The site features a collection of unexplained, strange and odd mysteries. A parrot tattoo on her right ankle. 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. I think if you remember some of her early photographic opportunities, shall we put it that way, she was sort of laughing, not seeming to take it seriously.. 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. Burks was also ordered to serve 15 years in prison, limiting his ability to balance his books. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]. We are happy to work with other website publishers. I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. Spunk. He shut the empty vault and set its timer so the vault could not be opened for two or three days. Hes a family man with a wife and daughter. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. 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. But you cant get blood from a stone,, Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. David was supposed to be showing him the ropes of the job, which included cash pickups and deliveries. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. Sure to be in demand as the book has been made into a movie, Masterminds, to be released in August.Michael Sawyer, Pine Bluff, AR. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. LeVaughn Kelly Campbell (born July 23, 1980 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former football wide receiver. Steve had hired a bodyguard named Mike McKinney.
They Had 17 Million Dollars and No Sense at All - AMW Magazine Arrests Made in $17 Mil. N.C. Heist | AP News David Ghantt And The Ridiculous Loomis Fargo Heist Former FBI agent John Wydra, 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. The towns booming construction industry attracts workers from around the country. Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. Perry identified the other six people arrested as Steve and Michelle Chambers; Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis employee; Michael L. McKinney; Thomas Nathan Grant; and Eric Haley Payne.. What it does is put a ball and chain on that person for the rest of their lives, they are walking around and they are basically an indentured servant, Gronquist said. CHARLOTTE (AP) During one overnight shift, a bumbling conspiracy of thieves just west of Charlotte stole more than $17 million from Loomis Fargo. For people earning $8.15 an hour David's salary the jokes came naturally. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars.
Masterminds (2016 film) - Wikipedia In Campbells case, Gronquist says his client was buried in court-ordered debt despite the fact that she took responsibility for what she had done and cooperated with prosecutors and the FBI. David's vision for all of this actually derived more from books than from movies.
Loomis Fargo Heist of 1997 - History and Other Things He had joined the army and earned an honorable discharge, but because of defense-industry cutbacks he hadn't been able to find a good job for himself.
Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997 But with Kelly's new idea on the table, several dark realities converged on him. true story that has captivated American audiences on the news and now on the big screen in the major motion picture, Masterminds. Now, at 7:45 p.m., with all the money finally inside the van, his aching muscles could take a breather. Booklist "Librariesshould consider purchasing this entertaining and lightly edited version, which reads like a fast-paced novel." 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. 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. Of course, this would all be a radical departure for him, and thoughts of his wife and parents did give him pause. Their most important conversation occurred one afternoon in August 1997 after Kelly paged him at work. David got a kick out of her. He knew they were nervous outside waiting for him, but he also knew he wouldn't stop stealing until he had taken everything.
TWO TO ENTER GUILTY PLEAS IN ARMORED-CAR ROBBERY - Greensboro News and As a child, he had preferred reading to playing sports, and he would say, as an adult, that although he couldn't have told you "who was on first," he knew as a kid who the Egyptian god of the dead was. The theft at the time the second-largest cash robbery in U.S. history has been the brunt of mocking movies and books, mostly on how the thieves, who had little money to begin with, could not control their spending habits once they did. The stated plan was for her to move to Mexico to be with him after the theft. Its in the ether. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. 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. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft [Jeff Diamant] on Amazon.com. He allegedly hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. Low 46F. Unexplained Mysteries and Strange Things,Cool Interesting stuff has been online since early 2011. "Just think about it," she said. This technically made it abank robbery afederal offense. They knew Steve Chambers had worked as an informant in the past, and were nervous he would smell out an undercover. 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. I actually loved reading through this post. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). They assumed that whoever was involved would keep the cash in a safe place, like a safe deposit box. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled.
Figure in Loomis Heist Gets Prison | AP News He tried again to make the back gate rise, to no avail. In Campbells case, Gronquist says his client was buried in court-ordered debt despite the fact that she took responsibility for what she had done and cooperated with prosecutors and the FBI. He even had to watch what he bought at the grocery store. 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. The unfairness gnawed at him, stirred by Kelly's questions. Ghantt went to Mexico leaving the money with his cohorts, thinking that he could get his share back when he needed it. But after a year, they cut it down to two agents. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. The plan to. But what the bank didnt tell Michelle, and Michelle didnt know, was that one of those forms get filled out if you ask about it, or if its close to $10,000 or if they suspect that any part of that transaction is suspicious, Wydra said. The investigation ultimately resulted in the conviction of eight people directly involved, as well as sixteen others who had indirectly helped them. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.'. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. They also bought aBMW Z3with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 statue of aNative American. "What would it take to make you do it?". Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. David didn't appreciate her tone. "But you can still have a cigarette.". We dont have the manpower to track all that (restitution) money down I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs., Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it,, You can garnish wages. As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. Enforcement of this policy is at the In this outrageously entertaining book, Jeff Diamant, the Charlotte Observer's lead reporter on the case, offers the definitive inside account of this astonishing. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. Conversations about stealing from the company weren't rare for Loomis employees. The gang made numerous mistakes. 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. 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. 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. 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Marine Fisheries Commission advocates for water quality, North Carolina the only state allowing unnecessary killing of sea turtles, 'Pagan' bike gang leader in N. Carolina sentenced to prison, Deputy cleared in shooting death of Gloucester woman, Beaufort amends charter to allow four-year mayoral term. David placed their odds of success at 85 percent, a confidence inspired by faith not just in his planning but also in his feelings for Kelly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. 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. Jeffrey Guller, who at 81 is by far the oldest of the Loomis defendants, still owes almost $1.1 million on his original court debt of $1.14 million and will remain on the governments books for another four years. 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. 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. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group.
