt/status/827476087596789760. Custom Content. Outside the building, Ghantt met up with Campbell, Chambers, and others who were involved in the plot, and drove off to a printing business called Reynolds & Reynolds in northwest Charlotte. David Ghantt was portrayed by Zackary Hatfield. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. The pair began to daydream about whether they could really pull off the heist. Whisler told the judge that the couple had searched for a new house before the theft, and that Michele Chambers bought rubber bands from Wal-Mart to count the money the night of the crime. 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 . Ghantt was already married when he took part in the heist, to a woman named Tammy - who author Diamant described as "very nice." It is true, however, that she had no idea about the plot and that. All but one of the indicted pleaded guilty. I knew it was over then, Ghantt said. START or Stop: Do Nuclear Weapons Treaties Matter? The plan was for Ghantt to commit the robbery and then quickly leave the country for Mexico but to leave the bulk of the cash with Chambers. Ghantt was. I really don't miss that guy. Harper Beckham and her dad David Beckham dressed in matching black outfits as they headed to a Paris Fashion Week event being thrown by Harper's mom and David's wife Victoria . And, with the help of several others David made off with $17.3 million dollars, 11 million of which was in 20's. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. They also bought a BMW Z3 with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 cigar store Indian. 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. David Ghantt spent 11 years in the military and now works as a film consultant on the side. ``I'm glad she didn't get nine years,' said Sandra Floyd, her mother. Although the FBI investigation was able to quickly connect Ghantt to Campbell, connecting Ghantt to Chambers was a more difficult task. Will Mcintyre/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images. He worked fueling airplanes, driving a forklift, and in 1994 he got a job as a vault superintendent at Loomis. They asked me how I felt about it and I said, Its my story, but its your movie so have at me. Chambers was a small-time crook who suggested to Campbell that they rob Loomis Fargo. Chambers promised to wire him money in Mexico until the investigation blew over and Ghantt could return to . What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. David Scott Ghantt: Vault Supervisor David Scott Ghantt was the vault supervisor at the regional branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? He stayed at a luxury hotel and took scuba diving lesson. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. What happens at the end of mastermind? Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. I figured it had to be me. The chief running joke in Masterminds is the Prince Valiant 'do gamely sported by Galifianakis as David Ghantt, . Degrowth or Debunk: Do Degrowth proponents have a strategy? ``There are many people with those factors who don't resort to crime,' he said. Although the history of the predecessor Wells Fargo & Company dates back to 1852, Loomis Fargo & Company was established in 1997 by the consolidation of Wells Fargo Armored Service and Loomis Armored Inc.; the resulting corporation employed 8,500 people and provided armored transportation, cash handling services, and automatic teller machine maintenance. The next day, Steve and Michelle Chambers, Kelly Campbell, and four others were arrested.[6]. [1], Steven Chambers finished serving his sentence in November 2006. David Ghantt : [voice-over] Steve was a petty thief, mostly known for stealing tiny wheelchairs from pediatric hospitals. 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. Over the years many of his social . Now, here we are, two years later. Lees ons privacybeleid en cookiebeleid voor meer informatie over hoe we uw persoonsgegevens gebruiken. Culler acknowledged that she had overheard her husband and co-defendant Kelly Campbell talk about the plan, ``but she thought it was fantasy world.'. 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. But of course, then they had to decorate that spectacular new space and so they spent tens of thousands of dollars on things like cigar store Indians, paintings of Elvis, and a bulldog dressed up like George Patton. While making only eight dollars an hour in his role as supervisor, Ghantt decided it was time to do something: I was unhappy with my life. I felt cornered and one day the joking in the break room about robbing the place suddenly didnt seem so far-fetched.. ', He explained the glorification and glamour often associated with bank heists and bank robberies in Hollywood films is far from reality. Even the outtakes during the credits are bad. 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. Q: Do you appreciate your normal life now more than you would if you hadn't spent years in prison? Eventually, Ghantt would return to the United States and the full sum would be split up between the conspirators. 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. AI Chatbots are Even Scarier Than You Think, DeSantiss Educational Policies Come Right Out of the Fascist Playbook, Erase the Memory to Erase a People? To make a successful getaway, Ghantt had to lift nearly 2,800 pounds of currency. In spite of Chambers assurance that the money was, you know, totally not illegally acquired, the teller remained suspicious, especially because the stacks of cash still had Loomis Fargo wrappers on them. The connection to Chambers took more time. Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. 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).. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such as scuba diving and parasailing. ``This defendant was second to Steve Chambers in (benefiting) from the crime,' he said. VIDEO. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. After a Gulf War stint in the Army, David got married in 1992. You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-869-1823 or www.Twitter.com/TheGazetteKevin. Q: You say your time in federal prison changed you. Ghantt, in order to conserve this money, curtailed his spending. You'd be amazed at how much stress you can relieve yourself from in your life by just taking 20 or so minutes a day for yourself and just letting the world go. I didnt even have a real home life because I was never there. ", After successfully tracing Ghantt's phone call, FBI agents coordinated with Mexican police to arrest Ghantt on March 1, 1998, at Playa del Carmen, a city near Cancun. He would eventually be arrested in Mexico in March 1998 after one of his co-conspirators put out a hit on him under the false suspicion he was the only prime suspect authorities were aware of at the time. But because he still owes millions to the IRS, he couldnt be paid. In total, 24 people were convicted. The two struck up a friendship during work that would continue after Campbell left the company. If so,check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. A: I'm in dire need for some RO's barbecue and some Tony's Ice Cream. At the. Si vous ne souhaitez pas que nos partenaires et nousmmes utilisions des cookies et vos donnes personnelles pour ces motifs supplmentaires, cliquez sur Refuser tout. But Ghantt has been open about what he did and how he believes it changed him for the better. The thieves had simply abandoned whatever they couldnt carry away. 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 . The additions come as KFC recently removed some menu items, including wings, popcorn chicken and cookies, to make room for new additions. It's the little things like that that gnaw on you. The odds of you actually getting away with something these days is pretty damn slim. At the time it was thesecond largest bank heistin U.S. history. AMA In October of 1997, I was a vault supervisor for armored truck company Loomis Fargo, when I made off with $17.3 million. Ghantt has never explained where that money went. so make sure youre taking the right ones for you. I was working sometimes 75-80 hrs a week for $8.15 an hour, I didnt even have a real home life because I was never there I was working all the time and unhappy which is understandable considering how old I was at the time. All rights reserved. Because Ghantt was the only employee who wasnt there that morning, he became the obvious suspect. The FBI continues to search for a missing $2 million from the theft. 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. After years of working hard, the realisation hit . Chambers, it turned out, became the biggest source of evidence for the FBI. This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 16:45. More than 2 million dollars is still missing to this day. Chambers served 11 years before being released. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). After finding himself in prison he made a concious choice to do things differently. Playing upon David's obvious feelings for her, Kelly is the . Will Mcintyre/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesMichele Chambers 1998 BMW for sale following the prosecutions of the Loomis Fargo heist conspirators. Retro CharlotteFBI security footage of David Ghantt in the midst of the Loomis Fargo heist. The couple was married for 22 years before her untimely death in 2012. You have permission to edit this article. 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. Naturally, Ghantt started to run out of cash and turned to Chambers, who was annoyed by his requests for more money. We were two paychecks away from being homeless at any given time.. Will California Save the Iconic Joshua Tree? When I interviewed for this job about three years ago, I told (my boss) that I had some dirt in my background, and if he went digging for it, he would find it. [citation needed], It was later confirmed by the FBI that more than 88% of the stolen cash had been located or otherwise accounted for. David Ghantt discovers the true meaning of adventure far beyond his wildest dreams. 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. 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 $17 million in untraceable bills in 1997. The Army veteran and Hunter Huss High graduate was captured in Mexico five months later when one of the others involved in the theft, Steve Chambers, decided he needed to tie up loose ends by having Ghantt killed. {{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. That suspicion was immediately confirmed by a quick glance at the security camera footage that showed Ghantt doing a little dance after loading all the cash into the van. In the end, eight co-conspirators were indicted for the Loomis Fargo heist. Ghantt and seven others eventually pleaded guilty in federal court to charges directly related to one of the largest cash heists in history while more than a dozen other family members, friends and associates of those involved in the theft were found guilty of related charges, including money laundering. [1], This robbery was the second-largest cash robbery on U.S. soil at the time, as only seven months earlier, on March 29, 1997 in Jacksonville, Florida, Philip Noel Johnson stole $18.8 million from the Loomis Fargo armored vehicle he was driving.[2]. By Dustin Rowles | Film | September 30, 2016 |. Once the heat was off, Ghantt would return and they would split the haul evenly. With a cast like this, and Emily Spivey (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Up All Night) as part of the writing team, Masterminds shouldnt be nearly as obnoxious and dull as it is, but nothing ever clicks. Q: How do you tell prospective employers you once stole $17 million? The problem with the movie, however, is that the talented cast had no idea what the hell they were trying to do. Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. C hristopher David Ghantt Phone Numbers (704) 678-8911. And with that, David Ghantt took off for Mexico. I realized a lot of things that were wrong with me as a person. The police then called the FBI because most of the money handled at the facility belonged to banks, which technically made it a bank robbery a federal offense.[5]. Authorities say Steve. Then Michele made a trip to the bank. The FBI knew they needed to make their move. Robbing the 7-Eleven and getting $40 bucks and a pack of Marlboros was not for me. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM MASTERMIND MOVIE. mesurer votre utilisation de nos sites et applications. David Bragg . The missing couple were identified as David Harrison Robinson and his wife Lucretia Robinson. Over the next months, Ghantt, Campbell, and Chambers developed a plan. Im like, You need to understand that, that money has been missing for 20 years. I got no real complaints, not at this point., The heist became the premise for the movie,Masterminds, released in September 2016. This Wednesday marks the 20th anniversary of the notorious Loomis Fargo heist. Of course, I went on a spending spree. He is an uncomplicated man stuck in a monotonous life. Everybody thinks being famous and being an actor is stupendous, and the money is fantastic, but they kind of live in afish bowl. 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.
Kwane Stewart Married, Regis Road Recycling Book A Slot, Articles D