Only a nickel on every dollar have been collected so far. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. I appreciate your kind words! 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. You can garnish wages. >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers, carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct.. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. Meanwhile, Ghantt's gang spent wildly and paid their family members and friends to hide money. It has a certain feel, a smell and weight to it. Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. Loomis has received $978,983.79, according to Sally Butcher, an assistant clerk in the federal courts of the Western District of North Carolina who specializes in criminal debt. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. All but one of the 24 defendants pleaded guilty, and the one who didnt take the deal was convicted. He allegedly hired a hitman to take Ghantt out, tying up the ultimate loose end. If we can sit on the money for a year, maybe two, it could work.". You can seize property. In August 1997, Campbell informed Ghantt about an old high school friend of hers named Steve Chambers, who could assist Ghantt to execute a massive cash robbery of the Loomis Fargo vault in one night. "I'll need help moving the money, getting a new ID, and leaving the country," he told her. Eric Payne got out of prison in 2006 for his role in the heist and has since paid $11,357 on his $292,000 debt. 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. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. David said he needed Kelly to drive to Loomis before the theft that night to remove a duffel bag from his parked pickup truck. There's just one hitch: Ghantt has entrusted the money to an oddball crew of accomplices who had wooed him into committing this massive theft in the first placeand who, he soon learns, are trying to take him out. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). David got a kick out of her. Unexplained Mysteries and Strange Things,Cool Interesting stuff has been online since early 2011. Fourteen defendants were ordered to make restitution payments to Loomis Fargo totaling almost $19 million. The case resurfaced in the federal courts on Thursday, Sept. 1, when the U.S. Attorneys Office in Charlotte posted a public reminder in the case file of Loomis defendant Kelly Campbell that she had fallen behind in her restitution. Johnson had stolen $18.8 million earlier in the year, on March 19, 1997, only to be caught five months later, in late August, while crossing into Texas from Mexico to retrieve some of the money, which he'd hidden in a shed in mountainous western North Carolina. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. You can seize property. She had attitude. Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter. be blocked or permanently banned without warning. You Save 23%. That first day in prison was scary, Ghantt said. Yet their lives seemed far easier and better than his. But after one visit, she asked a teller How much can I deposit before you have to report it to the feds? followed by Dont worry, it is notdrug money, the bank filled out asuspicious activity report, which ultimately reached the FBI. He and Tammy could have one or two meals each week that he really liked, but the rest were hot dogs or Hamburger Helper. But if you did, youll never forget it. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. More calls between the two men, and also between Steve and Kelly Campbell, made it clear that the group was starting to turn on David Ghantt. contact us to submit an unexplained mystery article, or to join the team on the email address below. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. But on Oct. 4, 1997, that no longer mattered and Ghantt took off with $17.3 million. It all went down in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the man at the center of that heist, David Scott Ghantt, now lives in Jacksonville. This technically made it abank robbery afederal offense. More than 2 million dollars are still missing to this day. Why do we feel its so necessary to treat people like this, to say, OK, well just ruin the rest of your life because you made a bad decision., Punishment should not last a lifetime. In Gastonia, David would run into high-school classmates who had never struck him as especially smart. The bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. Then they returned it. We dont have the manpower to track all that (restitution) money down I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. The old man me would never survive that, Id have a heart attack.. He added that he would be able to send the trainee home at about 6:00 p.m. and would then need about an hour to load the money from carts, shelves, and the floor into a Loomis company van. Jeff Diamant was a reporter for the Charlotte Observer when the heist took place. Breakdown by congressional district, States' push to define sex decried as erasing trans people, North Carolina Supreme Court hears felony voting rights case, North Carolina House GOP modifies rules on veto overrides, N. Carolina speaker, lawmaker uninjured after SUV rammed, UPS chooses Onslow County site for expansion, EPA orders 'pause' of derailment contaminated waste