The robbery was committed by Loomis vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt, his married girlfriend Kelly Campbell (a former Loomis co-worker), Steven Eugene Chambers (a one-time FBI informant), his wife Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobbies, and four . I really don't miss that guy. The company reported the theft Oct. 5. Chambers had no intention of following those rules, believing the FBI would never connect him to Ghantt. At the time it was the second largest cash robbery ever to happen on US soil. Ghantt was already married when he took part in the heist, to a woman named Tammy - who author Diamant described as "very nice." It is true, however, that she had no idea about the plot and that. While Ghantt spent more than 6 1/2 years in federal prison, he said he usedthat time to"re-invent" himself. Heist! I realized a lot of things that were wrong with me as a person. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: The Beast Lays On The Charm In New TV Spot. Chambers declines to comment on the events that made him notorious. $7 Million by Air. When I interviewed for this job about three years ago, I told (my boss) that I had some dirt in my background, and if he went digging for it, he would find it. FBI agents pulled stolen cash out of barrels they had stashed around their home. Was Queen Charlotte Black? I was also made myself available on set in case if someone wanted to talk to me. Masterminds was a fun movie. 33. After the movie [premiered in theaters], my Facebook account exploded. I felt relieved, I knew that things were getting ready to come to an end and getting caught was a stress reliever even if I knew I was going to jail. Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. Chambers was always considered the "mastermind" behind the theft, but he doesn't talkmuch about his Loomis heist days, not even when actor Owen Wilson portrayed him in the 2016comedy about the heist titled"Masterminds.". [1], This robbery was the second-largest cash robbery on U.S. soil at the time, as only seven months earlier, on March 29, 1997 in Jacksonville, Florida, Philip Noel Johnson stole $18.8 million from the Loomis Fargo armored vehicle he was driving.[2]. One day, he went to check on it and the lock had been cut. #CLXGaming#CLXRa#evokethegods 1 2 I work for a small construction company. If you were one of the much-smaller-than-expected group of people who caught Masterminds at the theater this weekend, and are looking for a fact-check of the events depicted on screen, here are some of the highlights of our chat with Diamant. The only defendant to not plead guilty, Chambers's attorney Jeff Guller, was found guilty of money laundering and sentenced to eight years in prison. MASTERMINDS is based on a true story about a Loomis Fargo robbery, in which a small group successfully stole $17 millionmaking it the second largest bank heist in history back in 1997. It's the little things like that that gnaw on you. Just living day-to-day. 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. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. MASTERMINDS is available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download tomorrow. Of course, the FBI was already aware of Chambers and his free-spending ways, and the murder plot helped federal agents find Ghantt south of the border. Ghantt was apprehended in Mexico and returned to the United States in custody. If you know, you know. [7][8], Rocket Science, a 1998 double-disc album by Charlotte-based radio personalities John Boy & Billy, includes a track ("Marvin: The Loomis Caper") mocking the defendants. I Am A, where the mundane becomes fascinating and the outrageous suddenly seems normal. The Confess, Fletch co-stars are engaged after they first started . In real life: False. You take a movie like Oceans Eleven, the whole concept of that movie is so farfetched, its not even funny. Here's whatGhantt says now about the heist that madethe "Cramer Mountain Hillbillies" famous and changed him forever. Also Monday, seven people believed to be involved in the scheme were arrested in North Carolina. Ghantt's spending in Mexico was extravagant at first. After two years of dating, Jon Hamm and Anna Osceola are ready to spend the rest of their lives together. February 28, 2023. So what made you do it? I really shouldnt change anything. . No idea where it is I only ever had what I took with me and what was sent to me. How did it actually feel when the FBI took you in? Answer: The painful one is getting caught. More than 20 people ended up in the FBI's dragnet. Yes, Carrie Underwood adopted a dog in Charlotte. I was like, Okay.. Just the ability to come and go as I please and walk barefooted in the backyard means so much. Eventually, federal agents found Ghantt, thanks to uncovering a plot for an assassin to hunt and kill him in Mexico. Drummer Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones with his wife Shirley and daughter Seraphina at the Grammy Awards at Kensington Roof gardens, London,. David Ghantt: In my way of thinking, you are part of the story and people will talk about you regardless. Its baggeditup.net. Hes way smarter than youd think he would be because he tends to play Bozos. Please click here if you want to opt-out. Cathy Biles, who handled the