Fact check: Is there much truth to the new 'Masterminds' movie? of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or Each cart, holding about $2 million, was taking David seven or eight minutes to stack, push, and empty into the van, and there were about eight cartloads' worth in the vault. It has a certain feel, a smell and weight to it. However, Chambers had no intention of following those rules, believing the FBI would never connect him to Ghantt. 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. The biggest restitution numbers for victims of financial crimes generally involve Ponzi schemes or sweepstakes fraud, not cash thefts. You can have your whole career and not have a case like that. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. David and Kelly had driven to Rock Hill, South Carolina, and used the documents to obtain a fake ID that David would also rely on after the theft. Chambers had no intention of wiring any money to Ghantt and intended to have him killed to keep him from implicating the others. The unsolved crime mystery of Marilyn Sheppard. At about 6:40 p.m., he went back inside. 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. All but one took plea deals, including Ghantt, who was sentenced to seven years in prison. Some of the biggest numbers remaining on the Loomis collection board, as is the case with Campbell, belong to those who played the biggest role in the crime: - David Ghantt, the Loomis employee who loaded all that money 2,800 pounds in all into the back of a company van before escaping to Mexico, has paid just under $50,000 of the $3.81 million he was assessed. He deserved better. Another name the FBI had become very interested in is Eric Payne. As beads of sweat formed under his red hair, he loaded up another cart and repeated the process. Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter. The only other employee with him on this day was a trainee. But if you did, youll never forget it. The bag held his mobile phone and handgun. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers, carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct.. The figures can be astounding. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. David and the trainee left the warehouse. "its a great readsuspenseful, often funny, just the thing for those wondering what it might feel like to have, as these hapless, small-town criminals did, literally too darn much cash lying around. " Later, they also arrested Nathans older brother. Money. Temptation to do something that you think you normally wouldnt do can change a lot of minds when its that kind of cash, and thats what it was., (WATCH BELOW: VIDEO: The Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later). So that was kind of like this once-in-a-lifetime thing, Wydra said. Worlds Biggest Heists London Hatton Garden 200m Diamond Robbery, Easter 2015. He loves his motorcycle and enjoys going fishing and, while hes sorry for the past, hes not ashamed to talk about it. An additional tip reached the FBI when Michelle Chambers made a large deposit at a bank. Heist! When they hung up, she called his pager and left the code 1-4-3, beeper-speak for "I love you," based on the number of letters in each word. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later David Scott Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Also charged with money laundering were innocent relatives and friends who had co-signed safe deposit boxes. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.. 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. Campbell and her husband had always been just scraping by, however in the weeks following the robbery, the two seemed to have more money than theyve ever had. The friend was Steve Chambers, and Kelly said he knew his way around the world of crime. Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. 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. Jim Gronquist was Campbells defense attorney. His eyes widened and he stopped breathing as he realized that something as mundane as a malfunctioning gate might ruin their entire plan. Oh were not going to talk to anybody, theyre not going to be able to convict us, that bravado happens in the beginning and then it often gets worn down by the reality, Gronquist said. Outside of 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. Spunk. Probably very egotistical of me, I thought, Yeah, sure, I can beat them, theyre college smart and thats about it, Ghantt said. 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? You can garnish wages. The figures can be astounding.
Turns out, most of the thieves and their accomplices have been about as effective coming up with their court-ordered restitution as they were hiding their original crimes. You have permission to edit this article. You can seize property.
1997 Loomis Fargo Robbery - Strange Unexplained Mysteries He'd already done enough, he realized, to get himself fired and arrested, even if the gate prevented him from moving the money outside the building. The old man me would never survive that, Id have a heart attack..
In all, agents arrested 24 people in the heist. Agents raided safe deposit boxes, where they recovered more than $11 million. White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. A connection between each suspect began to emerge slowly, and as the intensity of spending grew, suspicion did as well.
