However, Chambers had no intention of following those rules, believing the FBI would never connect him to Ghantt. In the first couple of weeks, they had heard both Steve and Shelley bragging about their new-found fortune, and spending remarkable amounts of money. First, they tapped the Chambers phone, and began listening in on February 11th, 1998. Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. Ghantt had struck up a relationship with a fellow Loomis Fargo employee, Kelly Campbell; they continued to maintain contact even after Campbell left the company. Library Journal "highly entertaining." Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. Still facing possible unknowns of other people involved, the FBI needed to gather more information without the suspects getting suspicious of them. By this time, agents knew where he was and had a general idea who the other players were, so they went to every bank in town to see if any of them rented a safe deposit box. Then, he proceeded to load 2,800 pounds of cash into a van. - 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. "So he stays behind and moving over two thousand pounds of . David didn't appreciate her tone. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. 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 that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done. 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. Its in the ether. 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. People dont seem to understand human nature. 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. (LogOut/ 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. 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. 2023 Cox Media Group. He tried again to make the back gate rise, to no avail. Afterward, everything became comical. remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats White-collar criminals are pretty good at hiding their money, she said. 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. Im married, I got one girl, shes 15 going on 30. CHARLOTTE (AP) During one overnight shift, a bumbling conspiracy of thieves just west of Charlotte stole more than $17 million from Loomis Fargo. And after two years, the case is just a file. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Clear skies. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. So they went to Mexico and arrested Ghantt in order to protect him. They knew Steve Chambers had worked as an informant in the past, and were nervous he would smell out an undercover. Steve decided to send his cousin, Nathan with money down to Mexico as a ruse, while Mike the bodyguard would follow behind to take care of Ghantt. 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. 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. 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. Unexplained Mysteries - owned by Aliens since 2011. Instead he became paranoid, especially after Steve Chambers put a contract out on his life. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. If it didn't work out, he could return to the United States later with a new identity. These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. : The .17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft [Jeff Diamant] on Amazon.com. 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.. 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. If a prank seemed dangerous, David backed out. 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. I gotta go.". The unsolved mystery of the Van Meter Visitor a winged creature! This was several years before the advent of smartphones and the post-9/11 increase in federal surveillance of electronic communications, and public knowledge about this tracking was less widespread. "Just think about it," she said. FBI video shows agents searching the Cramer Mountain home and finding stacks of cash. They located Steve and Shelley Chambers in their newly-purchased home at the top of a hill. Later that year, he saw a newspaper ad for a job at Loomis Fargo. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Down in Jacksonville, a Loomis Fargo employee took $18 million from an armored van he was driving. Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. Ms. Campbell worked at Loomis for 11 months, leaving in November 1996, according to court papers. When I put that cash in the back of the car, by the time I got to the office the whole car smelled like that. David and the trainee left the warehouse. His collection case closes in two years. Chambers had no intention of wiring any money to Ghantt and intended to have him killed to keep him from implicating the others. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. On the evening ofOctober 4, 1997, the Loomis Fargo & Co branch in Charlotte, North Carolina was in the process of being plundered. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.'. You can have your whole career and not have a case like that. Later, they also arrested Nathans older brother. When you have money, you just have different problems: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. More than half of the amount came from the seizure of a luxury home purchased by husband-and-wife defendants during their post-heist spending spree. He was a hard worker, smart enough, and had graduated from high school. Ghantt went to Mexico leaving the money with his cohorts, thinking that he could get his share back when he needed it. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Current price is $11.49, Original price is $14.99. of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or And then I realized that a lot of people knew who I was and they had followed the case.. It was released in 2016 and Wydra was invited to the premiere. Jeff Diamant was a reporter for the Charlotte Observer when the heist took place. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. Two days later, when the FBI found the Loomis Fargo armored van, they discovered almost $3.3 million in cash left in the back of the van; it was later discovered that the thieves had miscalculated the sheer bulk of the small denomination currency, and that they simply left the cash that they could not take with them in the back of the van. ALSO READ: 14-year-old boy robbed at gunpoint while waiting for bus in east. It all went down in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the man at the center of that heist, David Scott Ghantt, now lives in Jacksonville. 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.. To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. This website uses cookies and some data tracking to improve your experience and serve adverts, We assume you're ok with this, you can opt-out if you wish. She had previously been making frequent small deposits to avert suspicion. The plan was for Ghantt to commit the actual robbery and then quickly leave the country forMexico but to leave the bulk of the cash with Chambers. Well she was a pretty happy-go-lucky person, he said. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. Pink, Mr. Blue, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde. 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