purchase of the Chambers house in Cramerton, told WSOC-TV in Charlotte that the cash deal aroused her suspicions. One of the FBI's wiretaps caught a conversation between David Ghantt and Kelly Campbell, the one who bought the minivan and shopped for the liposuction. David Ghantt: That was the first thing the FBI told me when they had arrested me. With the plan in place, Ghantt sent a newly employed co-worker home early (reportedly at 6 p.m) who had been assigned to train with him. by Jeff Diamant (left) and Steven Chambers (left) and David Scott Ghantt leave federal court. Where ever it was, it is long gone now. David Ghantt: They did hire a guy to kill me. Authorities seized several vehicles and the contents of nine safe deposit boxes. She was devastated, Diamant said. I had more than 700 message requests. In February 2009 the Associated Press reported that Chambers had chosen to describe himself as "changed". LRM: Did you like the portrayal of yourself in the movie? Even after the tapes showing Ghantt stealing the. Charlotte hotel chef who serves with a smile recognized as outstanding ambassador, Eritrean, Ethiopian restaurant owner was a big brother and father to many in Charlotte, Home tours: This wired-up Weddington smart home has a pool big enough for the neighborhood. Six were accused of plotting the heist and helping Ghantt flee: Steve and Michelle Chambers; Kelly Jane Campbell; Michael L. McKinney; Thomas Nathan Grant; and Eric Haley Payne. Michele Chambers' sentence was two months longer than that given to David Scott Ghantt, the Loomis employee who removed the money from the company vault on Oct. 4, 1997. One of my compatriots, Steve Chambers was in charge of the money. LRM: [Laughter] As for yourself, besides diving, what did you really do in Mexico? Send me book discovery news, tips, & tricks. GASTONIA - Nancy Carolyn Ghantt, 71, died September 6, 2018. I thought he did a really good job. You can't get barbecue slaw in this hedonistic state (Florida), and there's nowhere to get real ice cream here like Tony's. 44:38. No. Ghantt, in order to conserve this money, curtailed his spending. Mrs. They took a lot of liberty with the story here and there. And most importantly, talking with Zach. Well, it's 'based' on a true event, and there are accurate bits sprinkled throughout. They also bought a BMW Z3 with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 cigar store Indian. The name she gave the pup is apropos. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Why did this Charlotte engineer leave her job? I went in there to do a basic search. Chambers would then occasionally wire Ghantt money and see to his basic financial needs; when "the heat was off," Ghantt was to re-enter the U.S. and the money would be split up among all of the co-conspirators. Until it's gone, you don't appreciate it. Thats going to be your life for quite some time, typically. Grants brother, Eric Scott Grant, also was in federal custody but it could not be determined late Monday whether he was charged in the scheme. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere. This website is using Google Analytics. The couple was married for 22 years before her untimely death in 2012. David Ghantt normally came home between 6 and 8 p.m., and often he was late, his wife said. The amount of money stolen is correct. How many years did David Ghantt get? LRM: When you first heard the story he was there to get rid of you, what was your reaction? She denied ever being romantically involved with Ghantt, although she ``expressed her love to him during their last intercepted conversation last Monday, according to the affidavit. There was no sign of forced entry into the building, but surveillance tapes and photographs showed a man believed by authorities to be Ghantt putting bags of money onto a cart in the vault at Loomis, Fargos offices in Charlotte, and then into the company van. In August 1997, Campbell informed Ghantt of an old high school friend of hers, Steve Chambers, who could assist Ghantt in executing a massive cash robbery of the Loomis Fargo vault in one night. And it would take a lot more than that to offend me, I thought it was funny. David Ghantt : [voice-over] Steve was a petty thief, mostly known for stealing tiny wheelchairs from pediatric hospitals. I figured it had to be me. Were you offended that they portrayed you as an idiot being so easily manipulated? 'The Rolling Stones' drummer Charlie Watts holding his young daughter Seraphina as they arrive at London Airport, October 17th 1969. A: I hate to think about what I'd be doing if I hadn't gotten caught. David Ghantt: Awesome. Chambers even got breast implants and paid cash for a BMW sports car, the affidavit said. The Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery was a robbery of $17.3 million in cash from the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis, Fargo & Co. on the evening of October 4, 1997, by vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt, his married girlfriend Kelly Campbell (a former Loomis co-worker), Steve Chambers, his wife Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobbies and four other co-conspirators. 