Will California Save the Iconic Joshua Tree? The morning after the height, employees of Loomis Fargo realized they couldnt open the vault. Then, keeping with the plan, Ghantt took $50,000 (the maximum that could by law be taken across the border without further authorization) with him and left for Mexico, winding up at the popular Yucatan Peninsula resort-island of Cozumel. David Ghantt is more than just a man who was a part of one of the worlds largest heists, he's more than a funny name associated with a comedy movie, he's actually just an every day person who once made a really bad decision. He told me they were in the dirt business, so he didn't have to worry too much about me. Chambers, his wife, and several of their accomplices were arrested the next day. They got to work planning the straightforward heist that would rely on Ghantts existing access to the vault, fewer staff at the warehouse on the weekends, and the ability to use one of the companys armored trucks to make the successful getaway. However, the fact that a man who formerly lived in a mobile home was lavishly spending money on a luxury home ($635,000 in cash), expensive cars, and a ring ($42,000 in cash) eventually made it easy to connect the dots. The FBI quickly connected Ghantt to Campbell, who was a former Loomis Fargo employee. Harper Beckham and her dad David Beckham dressed in matching black outfits as they headed to a Paris Fashion Week event being thrown by Harper's mom and David's wife Victoria . Both were involved in the second-largest cash heist in U.S. history, in which a group of people stole $17 million from the. [15], "David Ghantt" redirects here. Dont worry, its not drug money.. Explain: The scary part is that as soon as you put that little bit of money in the van, that there's no going back. A: Zach and I have a runningtext conversation going, but he's very busy. #CLXGaming#CLXRa#evokethegods 1 2 ", After successfully tracing Ghantt's phone call, FBI agents coordinated with Mexican police to arrest Ghantt on March 1, 1998, at Playa del Carmen, a city near Cancun. In fact, David Ghantt was about to commit the heist of a lifetime. The Proposed TikTok Ban Goes Too Far. 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. The missing couple were identified as David Harrison Robinson and his wife Lucretia Robinson. Robbing the 7-Eleven and getting $40 bucks and a pack of Marlboros was not for me. Authorities had the receipt and had known it was missing. In spite of Chambers assurance that the money was, you know, totally not illegally acquired, the teller remained suspicious, especially because the stacks of cash still had Loomis Fargo wrappers on them. FBI security footage of David Ghantt in the midst of the Loomis Fargo heist. A: I like the 47-year-old David Ghantt more than I did the 20-something David Ghantt. David Scott Ghantt was the vault supervisor at the regional branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina. After years of working hard, the realisation hit . Get the latest articles and test prep tips! David Ghantt : [voice-over] Steve was a petty thief, mostly known for stealing tiny wheelchairs from pediatric hospitals. He and his wife,. Together with his wife, Chambers bought a new luxury home (upgrading from his mobile home), a BMW Z3, and some extravagant furnishings. After meeting up with Chambers, Campbell, and some other co-conspirators, Ghantt hightailed it to Mexico with $50,000 in cash in his car. This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 16:45. Defense lawyer Andy Culler sought a seven-year, three-month sentence. Todd Williamson/Getty ImagesDavid Ghantt attends the 2016 after party for the Hollywood premiere of Masterminds, based on the Loomis Fargo heist that he helped carry out. Masterminds which opens nationwide today (though youd be hard pressed to know that given the decided lack of promotion) is proof again that all the talent in the world cannot salvage a bad script, and not even a good screenwriter can make up for terrible performances. David Ghantt was a nuisance to Steve Chambers and Kelly Campbell, John Wydra, a retired FBI agent who handled the case, told Super Heists.. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! The Loomis Fargo heist became something of a media lightning rod. The True Story of David Ghantt and the Loomis Fargo Heist, Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Score, check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. Campbell knew theyd need the help of the warehouses vault supervisor, who just happened to have a crush on her, and she called Ghantt to ask for his help. 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. A: When you're locked up, you live in an 8-by-10 box and you share that with two other people. Kevin McCarthy is No Edward Snowden, But He Should Find the Comparison Flattering, Assessing Nicaraguas Long Haul toward Liberation and Economic Democracy, A National Divorce? A: When I first got in, I thought, "What in my life has led me to this?" Thats going to be your life for quite some time, typically. But before thehit could be carried out, the FBI swooped in and arrested Ghantt and the others. David Ghantt worked as a vault supervisor for the armoured cash vehicles at the Charlotte, North Carolina branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. Ironically even though he worked for a company that moved millions of dollars every day, he was relatively underpaid. He was released in 2006. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such as scuba diving and parasailing. Back then all I really wanted to do was just, I wanted to change my life. They took a lot of liberty with the story here and there. He was also married. The thieves had simply abandoned whatever they couldnt carry away. Having only brought $50,000 in cash, however, Ghantt soon found himself short on funds. On similar grounds, four other people were ultimately also charged with money laundering. A: I hate to think about what I'd be doing if I hadn't gotten caught. They had initially agreed to control their spending for a year or two, in the belief that the government would vigorously track the spending habits of any and all suspects for at least a year before relenting. A comedy film called Masterminds, based on the Loomis Fargo heist and starring Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, and Jason Sudeikis, was released in 2016. C hristopher David Ghantt Phone Numbers (704) 678-8911. Naturally, Ghantt started to run out of cash and turned to Chambers, who was annoyed by his requests for more money. I started just chucking it as fast as I could, he said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me.. afficher des publicits et des contenus personnaliss en fonction de vos profils de centres dintrt; mesurer lefficacit des publicits et contenus personnaliss; et. Kate. The connection to Chambers took more time. David GhanttRetweeted Iraqveteran8888 @Iraqveteran8888 Dec 9, 2022 Elect me President and I'll fire everyone, free Julian Assange, and pardon Edward Snowden. Although the history of the predecessor Wells Fargo & Company dates back to 1852, Loomis Fargo & Company was established in 1997 by the consolidation of Wells Fargo Armored Service and Loomis Armored Inc.; the resulting corporation employed 8,500 people and provided armored transportation, cash handling services, and automatic teller machine maintenance. The former star . Besides wearing the ring, driving the BMW, and living in the new house, prosecutors say Michele Chambers helped others deposit millions of dollars in safe-deposit boxes in the area, and that she took $200,000 in cash into a Salisbury bank in November 1997 and came out with a $200,000 check. In the meantime, however, Chambers not only refused to wire money to Ghantt in Mexico, but ultimately hired a hitman (Jason Sudeikis) to take him out. Chambers and his wife also made some cash payments on a few cars. Outside 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. ``I wish she'd gotten less. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Anonymous tips had the FBI monitoring Chambers calls. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Ghantt, in order to conserve this money, curtailed his spending. We were in Old Fortwhen they were shooting the movie and went out to eat. Meanwhile, David Ghantt was relaxing on a beach in Cozumel, Mexico. 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 other co-conspirators. During the hearing, Culler recounted his client's difficult personal life: her parents' divorce when she was 2 or 3 years old; a teenage stay in a Baptist Children's home; a teenage pregnancy; and various medical conditions. A: I'm in dire need for some RO's barbecue and some Tony's Ice Cream. The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. But in addition to a wife,. Afterward, outside the courthouse, her parents said the length was about what she had expected. With a cast like this, and Emily Spivey (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Up All Night) as part of the writing team, Masterminds shouldnt be nearly as obnoxious and dull as it is, but nothing ever clicks. Defense attorney Jim Griffin laid out his team's side of the case to the jury for more than two hours, arguing . At the. I got to eat my meal perfectly, but every 5 minutes, someone wanted to shoot a selfie with Zach or an autograph from Zach. Once the heat was off, Ghantt would return and they would split the haul evenly. Ghantt was joking in the breakroom with fellow Loomis Fargo employee Kelly Campbell. But as Ghantt admitted, the film took some liberties with specific details and characters to make the film funnier. (His wife tells him to change that word to "selfish."). On the night of October 4, the plan went into action. David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis), an employee of Loomis Fargo, robbed his own vault, left the $17.3 million in cash with his co-conspirators, Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig) and Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson) and fled the country to Mexico. Instead, the two started hanging out on the beach together and became friends. It was over. Jimmy Carter is a Liberal Saint Now, Was a War Criminal Then. Pour en savoir plus sur la faon dont nous utilisons vos donnes personnelles, veuillez consulter notre politique relative la vie prive et notre politique en matire de cookies. It was an open-and-shut case and all authorities had to do now was to find the culprit and identify Ghantts accomplices. 