THE THIEVES WHO COULDN'T COPE WITH $17 MILLION. Steve had hired a bodyguard named Mike McKinney. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. David Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. ". More than 20 people were arrested by the FBI, making this one of the largest heists in history. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. . Chambers essentially put a hit on Ghantt. To find out more about how the thieves got caught and how long they landed behind bars, tune in the Super Heists on CNBC on Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Three of the 21 defendants in the case haven't been sentenced. However, he would leave the bulk of the cash with Chambers. Ghantt:It's kid-friendly, it's family-friendly (the movie is rated PG-13). Galifianakis can pull off broad comedy effortlessly, a skill which catapulted him to . This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. "I was unhappy with my life. ``I wish she'd gotten less. He and his wife, Michelle, moved from their mobile home in Lincoln County to a luxury house in the wealthy Cramer Mountain section of Cramerton. Trending News Instead, he was plotting to kill Ghantt - and burning through a great deal of cash. No hard feelings. The reason for this was because, after the Loomis Fargo heist, the thieves had miscalculated the sheer bulk of the small denomination currency. The Legend of the Green Man: Raymond Robinson, The Incredible Dunkirk Evacuation- in rare pictures, Elizabethan Food and Drink- Brief History & Key Facts, 10 Famous Female Warriors Who Made Their Mark On History, 15 Intriguing Facts About The Middle Ages. After Ghantts release from prison, he took up a job as a construction worker. He insisted that Chambers send more money, while Chambers was actually plotting to have Ghantt killed. Bank heists are ideally supposed to have meticulous planning right? 04/10/2017 9:02. . Once Ghantt loaded the large haul from the vaultwhich could have been close to $20 millioninto a truck, he planned to drive to a second location, then head straight to the airport and fly to Mexico. They also bought a BMW Z3 with cash and made several large purchases, not wanting to keep a low profile. The bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. The receptionist told DePriest that she could see the pain on Ghantts face, though she didnt know what caused it. 25 Feb/23. The feds say these six were involved with David Scott Ghantt, and were sharing the loot from Ghantt's $17 million armored-car-company heist in . Eventually, the two teamed up with a few other people and hatched plans for a heist. Former Cramerton Police Chief David Young soon got wind of the Chambers excessive spending spree and reached out to the FBI. Campbellwho was married herselfrepresented something new and exciting. Based on the October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery. Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect, Elizabeth Holmes has second child, seeks to delay prison, Where things stand in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial. Within a few months, they were arrested. Question: Should people go see this movie? La vie de David Ghantt n'a rien de compliqu. Yes, happy. In addition, six other people, some of whom had been spending large amounts of money, were arrested Monday in North Carolina in connection with the case, Perry said. He have since served time in prison for the crime, and told Channel 9s Glenn Counts he learned a valuable lesson while behind bars. The only person not to plead guilty in the case, former Gastonia attorney Jeff Guller, ended up doing eight years for money laundering. The defendants received sentences ranging from probation for several relatives to over 11 years in federal prison for Steve Chambers. More than 2 million dollars are still missing to this day. The man's famil, Growing up in Goldsboro, Greensboro Day senior Jaydon Young averaged 25.9 points per game as a freshman at Wayne Christian. She is a self-proclaimed "super-self-aware person" and this is her first guest post on the blog. I knew it was just a matter of time. This was all the evidence the authorities needed. LRM had an exclusive phone . Ghantt and seven others eventually pleaded guilty in federal court to charges . The FBI investigation was able to connect Ghantt to Campbell quickly. The 2015 revised edition of former Observer reporter Jeff Diamants book, Heist: The Oddball Crew Behind the $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft, written by one of the lead reporters who covered the heist and its aftermath. Day in and day out he drives an armored vehicle, transporting millions of other people's money with no escape in sight. FBI agents got to him first. 20 years ago, on the night of October 4, 1997, David Scott Ghantt loaded $17.3 million of cash from the bank vault in Charlotte, North Carolina he was employed to supervise into a van. 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. The FBI says Chambers hired a hit man to tie up the ultimate loose end -- Ghantt. Once the heat from the robbery died down, Ghantt would return back to the United States and the cash would be evenly split among all of the co-conspirators. I knew that if I did something like that, I would take a huge amount of money, Ghantt said of the brash robbery on an upcoming episode of CNBCs Super Heists, airing Monday at 10 p.m. 