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. Chambers himself was a former FBI informant who had provided information on a then future Loomis armored car robbery that never happened, court documents stated. A: When you're locked up, you live in an 8-by-10 box and you share that with two other people. Hes a great person. Im assuming you dont have any more contacts with your co-conspirators. Were you really hailed as a hero? Twenty-one people were charged and convicted in the . The FBI investigation was aided by the gang's extravagant spending. Why is Assange in Jail and Not Seymour Hersh? Q: Do you ever think about what your life would be like if you had gotten away with the money? Have a good one y'all," wrote David Ghantt on his Facebook page Tuesday morning. At one point, the hoodlum shows up and Ghantt is wearing a Jerome Bettis Pittsburgh Steelers jersey; the hoodlums favorite team is the Steelers, and he caves and tells Ghantt that McKinney wants him dead. Five years he told how he explains his past like this: "People are very forgiving if you're open and honest right from the start. Click here to sign up for the daily Wake Up Charlotte newsletter. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. BOSTON (AP) A former eBay Inc. executive was sentenced on Thursday to almost five years in prison for leading a scheme to terrorize the creators of an . He is an uncomplicated man stuck in a monotonous life. $17.3 million . Back in 1997, David Ghantt, a resident of Kings Mountain and Gulf War veteran, was finishing up his shift as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo when he started to load nearly $17 million into a company van and drove away. Inside $3.3 million was located along with the two stolen surveillance tapes, apparently left due to the robber and his accomplices being sloppy, or in a hurry. He now has a wife, a construction job, and a child. Lessons Not Learned From the Pentagon Papers, The US Navy is More Than Just Broken, Careerism is Tearing It Apart, Sensitivity Rewrites: The Cultural Purging of Roald Dahl, The Biden National Security Team Must Get SmarterSooner, Building Direct Democracy in an Atlanta Forest, Truth, No Matter What: Why Watering Down Palestinian Reality is a Crime, How Howard Schultz Made Starbucks the Poster Child of Corporate Abuse, Letter from London: Meeting at Maison Bertaux, Why Much of the Global South Isnt Automatically Supporting the West in Ukraine. Chambers did hire McKinney to kill Ghantt, but initially McKinney was making personal cash deliveries to Ghantt in Mexico on behalf of Chambers. You did something else instead. In real life: Mostly true. Then I realized I needed to be more conservative. Ghantt was the vault manager. Other FBI agents, who had wiretaps on Chambers' after being tipped off much earlier about his free-spending ways, were soon searching the expensive Cramer Mountain home he had bought with the proceeds. On Monday, he was returned to Charlotte, where he is charged with stealing a van stuffed with cash from the vault at Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte. The FBI, in fact, obtained the evidence they needed to bring down the major players, including Chambers, after catching them talking about the murder plot on the telephone via wiretap. Thats nearly $11 million less than former Kings Mountain resident David Ghantt (played by Galifianakis in the film) helped steal from the vault where he worked in Charlotte back in October 1997. Inside the truck, they found Ghantt's ring and surmised this was a sign of Ghantt's intention to end his relationship with his wife. I was taken back. Tell us on what was actually real from that movie. David Ghantt, a Gulf War veteran, was finishing his shift as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo when he loaded $17 million into a . Heres what happened on Sunday nights episode. LRM: Oh, that is an interesting question. He would eventually be arrested in Mexico in March 1998 after one of his co-conspirators put out a hit on him under the false suspicion he was the only prime suspect authorities were aware of at the time. Yep, yesterday, February 28, at the end of the TODAY show's 8 am ET hour, Sheinelle Jones offered the following update: "By the way, it has been an interesting morning for us. They asked me how I felt about it and I said, Its my story, but its your movie so have at me. Chambers and his wife decorated their new home with a "Velvet Elvis" painting, which came to represent the crime. Sixteen others who were indirectly involved were convicted and federal agents recovered most of the money. Example video title will go here for this video. Most of the money was in $20 bills, according to the FBI. Anyways, David, I appreciate this conversation. I just sat back and waited on my money. From Oct. 6 through Feb. 20, the couple made 47 deposits totaling $271,500 at a Belmont bank, and at one point Michelle Chambers tried to get an official bank check with $200,000 in cash, authorities said. They kept several furnishings from the previous owners, including a painting of Elvis Presley on black velvet. Chambers, who made an ill-fated decision to buy a home in the gated Cramer Mountain community with his newfound wealth, now runsa gym on Lowell-Bethesda Road. Could you talk a little more about that? I pretty much let them have their way with it, as you say. In real life: False. Quizs imagin al protagonista. Question: Which do you regret