When things calmed down, Ghantt was to re-enter the U.S., and the money was split up among all co-conspirators. Ghantt:I don't think he ever really meant to harm me. 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. Additionally, all the stolen cash was recovered or accounted for, except for $2 million. 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. Authorities say Steve and Michele Chambers moved from a mobile home into a $635,000 house three weeks after the theft. #inline-recirc-item--id-91a2c54e-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { When Ghantt called Campbell however, the FBI was able to track his location, and arrested him with the help of the Mexican police onMarch 1, 1998. Bank heists are ideally supposed to have meticulous planning right? Hes a family man with a wife and daughter. All but one took plea deals, including Ghantt, who was sentenced to seven years in prison. 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 . Ghantt was working as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo in Charlotte in 1997, earning about $8 an hour and tired of his humdrum life. 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 . Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars-worth of temptation. Instead, he was plotting to kill Ghantt - and burning through a great deal of cash. Three of the 21 defendants in the case haven't been sentenced. David Ghantt had been a model employee for an armored car company before pulling off the second biggest cash heist in U.S. history, fleeing with more than . David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) is unfulfilled in his life, unhappy with his work -- and that work is driving the armored car bringing thousands of dollars to and from banks every day. "I was unhappy with my life. If you go from a mobile home to a mansion, that's going to attract attention. David Ghantt had been a model employee for an armored car company before pulling off the second biggest cash heist in U.S. history, fleeing with more than $17 million in untraceable bills in 1997. Ghantt and seven others eventually pleaded guilty in federal court to charges . 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. Just after the last employees left that day, surveillance footage shows a man enter the vault, and begin to load more than 2,740 pounds in cash into a nearby van, totaling around over $17 million. More than 2 million dollars are still missing to this day. The affidavit also cited telephone conversations between Steve Chambers and McKinney that indicated they may have been plotting Ghantt's murder in Mexico only days ago. Question: What made you, Chambers and the others think you could get away with this? 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 (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. Kelly Campbell (962 Found) - View Court & Arrest Records, Personal Reviews & Reputation Score. It's said that Chambers approached Campbell in the summer of 1997 about executing a $17.3 million robbery (which today means $ 25.9 million) at her former job. HOME. The Chambers traded in their trailer for a $635,000 mansion in Cramer Mountain - bought with mostly $20 . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. The pair began to daydream about whether they could really pull off the heist. THE THIEVES WHO COULDN'T COPE WITH $17 MILLION. 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 . 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. This was all the evidence the authorities needed. Surveillance tapes and photographs showed a man who the FBI believes is Ghantt taking bags of money and putting them onto a cart in the vault at Loomis, Fargo's offices in Charlotte. And that's OK with Ghantt, who's just a few weeks shy of his 47th birthday, out of federal prison for more than a decade, married with a 9-year-old daughter and happy. On Oct. 5, 1997, Ghantt carried out the heist during his regular shift after sending another employee home, stealing more than $17 million from the bank vault. . Actor Owen Wilson plays him in the movie, which includes the real names of all the major players. To be brutally honest, it was that morning, Ghantt replied. Did you get paid? That movie, Masterminds was filmed in 2014. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. When Ghantt called Campbell asking for more money, a plan was set in motion to take him out. A third surveillance tape was carelessly left behind, and the company was able to identify the man who robbed the vault as David Ghantt. 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. Former Cramerton Police Chief David Young soon got wind of the Chambers excessive spending spree and reached out to the FBI. He had sent home early a newly hired employee and then proceeded with the loading of the funds. Not many people can say they stole $17 million from their employer and had Zach Galifianakis play them in a movie. display: none; Question: Are you surprised that Hollywood took this on as a movie? Masterminds: Directed by Jared Hess. Ultimately, the sum amounted to $17 million. Steve had hired a bodyguard named Mike McKinney. The movie, about a famous Charlotte bank . All were convicted, and while some received probation for money laundering, many others did a hard time. Upon viewing it the investigators saw exactly what had taken place that night. Ghantt was an on-set consultant for the film. 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. Since Ghantt was the supervisor, he sent his co-worker home first. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Whisler said he didn't think those factors should result in a reduced sentence. They both made jokes about their work and how they would rather rob the place than continue with their underpaid job. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Along with Ghantt and Campbell, there were eight others, including Campbell's former high school friend Steve Chambers and his wife, Michelle. 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. 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. Question: Are you happy that Wilkesboro-nativeZach Galifianakis plays you in the movie? Steven Chambers, left, and David Scott Ghantt leave federal court. He's a very likable person. David wrote her first book "Self-Awareness for Beginners" and now teaches courses and retreats on self-awareness. The 2016 movie Masterminds, starring N.C. native Zach Galifianakis, loosely interprets the facts of the heist in a goofy action comedy. They already knew who he was-David Ghantt, a Loomis Fargo employee. The next morning, Loomis Fargo employees were unable to open the vault. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars-worth of temptation. FBI agents got to him first. Ghantt:I hate to say it, but I had six years of sitting in a box to think about my life. . "I've moved on with my life," he said Tuesday. . Day in and day out he drives an armored vehicle, transporting millions of other people's money with no escape in sight. That's the kind of movie they wanted to make. Ghantt began to complain vocally. All Rights Reserved. Ghantt was charged in connection with the robbery reported Oct. 5 at Loomis, Fargo & Co. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. . Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. Authorities were notified of the robbery in the morning, when employees couldnt open the vault. A series of snapshots published in the Observer on March 8, 1998, just as the FBI and everyone else was getting a grip on just how strange the heist had been. It was Chambers' extravagant spending after the Loomis Fargo heist that led to the arrests. Then Campbell turned his attention to her boyfriend. The bandits had such a sudden influx of cash that they didnt know how to spend it. Ghantt made his way to Mexico, where he hid for several months. Twenty years ago this Wednesday, a small group of people stole $17 million in cash from the main vault of a Loomis Fargo & Co. armored-car warehouse in west Charlotte. Ghantt ended up doing more than five years in prison, Chambers did more than 11 years. The phone calls began to get more intense when Steve and Eric got suspicious of a man who was running hismouth about them and the vault job over in Charlotte. David Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. Guillermo dos Santos Coelho. Sun, sand and beaches are all part of why Jacksonville, Florida is a popular destination. Investigators eventually connected Campbell and Chambers to the robbery, which led to the arrest of more than 20 people. In all, agents arrested 24 people in the heist. DePriest talked to employees at the hotel where Ghantt had stayed under the name James T. Kelley and claiming to be an oilrigger on vacation. Michele Chambers declined to make a statement at the hearing. Agents found out where Ghantt was living because Chambers had put out a hit on him, foolishly believing Ghantt was the only person the FBI had fingered for the crime. As Ghantt was fed up with his underpaying job, he was receptive to the idea and the three started planning a heist. The Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery was the $17.3 million cash robbery of the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis Fargo & Company on the evening of October 4, 1997, by armored car driver and vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt.An FBI criminal investigation (which became international in scope) ultimately resulted in the arrest and conviction of eight people . But neither of those things would matter after he met Kelly Campbell. Robbing the 7-Eleven and getting $40 bucks and a pack of Marlboros was not for me. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. And theres the story of then-Observer reporter Joe DePriests race to Mexico to catch Ghantt as he was getting arrested. 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. The heist led to a book, TV specials, a major movie. The plot revolves around Ghantt who teamed up with his former loomis co-worker Kelly Campbell. Ghantt:It baffles me to this day. Kelly : Oh, it's a real magical place. It's based on the true story of David Ghantt (Galifianikas), a vault supervisor at the Charlotte Loomis Fargo depository in Uptown Charlotte that was involved in the second largest cash robbery in history, making off with $17.4 million ($25 million today). Prosecutors also resisted Culler's efforts to downplay Michele Chambers' role in the theft. Trending News The old man me would never survive that, Id have a heart attack.. Question: Any contact with Steve Chambers or any of the others involved with the heist? "I'm glad I've grown out of that.". . As Ghantt and seven others await hearings on charges from the October theft, authorities still have a big unanswered question: Where's most of the money? Ghantt continued to languish in Mexico, having spent most of the $25,000 he took with him to a Cancun resort. This opportunity was forged by Chambers and supported by Campbell earlier in the summer. On Oct. 4, 1997, former Kings Mountain resident David Scott Ghantt finished his shift as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo in Charlotte. David Ghantt was the Treasury Supervisor for Loomis Armored Cars, Fargo & Co. My knee-jerk reaction was to be angry, and then the sarcastic ass side of me started laughing about it, Ghantt said. David Ghantt served as an unpaid consultant to the film. Several cars and nine safety deposit boxes were seized, authorities said. Over 88% of the money has been recovered since the heist. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later David Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. Inside the truck, they found Ghantt's wedding ring. I started just chucking it as fast as I could, he said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me.. That time in prison was actually good for me. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone. So its one thing to go from up here, thought, to action, he said. Before long, the FBI had wiretaps on the ringleader, Steve Chambers, and then they waited for the right time to make their arrests. 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. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. It was here that the money was moved from the armored car to private vehicles. $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. Few who were living in the area at the time can forget the "Velvet Elvis" painting Chambers had hanging in his mansion or the tales of cosmetic surgery, BMW convertibles and other signs of excess. 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, To find out more about how the thieves got caught and how long they landed behind bars, tune in the, Rebel Wilson 'collapsed' after Ramona Agruma proposal: 'I was so overwhelmed', Amy Grant recalls being 'so scared' to return to touring following serious bike accident, Travis Scott being sought by NYPD after alleged nightclub assault, Zachary Levi talks Shazam! future after DC shake-up: 'I'll keep playing this role as long as I can', Get your Din Djarin on with this replica 'Mandalorian' helmet. Culler acknowledged that she had overheard her husband and co-defendant Kelly Campbell talk about the plan, ``but she thought it was fantasy world.'. 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. In all, they recovered $6.6 million. 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