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. 29 David Ghantt Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Chambers also promised to join Ghantt in Mexico as soon as she could, but she admitted to Super Heists she never had any intention of actually making the trip. Federal Judge Graham Mullen sentenced her to between those lengths. He then proceeded to load about $17.3 million in cash (approximately $11 million of which was in $20 bills) into the back of a company van. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. But last Oct. 4, when he still hadn't gotten home by 2:30 a.m., she called his parents in. So with the assistance of a co-worker and possible love interest as well as a small-time criminal, David Ghantt pulled off the then-second-largest cash heist in U.S. history. Ghantt's spending in Mexico was extravagant at first. The brother of a man killed by a woman now charged with murder in Chambers County said he sees similarities in his brother's case and the case of woman's latest husband's death. The couple was married for 22 years before her untimely death in 2012. 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. An additional tip reached the FBI when Michelle Chambers made a large deposit at a bank. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba. All of the cash from the Loomis Fargo heist was recovered or accounted for, except for $2 million. I didnt even know about it and overlooked it, he said. But even though he worked for a company that regularly moved millions of dollars, David Ghantt himself was underpaid. 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. I figured it had to be me. After loading the massive cache of loot into the armored truck, Ghantt set the time lock on the vault, which locked the door for days unless the employees drilled through the lock. Now, here we are, two years later. While listening in, they uncovered another more sinister alleged plan to kill Ghantt. All rights reserved. AMA In October of 1997, I was a vault supervisor for armored truck company Loomis Fargo, when I made off with $17.3 million. [citation needed], The defendants were the targets of many barbed jokes in Charlotte and across the country, in part because of their extravagant spending. When Ghantt called Chambers to have the latter wire him more money, Chambers sent just a few thousand dollars. Chambers and his wife Michele moved out of a trailer and into a luxury mansion in a nice neighborhood. Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. In the end, eight co-conspirators were indicted for the Loomis Fargo heist. Campbell and Chambers made themselves easy to catch, what with their lavish spending. 5 min read. But of course, then they had to decorate that spectacular new space and so they spent tens of thousands of dollars on things like cigar store Indians, paintings of Elvis, and a bulldog dressed up like George Patton. Now looking back, with the life I have now, Ive got a great family, got a great kid. 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 groups demise. Ask below and we'll reply! Ghantt added, I really enjoyed the movie. And drastic it was. I didnt even have a real home life because I was never there. Too bad it was so poorly planned. Officers responded just after 5 a.m. Wednesday to an area near the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Carolyn Coleman Way and found , "The Wall Street Journal just so happened to have a supportive op-ed ready to publish within hours of the meeting. Chambers had known enough to insist that no one blows through a ton of cash immediately after the robbery, but once he actually had his hands on the money, he couldnt follow his own advice. David Ghantt (@DavidGhantt) is a man that still holds the record for the second largest bank heist on American Soil. Ill never pay it off on my paycheck, Ghantt said. Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy a Toyota Sienna minivan in two cash installments. Ghantt was the vault manager. 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. $17.3 million in cash was robbed from the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis, Fargo & Co. on the evening of October 4, 1997. Meanwhile, Ghantt would take $50,000, as much as could legally be carried across the border without questions, and flee to Mexico. The jokes between Ghantt and Campbell about their disgruntlement with their jobs took on a more serious note when Campbell introduced Ghantt to an old high school classmate of hers named Steve Chambers. Ghantts wife was reportedly nothing like the bizarre, robotic fiance character in the film, for instance. You've decided to give up on a part of your life. He also took various measures to change his appearance, such as shaving, after a patron at a restaurant pointed out to him that he "looked like the man who robbed a bank of $20 million. ', He explained the glorification and glamour often associated with bank heists and bank robberies in Hollywood films is far from reality. Just days after agreeing to the plan, the group set a day to carry out the robbery. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Loomis Fargo employee David Ghantt and his partners nearly pulled off the perfect crime, but it would be their lavish spending, and an alleged murder plot, that would be their undoing. Across the border in Mexico, Ghantt was also living it up. But it was Ghantt, now 47 and living with his wife and daughter in Jacksonville, Florida,who actually took more than 2,000 pounds of cash and just drove away from his job. Do you still have contact with him? Even though they drove away with less than they had initially intended, they still had more than $17 million in hand. But Ghantt has been open about what he did and how he believes it changed him for the better. David Ghantt was portrayed by Zackary Hatfield. The Current TikTok Ban Doesnt Go Far Enough. They received sentences and probation ranging from several years to 11 years and three months in federal prison for Steve Chambers, who was also fined more than $3,500,000. From Oct. 6 through Feb. 20, the couple made 47 deposits totaling $271,500 at a Belmont bank, and at. Galifianakis seems to be playing a character out of Dumb and Dumber 3: The Dumbening; Kristen Wiig plays what could only be described as her worst SNL character; Owen Wilson plays an Owen Wilson character; and Sudeikis plays a bumbling hitman who cant pull the trigger after he finds out his target shares the same name and birthdate, which is the dumbest twist since the Martha revelation in Batman vs. Superman. Where ever it was, it is long gone now. Authorities say Steve and Michele Chambers moved from a mobile home into a $635,000 house three weeks after the theft. We were two paychecks away from being homeless at any given time.. hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ghantt reported to Chambers that his supply of money was running low, but Chambers sent Ghantt just $8,000. As Predators' David Poile braces for retirement, his wife reveals their love story. If I hadnt of done that, Id probably still be in North Carolina and I would not have got to meet a lot of the interesting people that Ive got to meet. All of the defendants except for one pleaded guilty and accepted their sentences. The judge said he doubted she would be able to pay the $4.8 million restitution, but said federal law required him to impose it. David Scott Ghantt Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Dont come to me for a treasure map, Ill put it to you that way., Michael Sainatos writing has appeared in the Guardian, Miami Herald, Baltimore Sun, Denver Post, Buffalo News, the Hill, Alternet, and several other publications . This Wednesday marks the 20th anniversary of the notorious Loomis Fargo heist. Ghantts accomplices soon showed up but now they had another problem. Most high schools offer a variety of history classes, so make sure youre taking the right ones for you. David Ghantt : I had a hard time liftin' it up. But after one visit, she asked a teller "How much can I deposit before you have to report it to the feds?" [1] Tips had led the FBI to begin monitoring Chambers's (and his wife's) activities, but it was not until the FBI recorded a phone call from Ghantt in Mexico that the final connection was made. Prosecutors also resisted Culler's efforts to downplay Michele Chambers' role in the theft. 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. ``I'm glad she didn't get nine years,' said Sandra Floyd, her mother. Eventually, Ghantt would return to the United States and the full sum would be split up between the conspirators. How? David Ghantt normally came home between 6 and 8 p.m., and often he was late, his wife said. All rights reserved. Q: North Carolina native Zach Galifianakis portrayed you in "Masterminds." The FBI continues to search for a missing $2 million from the theft. You see, theres a reason Loomis Fargo used armored cars to move large amounts of cash. 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. They asked me how I felt about it and I said, Its my story, but its your movie so have at me. You have permission to edit this article. The Army veteran and Hunter Huss High graduate was captured in Mexico five months later when one of the others involved in the theft, Steve Chambers, decided he needed to tie up loose ends by having Ghantt killed. Victoria Beckham's family were on hand as she debuted her latest collection at Paris Fashion Week on March 3, including her and husband David Beckham's oldest child, Brooklyn Beckham . Chambers served 11 years before being released. He had never been in trouble with the law. Investigators also found Ghantt's pickup truck, abandoned at the warehouse. Steven Chambers, left, and David Scott Ghantt leave federal court. Unfortunately, he failed to disable the third camera. U kunt uw keuzes te allen tijde wijzigen door te klikken op de links 'Privacydashboard' op onze sites en in onze apps. The next day, Steve and Michelle Chambers, Kelly Campbell, and four others were arrested.