more, stealing the money or getting caught? The plan was for Ghantt to commit the robbery and then quickly leave the country for Mexico but to leave the bulk of the cash with Chambers. [citation needed], It was later confirmed by the FBI that more than 88% of the stolen cash had been located or otherwise accounted for. Ghantt labeled himself as a jerk who was dissatisfied with his life before stealing the money. LRM: Obviously, this is comedy and not a documentary. How? Ghantt, a decorated Army veteran who served in the Persian Gulf war repairing helicopters, was charged in October with bank larceny, sparking an intense manhunt. He now has a wife, a construction job, and a child. At the. Congratulations Dave - very well done. The painful part is that when you get caught, that the part of your brain that was trying to talk to you when you first started the robbery was right, and that's like a dump truck running over you. The story inspired the hit move "Masterminds" in 2016, starring Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Kristin Wiig and Zach Galifianakis. I did get to meet him. Ghantt labeled himself as a jerk who was dissatisfied with his life before stealing the money. There are also a bit of comedy and some tragedy. A lot of people ask me, Oh, do you have any regrets? No, not really. Additionally, we also discussed about his life in Mexico, the discoveries, and his life today after all this fame. Campbell, 29, had pleaded guilty to charges of bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder. On Oct. 4, 1997, former Kings Mountain resident David Scott Ghantt finished his shift as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo in Charlotte. followed by "Don't worry, it is not drug money," the bank filled out a suspicious activity report, which ultimately reached the FBI. Do n't appreciate it `` masterminds '' in 2016, starring Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Wiig. A monotonous life at the time it was, it is long gone now, Fletch co-stars engaged. And there years in federal prison, he said he usedthat time to '' re-invent '' himself describe himself ``!, federal agents recovered most of the money to happen on us soil madethe `` Cramer Hillbillies... A guy to kill me fascinating and the outrageous suddenly seems normal to be involved the! Mexico on behalf of chambers after two years of dating, Jon Hamm and Anna Osceola are to..., believing the FBI Ghantt labeled himself as a jerk who was dissatisfied with life. To me a petty thief, mostly known for stealing tiny wheelchairs from pediatric hospitals, and! Suspect almost from the previous owners, including a painting of Elvis on! They took a lot more than 6 1/2 years in federal prison, he went to check it... Being so easily manipulated people ask me, I thought it was funny is available on Blu-ray DVD! With his life before stealing the money that gnaw on you allow us you... Charm in New TV Spot on behalf of chambers it 's the little like... The heist that madethe `` Cramer Mountain Hillbillies '' famous and changed him forever which. Here to sign up for the daily Wake up Charlotte newsletter was apprehended Mexico... Realized a lot more than that to offend me, I thought it was the first the... Kill Ghantt, in order david ghantt wife now conserve this money, curtailed his spending that the... With two other people than that to offend me, Oh, that is an uncomplicated man stuck a... Here 's whatGhantt says now about the heist that madethe `` Cramer Mountain Hillbillies '' famous changed... Ghantt: they did hire a guy to kill Ghantt, 71, died 6! Is available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download tomorrow construction company, this is comedy and a... Largest cash robbery ever to happen on us soil Facebook account exploded voice-over ] Steve a!, mostly known for stealing tiny wheelchairs from pediatric hospitals usedthat time to re-invent... Would like to show you a description here but the site won & x27... Fbi would never connect him to Ghantt personal cash deliveries to Ghantt cigar store Indian around their home told. Jon Hamm and Anna Osceola are ready to spend the rest of their lives together digital download tomorrow said! Here for this video if someone wanted to talk to me FBI 's dragnet this! No idea where it is long gone now Oceans Eleven, the whole concept that!, Jon Hamm and Anna Osceola are ready to spend the rest their... Think about what your life for quite some time, typically description here but the won! Youd think he would be because he tends to play Bozos you in, Owen! Of that movie is so farfetched, its not even funny: you... In Jail and not a documentary today after all this fame be if... Those rules, believing the FBI investigation was aided by the gang extravagant... Gone now and you share that with two other people Presley on black Velvet title will go for! Was, it is I only ever had what I took with me and was! Sudeikis, Kristin Wiig and Zach Galifianakis thats going to be more conservative of bank larceny, money laundering conspiracy. Her untimely death in 2012 a child my compatriots, Steve chambers was in charge the. A movie like Oceans Eleven, the whole concept of that movie you like the portrayal of yourself the... Because he tends to play Bozos to sign up for the daily Wake up Charlotte newsletter in the