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You're an idiot.'". Here's what Floyd recalls: After two games of pool, Steve told him, "You know, we do a lot of gambling. This was in the 1990s the Columbia Airport back then was closed at around 9:30, 10 oclock. About the same time, Kelly and McKinney received phone calls from agents who told them to open their doors. The robbery of some $17 million quickly became one of the wildest bank heists of the last quarter century. "It wasn't me, it was Steve," she says she told him. They discussed it further, and Campbell asked him when they should do it. Theres less security. Its said the current owner now has it in storage in Phoenix, Arizona. Michele tells me you're in a financial bind. Ghantt simply got ready for work one morning knowing it would be his last day on the job. I knew that the news wouldnt break until later that morning. On the radio, the "John Boy and Billy" show played the song "Take the Money and Run. ", "I wouldn't do it. He then began loading $17 million in unmarked bills inside a company van before driving away. Jared Hess directed Masterminds, and god bless the guy, but if Gentlemen Broncos and Nacho Libre were not proof enough that Napoleon Dynamite was a fluke, Masterminds should seal the deal. When she realized Ghantt never came home from work the night before, she contacted the police and filed a missing persons report. "That would be living on the run, and I didn't want my kids to live that way. 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. 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. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. 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. 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. This is where it starts to unravel, Ghantt tells me with a wry laugh. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. Inside the Mazda, Steve told Scott Grant to get out and help David. Website. Or does it sit in an offshore account, waiting for a prison sentence to end? They cursed. There was a third person with them, too, a man named Eric Grant. It had been drilled into my head that if you give me a team of five good people, I can go anywhere, do anything," David explained. That day, FBI agents also would arrest Scott Grant and Eric Payne, who had spent his share of the money on a motorcycle and breast implants for his wife and two sisters. Masterminds is an atrociously bad comedy, and absolutely everyone is to blame. From Mexico, David usually spoke with Kelly on the phone once a week, paying with calling cards. The FBI says Chambers hired a hitman to tie up the ultimate loose end -- Ghantt. They hatched the idea half-jokingly, over a game of Uno, never dreaming they were about to make Bonnie and Clyde look like bottom feeders. 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. I missed my wife. I've got a good woman.". 0 Comments Get local news delivered to your inbox! I hit the local library the thing that we used to do before Google, Ghantt says with a small laugh. . When he finished, the van was filled with $17 million. David was living under the name Mike McKinney on a phony ID. Some family members hid money in bank deposit boxes, other friends were asked to mule cash to the Cayman Islands. Campbell used to work for Loomis and continued the friendship with Ghantt, eventually hooking him up with Chambers. David said he realized then, for the first time, he might not see the millions he thought he had coming to him. Some of that money is just gone. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]. But on Oct. 4, 1997, that no longer mattered and Ghantt took off with $17.3 million. He'd even bragged that he'd killed people. In Florida, a Loomis Fargo employee had pulled a gun on his coworkers and gotten away with $18 million, a move that FBI agents theorize Ghantt, Campbell and other employees all sat around talking about - and what they would do with that amount of money - for a while. But it was the rural, Southern backgrounds of many of the key players, along with the many botched twists and bungled turns, that led the media to dub it the hillbilly heist.. The principals here are David Ghantt, a driver for Loomis, Fargo and Co.; Kelly Campbell, the woman Ghantt had a crush on, and who convinced him to commit the crime; and Steve and Michele Chambers. . The case had gotten national publicity and was the subject of numerous articles, documentaries and even a movie. That was pretty awesome., It felt like a dream vacation until he started running out of money. Some days, the robbery seems like a memory from a different life, a choice made by a different man. On Oct. 7, 1997, two FBI agents arrived at Kelly Campbell's home after two Loomis employees had told agents she and David had once dated. Scott, 26, had a larceny conviction as a teenager, but he'd since cleaned up his act and now had a steady job, a daughter and a girlfriend. "He showed me a lot of money," McKinney said. All of the primary players got fined millions of dollars --for example, Kelly Campbell was hit with more than $4 million, an amount that she will never come close to paying. 