Heist: The Oddball Crew Behind the $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft Then 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, Wydra said. Jim Gronquist, Campbells defense attorney during the Loomis case, says the financial penalties levied against his client and her co-defendants are grossly excessive and unjust, particularly since most of the stolen Loomis money was actually recovered. sole discretion of the site administrators and repeat offenders may Kelly Campbell, who one day visited a Toyota dealership to purchase a minivan with twenty-dollar bills. It, too, has changed hands several times. These weren't the hardest of criminals, and though there was logic to not knowing each other's names, they had derived some of their methods from Hollywood depictions of crime. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. It all seemed unfair. Prosecutors say a vault. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. In total, 24 people were convicted and all but one of the accused pleaded guilty. Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. ", Johnson said, "Yeah, that's it. It wasn't how much you stole that mattered most; it was that you had stolen in the first place. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft . : The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft. David's share would be sent to Mexico, where he planned to hide and where he expected Kelly to join him. Authorities were notified of the robbery in the morning, when employees couldnt open the vault. Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain. In Reservoir Dogs, released just five years earlier, the pawns in a robbery knew each other only by assigned colors: Mr. And after two years, the case is just a file. He knew it would mean leaving Tammy. Its like, me and you sat down, I have access to pie, you like pie, all I want is my share of the pie. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. Kelly called, using David's own cell phone, to ask where he was already, because she and the others were waiting outside for him. Guller was the attorney for Steven Chambers, who came up with the original idea for the Loomis theft.
Feet Security Officer Bo Foot's Incident In Happy Town | ipl.org 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. By now, you probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve Chambers and his wife Michelle, and Kelly Campbell. Ms. Campbell worked at Loomis for 11 months, leaving in November 1996, according to court papers. The bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. 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. They could talk about anything, even topics he couldn't discuss with his wife. Though Wydra is retired, 25 years ago, he was an agent with the FBI. That way, outsiders couldn't see money being loaded. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. We dont have the manpower to track all that (restitution) money down I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. From there, the money was moved from the armored car to private vehicles. Her case closes in 2025. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. A third surveillance tape was carelessly left behind, and the company was able to identify the man who robbed the vault as David Ghantt. Lacking a college degree, he found that his army skills felt meaningless in the 1990s job market. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. Four-wheeling. Its in the ether. If it didn't work out, he could return to the United States later with a new identity. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. That movie, Masterminds, was filmed in 2014.
kelly campbell masterminds - clydeautorepairs.co.uk Current price is $11.49, Original price is $14.99. In the end, the FBI was able to capture the original gang in five months, snaring 21 individuals for their participation in the crime. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. But they'd stayed in touch, and now they were poised to attempt a crime like almost no other. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. Breakdown by congressional district, States' push to define sex decried as erasing trans people, North Carolina Supreme Court hears felony voting rights case, North Carolina House GOP modifies rules on veto overrides, N. Carolina speaker, lawmaker uninjured after SUV rammed, UPS chooses Onslow County site for expansion, EPA orders 'pause' of derailment contaminated waste removal, My Sisters House: helping women in cycle of incarceration, Talent cycle keeps rolling for East boys basketball program, Carteret County Board of Education adopts resolution calling for flexibility in school calendar law, Emerald Isle to have public comment period on 2023-24 budget Tuesday night, Jury quickly finds Murdaugh guilty of murder of wife, son, After their genitals were cut, some women search for healing, N. Carolina sergeant, former deputy charged in brutal arrest, Report: Companies' climate targets not what they claim to be, Men Count program brings positive influence to NC school, Groups join forces to save, release cold-stunned sea turtles, East boys cop fourth league hoops crown in a row, end regular season with 86-50 win over Lejeune, West honors boys assistant coach Lancaster for 25 years of service with basketball program, 5 dead, including patient, in medical flight crash in Nevada, Juvenile with AR-15 detained at high school basketball game, Fisheries division shellfish lease hearing draws few comments from public, North Carolina House votes to end pistol permit requirements, North Carolina AG won't defend abortion pill restrictions, North Carolina bill with LGBTQ limits heads to Senate floor, South Lenoir teacher accused of assaulting two students with an extension cord, East boys take control of Coastal Plains with 68-54 win over Pamlico; Matheka, Baker score 64, Store donates entire $50K Powerball bonus to food bank, Bill raising riot penalties in North Carolina clears House, N.C. senators vote for medical pot at appropriate time, Saddleback Church doubles down on support for female pastors, Senate Democrats kill Youngkin-backed bill on school awards, China dismisses FBI statement on COVID-19 lab leak theory, N. Carolina House GOP again modifies rules on veto overrides, Murdoch says some Fox hosts 'endorsed' false election claims, Havelock officials warn public about alligator near Walmart, Cape Carteret buys new utility vehicle to aid in picking up litter, New taxi, shuttle business seeks license to operate in Morehead City, Report: Navy ships face growing maintenance delays, costs, Fisheries division to survey for-hire watermen, National Enquirer, ensnared in catch-and-kill is sold.