[6]. Before he decided to steal $17 million from the bank, Ghantt had worked for years as a relatively taciturn and compliant employee. Its easy to get somebody to do something if you know that they are that infatuated with you.. Lees ons privacybeleid en cookiebeleid voor meer informatie over hoe we uw persoonsgegevens gebruiken. Masterminds is an atrociously bad comedy, and absolutely everyone is to blame. Ghantt @ChristyGhantt Dec 7, 2022 I just entered the @clxgaming Ra PC Giveaway! Hes way smarter than youd think he would be because he tends to play Bozos. 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. Because Ghantt was the only employee who wasnt there that morning, he became the obvious suspect. When Seymour Hersh Strained to Keep Up With CounterPunch, Nichole Stephens, Administrative Assistant. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The chief running joke in Masterminds is the Prince Valiant 'do gamely sported by Galifianakis as David Ghantt, . I felt cornered and one day the joking in the break room about robbing the place suddenly didnt seem so far-fetched.. They left behind the cash they couldnt fit in their cars. Playing upon David's obvious feelings for her, Kelly is the . Will Mcintyre/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images. David Bowie 's widow recently took to Instagram to post selfies, while promoting both her makeup brand and fashion line. The additions come as KFC recently removed some menu items, including wings, popcorn chicken and cookies, to make room for new additions. Not only was Ghantt the only unaccounted for employee the morning after the heist, there was also footage of Ghantt moving the cash into the back of the Loomis Fargo van. Three of the 21 defendants in the case haven't been sentenced. By then, the FBI had become greatly concerned for Ghantt's personal safety; they had learned that Chambers had plotted to have Ghantt killed in a murder for hire scheme using a "hit man" named Michael McKinney. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM MASTERMIND MOVIE. 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. Ghantt, now 29, was a tall, decorated Persian Gulf War veteran whom early newspaper reports likened to Huckleberry Finn. As the FBI listened in to Chambers calls, they discovered that he was also planning to have Ghantt assassinated, hoping to keep all the money for himself. I was working sometimes 75-80 hrs a week for $8.15 an hour, I didnt even have a real home life because I was never there I was working all the time and unhappy which is understandable considering how old I was at the time. After his release, Ghantt took a job as a construction worker and was eventually brought on as a consultant for the 2016 movie Masterminds, based on the Loomis Fargo Heist. David Ghantt spent 11 years in the military and now works as a film consultant on the side. Whisler told the judge that the couple had searched for a new house before the theft, and that Michele Chambers bought rubber bands from Wal-Mart to count the money the night of the crime. Two days after the heist, the FBI found the missing van with $3.3 million of cash left in it. From there, the money was moved from the company vehicle to private vehicles. Als u uw keuzes wilt aanpassen, klik dan op 'Privacyinstellingen beheren'. Michelle Chambers received a harsher sentence than Ghantt seven years and eight months because she had violated several bond conditions. They also bought a BMW Z3 with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 cigar store Indian. Custom Content. Jandice : In any case, we got to talkin' afterwards, and I thought, well, that one's dead, this one's alive. Wanneer u onze sites en apps gebruikt, gebruiken we, gebruikers authenticeren, veiligheidsmaatregelen toepassen en spam en misbruik voorkomen, en, gepersonaliseerde advertenties en content weergeven op basis van interesseprofielen, de effectiviteit meten van gepersonaliseerde advertenties en content, en, onze producten en services ontwikkelen en verbeteren. Q: Your troubles were self-inflicted, but you seem happy. (I) bought jewelry, bought a van, Campbell recalled of her own spending. Going to prison helped me grow up as a human being. This article will teach you more about the SAT subject testsasync src='https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js' and help you decide whether you should take them. followed by "Don't worry, it is not drug money," the bank filled out a suspicious activity report, which ultimately reached the FBI. Former Cramerton Police Chief David Young soon got wind of the Chambers excessive spending spree and reached out to the FBI. After finding himself in prison he made a concious choice to do things differently. 1) David Ghantt is underpaid and unhappy. David Ghantt, who pulled off the Loomis, Fargo & Co. vault robbery in 1997 and was sentenced to seven years in prison for the crime, served as a consultant for the film (in theaters Friday).. If so,check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. Chambers promised to wire him money in Mexico until the investigation blew over and Ghantt could return to North Carolina.
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