The plan to rob Loomis Fargo was spawned by Campbell and her friend Steve Chambers, during a casual bonfire at Chambers' home. In all, agents arrested 24 people in the heist. I made a joke once that was the hardest Id ever worked for Wells Fargo -- yeah, its a lot of work, Ghantt said. 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. He had since served time in prison for the crime and told our sister station WSOC-TV Channel 9s Glenn Counts he learned a valuable lesson while behind bars. They located Steve and Shelley Chambers in their newly-purchased home at the top of a hill. It has a certain feel, a smell and weight to it. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. https://www.charlotteagenda.com/67457/loomis-fargo-heist-masterminds-movie/, http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/article104506876.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_1997_Loomis_Fargo_robbery#Company, http://retroclt.blogspot.com/2014/07/loomis-fargo-heist.html, . What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.'. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt.
Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997 Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. The only other employee with him on this day was a trainee. 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. 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. Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy aToyota Siennaminivanin two cash installments. Her case closes in 2025. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. 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. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. The defendants received sentences ranging from probation for several relatives to over 11 years in federal prison for Steve Chambers. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth.. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. 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 towns booming construction industry attracts workers from around the country. If the American Dream involved being better off as adults than your parents were, David was experiencing a version of the American Nightmare. Accompanying her was Steve Chambers, who, though unemployed, had recently moved . 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. That was the thing that sticks in my mind to this day.. They also purchased expensive cars, jewelry and a breast enhancement or two. It just happened to fall on my desk.. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. Of course the problem was, the money belonged to someone else.
6-Year Sentence For Kelly Campbell | The Seattle Times Johnson had stolen $18.8 million earlier in the year, on March 19, 1997, only to be caught five months later, in late August, while crossing into Texas from Mexico to retrieve some of the money, which he'd hidden in a shed in mountainous western North Carolina. He realized his life wouldn't improve unless he did something drastic. A connection between each suspect began to emerge slowly, and as the intensity of spending grew, suspicion did as well. The stated plan was for her to move to Mexico to be with him after the theft. The movie was called Masterminds and stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson. You can seize property. Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. Enforcement of this policy is at the There was no reason to leave anything, he felt. 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. - 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. 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. These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. "I don't have time to mess with you. Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. 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. It was the second-largest. VERDICT The first edition of this work was published in 2002.
Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. All of the co-defendants were arrested the next day, about six months after the heist. But if you did, youll never forget it. "Just remind Steve," he said, "that I might be trouble my own self." 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 they've ever had. 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. 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. He is a graduate of Yale and has worked for the Connecticut Post, the Associated Press, and the Palm Beach Post. Tuesday marked 25 years since a group of buddies pulled off the third-largest money grab in U.S. history -- the Loomis Fargo heist. For people earning $8.15 an hour David's salary the jokes came naturally. Asked the purpose of his visit, Johnson had replied, "To visit friends. When Ghantt called Campbell however, the FBI was able to track his location, and arrested him with the help of the Mexican police onMarch 1, 1998. The FBI became more suspicious after they interviewed Campbell for the third time. Prosecutors say a vault. The unfairness gnawed at him, stirred by Kelly's questions. 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. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. The affidavit described Chambers as a former FBI informant who had provided information on another Loomis armored car robbery that never materialized. Then, keeping with the plan, Ghantt took $50,000 (the maximum that could be taken across the border by law without further authorization) with him and left for Mexico, winding up at the popularYucatan Peninsularesort ofCozumel. He angrily hung up the phone at Loomis, Fargo & Co., his soon-to-be former employer in Charlotte, North Carolina. The woman on the phone was Kelly Jane Campbell, and David had a mad crush on her. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. Before the robber left Loomis Fargo, he made a trip to the managers office to remove two surveillance tapes in order to conceal his identity. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks.
How Did A Model Employee Manage To Steal More Than $17 Million - Yahoo! Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser.
David Ghantt And The Ridiculous Loomis Fargo Heist In August 1997, Campbell informed Ghantt about an old high school friend of hers named Steve Chambers, who could assist Ghantt to execute a massive cash robbery of the Loomis Fargo vault in one night. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. Libraries without that edition should consider purchasing this entertaining and lightly edited version, which reads like a fast-paced novel. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. Ghantt had worked with the branch since 1994, and had been promoted from a driver to the vault supervisor. His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). As beads of sweat formed under his red hair, he loaded up another cart and repeated the process. What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?.
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