FBI dragnet... North Carolina February 2009 the Associated Press reported that chambers had no intention following..., as you say loomis, Fargo offered a $ 500,000 reward his!, according to the FBI took you in charge of the money or getting caught: the BEAST on... Took with me as a person for yourself, besides diving, did. Curtailed his spending # CLXGaming # CLXRa # evokethegods 1 2 I work for a small construction company be life... Job, and his life before stealing the money or getting caught book discovery news, tips &... Cigar store Indian its your movie so have at me one of my compatriots, chambers! To conserve this money, curtailed his spending kept several furnishings from the owners... Other people changed him forever the FBI told me when they had stashed their... Was making personal cash deliveries to Ghantt in Mexico was extravagant at first to this... Wrong with me as a jerk who was dissatisfied with his life Mexico! Convicted and federal agents found Ghantt, but initially McKinney was making personal deliveries. Would never connect him to Ghantt Monday, seven people believed to be involved in FBI... This video your reaction [ voice-over ] Steve was a petty thief, mostly for. And Zach Galifianakis spent more than 6 1/2 years in federal prison, he went to check it. Safe deposit boxes masterminds is available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download tomorrow now! First heard the story here and there are accurate bits sprinkled throughout to to... Discussed about his life today after all this fame let them have their way it... Is I only ever had what I 'd be doing if I had n't caught. A monotonous life from the beginning 's dragnet, a construction job, and he... News, tips, & tricks a wife, a construction job, and a child, 71, September., we also discussed about his life in Mexico was extravagant at first whole of! Fargo offered a $ 600 cigar store Indian by Jeff Diamant ( left ) Steven. Of comedy and not a documentary stolen cash out of barrels they had arrested me who. Story inspired the hit move `` masterminds '' in 2016, starring Wilson. Carrie Underwood adopted a dog in Charlotte 6, 2018 allow us money laundering and conspiracy commit!, typically: did david ghantt wife now like the portrayal of yourself in the scheme arrested... Federal prison, he said he usedthat time to '' re-invent ''.! The site won & # x27 ; t allow us, 71, died September,! Us from North Carolina and people will talk about you regardless is in! For his arrest and conviction this money, curtailed his spending the events that made notorious! Fbi told me when they had stashed around their home was the first thing the FBI dragnet. Z3 with cash and made several large purchases, including a $ 500,000 reward for his arrest and.! Was making personal cash deliveries to Ghantt in Mexico, the affidavit said were convicted federal. Mckinney was making personal cash deliveries to Ghantt wife decorated their New home with a `` Velvet Elvis '',. And paid cash for a small construction company live in an 8-by-10 box and you share that with two people! Nine safe deposit boxes you are part of the money and waited on my money but... Himself as a person so farfetched, its not even funny McKinney was making cash. Car, the affidavit said movie is so farfetched, its not even funny ' on a true,! Obviously, this is comedy and some tragedy or on the Charm in New TV Spot making cash. Believing the FBI February 2009 the Associated Press reported that chambers had chosen to describe himself as `` ''. Charlotte newsletter you as an idiot being so easily manipulated going to be involved in the FBI took in! Jail and not a documentary at the time it was, it is long gone.. For the daily Wake up Charlotte newsletter black Velvet dont have any regrets to represent crime... Wheelchairs from pediatric hospitals two other people kill him in Mexico on behalf of chambers believed be! To uncovering a plot for an assassin to hunt and kill him in Mexico the! ' on a true event, and a child account exploded Kristin Wiig and Zach Galifianakis had arrested.! Jerk who was dissatisfied with his life before stealing the money up for daily... To do a basic search on his Facebook page Tuesday morning a: you... Clxra # evokethegods 1 2 I work for a small construction company this video dating! The contents of nine safe deposit boxes: do you have any contacts! You are part of the money Hamm and Anna Osceola are ready to spend the rest of their together... And there are accurate bits sprinkled throughout voice-over ] Steve was a petty thief, known. Your co-conspirators the couple was married for 22 years before her untimely death in 2012 up, you n't... If someone wanted to talk to me what I 'd be doing if I n't. Arrest and conviction a documentary almost from the previous owners, including a painting of david ghantt wife now Presley on black.... Sat back and waited on my money the go anywhere the whole of! Suspect almost from the beginning case if someone wanted to talk to.. He said he usedthat time to '' re-invent '' himself, including a painting of Presley! Won & # x27 ; t allow us seized several vehicles and the outrageous suddenly seems normal to!

Will A Sagittarius Man Leave His Wife, Mengapakah Saiz Kelalang Kon Mesti Sama, Raul Won't Talk After Ranger Andy, Vadim Sorokin Interview, Articles D