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. He flip-flopped on the heist idea three or four times. However, the FBI knew immediately who robbed the vault (Ghant was seen on video camera), and it didnt take long for the FBI to loop in Kelly Campbell. I hear her typing. Loomis Fargo Defendants Owe as Much as They Stole in 1997, 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. (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. And I think that makes it all the more funny, because it really offends my co-defendants. On the evening of October 4, 1997, one man loaded $17.3 million in cash from the vaults of Loomis, Fargo & Co. into the back of a van. He and his wife, Tammy, lived in a mobile home in Kings Mountain, N.C. Money was always tight. . In the first days after the arrests, agents recovered or accounted for all but about $2 million of the stolen money. To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. Without really intending to, Kelly recalls, she turned the conversation to the possibility of a heist. Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing her. When neighbors asked where they got their money, Steve said hed played in the NFL. Steve tried keys on a side door. By March, Steve Chambers decided he needed to do something more drastic about Ghantt, making plans to send a hitman to Mexico to silence him for good. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. ". Scott didn't want to, but then he remembered the hundred-grand payday. Al hacer clic en Aceptar todo, aceptas que Yahoo y nuestros socios procesarn tu informacin personal y utilizarn tecnologas como cookies para presentarte anuncios y contenido personalizados, evaluar anuncios y contenido, obtener datos clave sobre la audiencia y desarrollar productos. By then Id figured out that Bruno was up to no good, and that Id probably never seen any more of my money. All rights reserved. There was, however, one problem with his plan. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. "Every time my conscience would start bothering me," Kelly recalled, "I'd smoke another joint and forget about it.". Or that it was an inheritance. First, in January, he tried to get someone to take some millions down to Mexico. The money was heavy. "I" has one letter. And going to see the Mayan ruins. "You" has three. He worked fueling airplanes, driving a forklift, and in 1994 he got a job as a vault superintendent at Loomis. By now, you probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve Chambers and his wife Michelle, and Kelly Campbell. That October, the Chamberses' bank accounts ballooned. Ghantt studied how to rob his employer . By Dustin Rowles | Film | September 30, 2016 |. So we were able to figure out with all the denominations, it would require about 20 safe deposit boxes to store it all.. Kelly called David at Loomis; he told her he'd be ready for them with the cash at 6:30 or 7 p.m. Alone in the building, David was trying to finish loading cash from the vault into an unmarked white Ford Econoline van belonging to Loomis. 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. "Things I always wanted to do, but never had the time or the money," he said. . Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily . He went deep-sea fishing. I threw you out, and then threw the parachute after you. Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. ". The FBI now knew Chambers had Loomis cash. . So that was kind of like this once-in-a-lifetime thing, Wydra said. As soon as Corey left, I pretended like I was leaving. Working together, they got the gate open, then drove in a caravan to the Reynolds & Reynolds parking lot. "I said, 'Yeah, sure.' . Michelle Chambers received seven years and eight months, while Steve Chambers was handed an 11-year sentence. To be brutally honest, it was that morning, Ghantt replied. Zaron Burnett is an investigative journalist and longform features writer based in Los Angeles. Hes well thought-out. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. The initials on the money wrapper belonged to a Loomis employee who hadn't worked there since before the heist. But that only tells part of the story. Heres your money. Then he turns around and leaves., The problem was, it was nowhere near the amount Ghantt had expected: Im looking at it, and theres maybe $8,000. Reach our Customer Contact Center by calling 877.877.0560 from 6:30 AM to 11:30 PM CT every day or by completing the provided form. All but one took plea deals, including Ghantt, who was sentenced to seven years in prison. He para-sailed, power-skied and scuba-dived. Sweat soaked David's uniform. He hated the sweet smell of the green ink, and the $8.15-an-hour salary. FBI video shows the agency searching that home and finding drawers full of cash. 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. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. Name. And I said, Hey, man, I got this. On Nov. 12, a confidential informant told the FBI about Steve Chambers's move from mobile home to mansion. We got this guy named Bruno. And youre like, Come on parachute. 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. Im on the phone with Kelly [Campbell], and Im like, Hey, I really was expecting a package to arrive. Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. . It, too, has changed hands several times. He quickly found out when you have money, you just have different problems, Wydra said. We got to the end of the day, and he was acting like he wanted to linger. They didn't know it, but they were leaving $3.3 million behind. This is the person I counted as my friend. He goes, My name is Bruno. What made her do it? He took bus tours of Mayan ruins. I didn't think I had the guts. They stocked a wine cellar. Truth was, David wanted more than help leaving, he wanted company. She'd heard his stories of other successful schemes, like getting refunds on phony tax returns, or operating a loan shark business. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. Driving away, he said he felt a mix of fear, confidence and excitement that he outsmarted the FBI. He grabbed the tapes from two VCRs that connected to 16 security cameras. And they hit the jackpot -- FBI video shows agents recovering most of the stolen cash. Before David left for the airport, he had handed Scott an eight-inch key ring. Thats one of my personality flaws. Kelly was no criminal. Things started to go south the night of the robbery. "I said, 'That's all they gave me,' " McKinney recalled. I really enjoyed the little scuba diving trip. Depression had led to smoking a lot of marijuana and taking Prozac, a combination she figures affected her judgment. Kelly was lying. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. He couldn't talk.". Federal prosecutors would ultimately charge 21 defendants in the case, including the Floyds, who were charged with (and pleaded guilty to) money laundering. David told her he'd need help moving the money, getting a new ID and leaving the country. The teller, who hadn't asked, filed a "suspicious activity report." I thought, Okay, if I get out of that bubble because the cops depend on that, even the feds my chances to get away go way up.. Access to this system is reviewed and violators will be subject to prosecution. On Oct. 5, the Loomis heist celebrates its 25th birthday. The agents tapped the phone, and it didnt take long to locate Ghantt after that. Were others involved? "I said, 'I don't want him killed.' She laughed for like 45 minutes. The best states in the U.S. come from coast to coast. On his second trip, Steve gave McKinney David's hotel address. That led to better jobs, like the one at Loomis. Ghantt was working a late shift, and just after 6:30 p.m., his coworkers were packing up and heading for home. I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. See all of the stories here. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. In early December, Steve and Michele invited relatives to their daughter's sixth birthday party. Part 2: Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago. Then he was driving in the darkness with a van full of cash. Nosotros, Yahoo, somos parte de la familia de marcas de Yahoo. Im married, I got one girl, shes 15 going on 30. Ghantt worked at Loomis Fargos regional office vault in Charlotte. ", "Even then . Tickle Me Kaczynski: How the Inventor of the Ultimate Elmo Toy Became a Unabomber Suspect, The Unexpectedly Sweet Story Behind Those Viral Semi-Truck Pregnancy Photos, I Wore Magnetic Underwear for a Week to See If It Would Give Me a Boner of Steel. Campbell helped plot the robbery of Loomis Charlotte vault on Oct. 4, 1997, with David Ghantt, a Loomis supervisor who stole the money, and Steve Chambers, a longtime Campbell friend. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. Best States is an interactive platform developed by U.S. News for ranking the 50 U.S. states, alongside news analysis and daily reporting. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. In hindsight, it doesnt surprise me a bit, Ghantt says, a bitter laugh catching in his throat. 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.. In early November, Steve lured the real Mike McKinney, an ex-Marine, to North Carolina from his Illinois home. On COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. news & World kelly campbell loomis fargo now. Chambers and his Michelle. Flip-Flopped on the money wrapper belonged to a Loomis employee who had n't asked filed... Seems like a dream vacation until he started running out of prison, served as a vault superintendent Loomis! Of my money were asked to mule cash to the Cayman Islands with plan! Worked fueling airplanes, driving a forklift, and in 1994 he got a as. 17.3 million stories of other successful schemes, like getting refunds on phony tax returns, or operating loan. Take the money, '' McKinney said Fargos regional office vault in Charlotte from... 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