David was excited, jabbering about their future together. I said, It comes down to picking the right day, and the right time of the month, and all that good stuff. I even told her, It wouldnt be all that difficult. An officer rang the doorbell. "It wasn't me, it was Steve," she says she told him. 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), Florida Senator proposes bill to cancel Democratic Party in state, Georgia star Jalen Carter charged with racing in fatal wreck, FHP: Man dies after FDOT Road Ranger rear-ends truck, pushes him over edge of Buckman Bridge, Bartram Trail High School girls lacrosse player denied NIL opportunity, Contest: Win tickets to the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville. Nah, it was always about the money, he told the agents. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. There was a little voice in my head that said, 'Don't do it. He was also a former FBI informant who had tipped the bureau off to a planned robbery of a Loomis Fargo armored truck that never came to fruition. Well she was a pretty happy-go-lucky person, he said. Not every agent has a case like that, he said. He gave the rest to Kelly. Zaron Burnett is an investigative journalist and longform features writer based in Los Angeles. The use of this site is restricted to authorized personnel only. 1997 Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle for sale at auction of items bought after Loomis, Fargo armored car facility heist by Steven Chambers, wife Michele, Kelly Jane Campbell & David Scott Ghanntt (Photo by Will And Deni McIntyre/Getty Images) She also assured the teller her cash wasn't drug money. A week later, another informant told the FBI that Eric Payne had quit his job at a printing company soon after the heist and was spending money he probably hadn't earned legally. Kelly, using David's cell phone, kept beeping him. Kelly was lying. Truth be told, Ghantt had something of a crush on Campbell, and so, he told her exactly how hed pull off such a heist. ". Mine did. This is the person I counted as my friend. My knee-jerk reaction was to be angry, and then the sarcastic ass side of me started laughing about it, Ghantt said. They stocked a wine cellar. . Ghantt would go on to spend six and a half years in federal prison. He would pay McKinney $250,000, half upfront. He had stolen $17 million from Loomis Fargo. She was like, Well, at least you had guts, he says. * I understand and. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP), Baltimore to Pay $6M in Latest Police Misconduct Settlement, Australia Family Hurt in Helicopter Crash Suing Vegas Firm, Massachusetts Governor Unveils Proposed $55.5B State Budget. . "I was thinking, 'They aren't paying me enough,' " McKinney recalled. Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. The last time he called me, he said, Hey Ghantt, I just saw a big Loomis Fargo truck. She could visit friends. Kelly had no problem fanning the flames of their old flirtation. After a couple of weeks, Ghantt and the rest of the heist team were ready to strike. The authorities didn't know yet how much was missing from the armored-car company, but Steve did. I'd probably change jobs. Based on the October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery. He and his wife, Tammy, lived in a mobile home in Kings Mountain, N.C. Money was always tight. See all of the stories here. "She said, 'What would it take to convince you to do it?' Campbell left her job in the summer of 1997, but she would later use Ghantt's feelings for her to her own advantage to get him to agree to carry out the multi-million-dollar heist. She never really worried about the moral end of it--she was focused only on getting what she wanted out of life, what so many others seemed to have in this booming part of the South. Her case closes in 2025. She laughed for like 45 minutes. Steve, who had sworn Kelly, Eric and Scott to secrecy the night of the theft, named them all to the FBI. It, too, has changed hands several times. Scott Grant said he hesitated, but agreed if no guns would be involved. Chambers promised to wire him money in Mexico until the investigation blew over and Ghantt could return to North Carolina. Although David was in on most of the planning, one discussion between Steve and Kelly was kept a secret. His mobile home was nicely furnished, on eight acres with a stream in the back. There was, however, one problem with his plan. All but one of the 24 defendants pleaded guilty, and the one who didnt take the deal was convicted. Tuesday marked 25 years since a group of buddies pulled off the third-largest money grab in U.S. history -- the Loomis Fargo heist. The Columbia airport had no available flights. They agreed that after the heist, David would immediately move to Mexico, alone, but Kelly would soon join him there, with her two children. ", "Even then . Kelly's company. He'd stay up all night, boosted by coffee, waiting for the sunrise over the ocean. The picture, which is directed by Jared Hess and written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, and Emily Spivey, stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Jason Sudeikis . David was living under the name Mike McKinney on a phony ID. ". Scott Grant and Steve pulled up next to her in a Mazda. Thomas Grant, who served three years in prison for bank larceny, paid off restitution of $70,000; brother Eric Grant paid all of his $26,000; as did David Craig, $40,000; and Dennis and Sandra Floyd; $27,000. All but one took plea deals, including Ghantt, who was sentenced to seven years in prison. He and co-worker Kelly Campbell, 27, had developed a close relationship and were spending time together outside of work. "He was in tears. Come for the Chumbawamba, and stay for the return of the Mack. 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. David thought about it. Just under $14 million sat in an outbuilding behind his home, inside blue steel barrels. Is he telling the truth? One thing about teammates, in David's view: You could always trust them. Hidden in it was a 3 1/2-carat diamond ring that cost $43,000. Three weeks after the theft, Steve and Michele moved from their Lincoln County mobile home to a $635,000 house in a gated Cramerton, N.C., neighborhood. Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain. Its really just a matter of timing, more than anything. And she says, How much do you think wed get out of there? I said, Ten to 15 million. But I didnt really know.. Agents noticed it two months later when it flowed to them through official channels, along with hundreds of similar reports involving other people. On March 1, David Ghantt left his hotel to do some laundry. My love for my family is by far the most important thing in my life. He had a favorite restaurant, Zandunga, which had a mariachi band each night and a view of the Caribbean. Her marriage--at which she was making another ambivalent effort after multiple separations--and even the jobs she'd been able to get with a diploma couldn't come close to providing the kind of life she dreamed about, the life she felt she deserved: a house in the country, a swimming pool, and enough cash so she didn't need to rely on men. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. Masterminds is an atrociously bad comedy, and absolutely everyone is to blame. On the radio, the "John Boy and Billy" show played the song "Take the Money and Run. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. The others sat in their cars across the street and watched him struggle to open the heavy gate. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. Exciting. I flew from Atlanta to New Orleans. It's one of the biggest jokes at the place. Mexican police, Interpol officers and an FBI agent were watching him. But as soon as he drove off, I went right back in and opened the vault. The plan called for David to leave the vault door ajar, then maneuver a few minutes alone at the end of his shift, long enough to loot the cash, then pass it to Kelly and Steve. Now, at 7:45 p.m., with all the money finally inside the van, his aching muscles could take a breather. Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. 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. Kelly relayed his message to Steve. They also left behind a life-changing fortune in small bills $3.3 million in fives and ones that they overlooked and the two videotapes that Ghantt had pulled from the security cameras at the bank. Some days, the robbery seems like a memory from a different life, a choice made by a different man. From going fishing to riding horses on the beach the whole nine yards. David told her he'd need help moving the money, getting a new ID and leaving the country. Like David, Kelly was frustrated with her marriage. Things went from bad to worse when, in November, Michelle strolled into a bank with a briefcase filled with 200 grand and asked the manager, How much can I deposit without the bank reporting the transaction? When she showed the bank manager that she really had the money to invest, the cash was still bound in Loomis Fargo wrappers. On Monday, October 6th, the FBI agents who were investigating the robbery located the Loomis Fargo van abandoned in the woods. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. ALSO READ: 14-year-old boy robbed at gunpoint while waiting for bus in east Charlotte, mom says. As he and Kelly met in a field behind a shooting range to refine the plan, she allowed him to believe she was falling for him. Theres no management around. There used to be a consulate in Cancun. Directed by Jared Hess and written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer and Emily Spivey, the film stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Jason Sudeikis.. Not Ghantt. I said, Listen, You all need to get your shit together, or Im just going to walk over here to the government building and tell them who the fuck I am. That lit a little fire under her ass, for a bit.. This was in the 1990s the Columbia Airport back then was closed at around 9:30, 10 oclock. At 6 that morning, FBI supervisor Rick Shaffer led 12 agents and several Gaston County police officers up a winding road on Cramer Mountain to Steve's home. Ghantt had fled to Mexico with $50,000 in cash, leaving the rest of the money with Steve Chambers. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. his keys and wedding ring. 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. The bash had a Cinderella theme, with a three-tiered cake that looked like a castle. For the defendants in the Loomis Fargo heist, its allure was irresistible. Steve and Michele invited everyone back for a Christmas party, where they gave Michele's stepfather a special gift--the pickup truck he'd always wanted. And to me, if it pisses them off, Im all for it.. Since Ghantt was the supervisor, he sent his co-worker home first. I really enjoyed the little scuba diving trip. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. The next day Chambers, Campbell and few other conspirators were arrested as well. kellis@gastongazette.com 0:04 1:38 On Oct. 4, 1997, former Kings Mountain resident David Scott Ghantt finished his shift as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo in Charlotte. Though Wydra is retired, 25 years ago, he was an agent with the FBI. Then Steve pushed Scott inside, and he began throwing plastic-wrapped bundles of tens, twenties, fifties and hundreds to Eric and Steve, who placed them in three blue 55-gallon barrels. 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. The Chambers home is now gated, which means Channel 9 crews cant drive up to it like we used to. The plan was to split the money three ways: Chambers, Campbell and Ghantt would each walk away with what Ghantt estimated to be $5 million a piece the kind of money that changes lives forever. All of the co-defendants were arrested the next day, about six months after the heist. But after she left, she reached back out to Ghantt and brought up what theyd talked about that day in the break room. The Loomis Fargo van abandoned in the break room talked about that day in the Fargo. A big Loomis Fargo heist, its allure was irresistible getting chewed up by,! Behind his home, inside blue steel barrels `` it was n't me, it was Steve, '' says! The Chambers home is now gated, which had a Cinderella theme, a. 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