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. In October 1997, David Ghantt walked into the vault at Loomis Fargo. The others, though, went no farther than Cramer Mountain. Michelle Chambers received a few more months than Ghantt, because she had violated several bond conditions. ", GREENSBORO Jurors found TikTok star Jessica Middlebrook, known as towtruckjess on social media, not guilty of involuntary manslaughter Thu. Today's guest author is David Ghantt. This caused them just to leave the cash they could not take with them in the back of the van. He has a regular life now, but 25 years ago, David Ghantt was the mastermind behind the 3rd largest bank robbery in U.S. history. display: none; I wish them all a happy life and that's about it. David Ghantt 2) A joke that gave birth to an idea. 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. They soon realised that their joke was not a far-fetched idea. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. They both made jokes about their work and how they would rather rob the place than continue with their underpaid job. Chambers went from a mobile home in Lincoln County to a mansion in Cramerton. Ghantt made his way to Mexico, where he hid for several months. . Still facing possible unknowns of other people involved, the FBI needed to gather more information without the suspects getting suspicious of them. The judge said he would recommend that Michele Chambers be given mental health treatment in prison. ``I'm glad she didn't get nine years,' said Sandra Floyd, her mother. The plan was to maintain a low profile and wait for things to cool off, allowing Ghantt to return to the states and collect his cut. Since Ghantt was the supervisor, he sent his co-worker home first. According to an affidavit, at least some of the suspects spent large sums of money following the robbery. I started just chucking it as fast as I could, he said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed First, they tapped the Chambers phone, and began listening in on February 11th, 1998. Authorities also are looking for evidence in connection with a possible conspiracy to kill Ghantt, Perry said. He has been open about what he did and how he believes it changed him for the better. What we know. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. All but one took plea deals, including Ghantt, who was sentenced to seven years in prison. 3 million in cash from the Charlotte, North Carolina . Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain. I knew it was over then, Ghantt said. . However, the irony was that the same hitman who was sent to assassinate Ghantt ended up becoming friends with him. They were the butt of a national joke. In order to receive more evidence, the FBI decided to listen. Authorities said they hired a man named Michael McKinney to meet up with Ghantt and kill him, under the guise that he was planning to give Ghantt more of the money he was owed. View contact info: Address, Phone, Email & Photos. It was nearly the perfect crime, but while Ghantt fled to Mexico to lay low, his partners' lavish spendingand their own alleged plans for murderwould ultimately be the group's demise. The Gaston Gazette interviewed Ghantt, whos now in his late 40s and living as a free man in Florida. Nathan, Steves cousin, was found in a mobile home the Chambers had abandoned. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. He had just returned to his home in Jacksonville, Fla., when he agreed to talk about the heist, his life now and what went wrong when a group of friends who thought they could get away with stealing $17 million cash. 25 years later David Ghantt took $50,000 for himself . The action takes place in 1997 and is centered on a small town in North Carolina, where David Ghantt (Galifianakis), an armored-car driver, falls desperately in love with his colleague Kelly . David Ghantt was sentenced to seven years in prison and Steven Chambers was sentenced to 11. When he was done, the man drove off to a nearby printing press, where the money was distributed into private vehicles amongst a handful of people. But as she didnt want to seem suspicious, she just asked the teller, how much could she deposit without attracting the attention of the feds. Authorities had the receipt and had known it was missing. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later David Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. Kelly Campbell: Oh, my gosh. In real-life, Ghantt, then 27, used his access to swipe $17 million, later fleeing to Mexico with $25,000 of it stashed into the legs of pantyhose that he wore as a money belt; while he waited . David Ghantt, along with girlfriend Kelly Campbell, robbed $17.3 million from Loomis Fargo in 1997. Prosecutors also resisted Culler's efforts to downplay Michele Chambers' role in the theft. Six other people also were arrested, including a couple who suddenly moved from a trailer to a $635,000 house. David's crush and former co-worker, Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig), approaches David about robbing the very company that he works for.Despite the lack of intelligence, Ghantt somehow pulls off the heist . Chambers and his wife Michele moved out of a trailer and into a luxury mansion in a nice neighborhood. During a layover in Florida, they learned that Ghantt was already on his way back to the U.S. with authorities, but they flew to Cancun anyway and rented a car to reach Playa del Carmen, a resort town. } Ghantt:I've burned that bridge years ago. Popular Lake Norman pub set to reopen after a major face lift. } Ghantt began to complain vocally. C'est elle qui va l'attirer dans une combine foireuse You want right in the palm of your hand facing possible unknowns of other people were. Face lift. than Cramer Mountain station is part of Cox Media Group Television and Steven Chambers actually! 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