removal, My Sisters House: helping women in cycle of incarceration, Talent cycle keeps rolling for East boys basketball program, Carteret County Board of Education adopts resolution calling for flexibility in school calendar law, Emerald Isle to have public comment period on 2023-24 budget Tuesday night, Jury quickly finds Murdaugh guilty of murder of wife, son, After their genitals were cut, some women search for healing, N. Carolina sergeant, former deputy charged in brutal arrest, Report: Companies' climate targets not what they claim to be, Men Count program brings positive influence to NC school, Groups join forces to save, release cold-stunned sea turtles, East boys cop fourth league hoops crown in a row, end regular season with 86-50 win over Lejeune, West honors boys assistant coach Lancaster for 25 years of service with basketball program, 5 dead, including patient, in medical flight crash in Nevada, Juvenile with AR-15 detained at high school basketball game, Fisheries division shellfish lease hearing draws few comments from public, North Carolina House votes to end pistol permit requirements, North Carolina AG won't defend abortion pill restrictions, North Carolina bill with LGBTQ limits heads to Senate floor, South Lenoir teacher accused of assaulting two students with an extension cord, East boys take control of Coastal Plains with 68-54 win over Pamlico; Matheka, Baker score 64, Store donates entire $50K Powerball bonus to food bank, Bill raising riot penalties in North Carolina clears House, N.C. senators vote for medical pot at appropriate time, Saddleback Church doubles down on support for female pastors, Senate Democrats kill Youngkin-backed bill on school awards, China dismisses FBI statement on COVID-19 lab leak theory, N. Carolina House GOP again modifies rules on veto overrides, Murdoch says some Fox hosts 'endorsed' false election claims, Havelock officials warn public about alligator near Walmart, Cape Carteret buys new utility vehicle to aid in picking up litter, New taxi, shuttle business seeks license to operate in Morehead City, Report: Navy ships face growing maintenance delays, costs, Fisheries division to survey for-hire watermen, National Enquirer, ensnared in catch-and-kill is sold. High around 65F. 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. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. A connection between each suspect began to emerge slowly, and as the intensity of spending grew, suspicion did as well. Since Ghantt was the supervisor, he sent his co-worker home first. Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Steve's a serious guy.". So the original gang was all totally shocked, Wydra said. of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or La vie de David Ghantt n'a rien de compliqu. He put on his best pair of jeans, a button-down shirt, and his nicest cowboy boots. ", "I don't need any more friends," she'd shot back. she asked again. They could talk about anything, even topics he couldn't discuss with his wife. Its a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I went down and talked to them, got to meet Zach Galifianakis and the director, Ghantt said. Although the FBI investigation was able to quickly connect Ghantt to Campbell, connecting Ghantt to Chambers was a more difficult task. For people earning $8.15 an hour David's salary the jokes came naturally. Stealing from Loomis Fargo could make him rich, if he got away with it. "Just remind Steve," he said, "that I might be trouble my own self." CHARLOTTE If you didnt live in the Charlotte area 25 years ago, you might not believe it. Agents raided safe deposit boxes, where they recovered more than $11 million. That sounds like a lot of money until its compared to the $18,930,201.26 the group was ordered to pay. In the end, the FBI was able to capture the original gang in five months, snaring 21 individuals for their participation in the crime. He realized his life wouldn't improve unless he did something drastic. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. David's vision for all of this actually derived more from books than from movies. The Loomis Fargo Heist Over the next months, Ghantt, Campbell, and Chambers developed a plan. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. A report by the General Accounting Office found that as of budget year 2016, $110 billion in restitution ordered by the federal courts was outstanding and that more than 90% of the amount had been classified as uncollectible.. Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. By then, the FBI had become greatly concerned for Ghantts personal safety; they had learned of Chambersmurder for hirescheme. These weren't the hardest of criminals, and though there was logic to not knowing each other's names, they had derived some of their methods from Hollywood depictions of crime. Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. Before the robber left Loomis Fargo, he made a trip to the managers office to remove two surveillance tapes in order to conceal his identity. The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. The unfairness gnawed at him, stirred by Kelly's questions. In the grand scheme of things, the prison sentence for stealing $20 million wouldn't be much worse than for stealing just $500,000 maybe a few extra years behind bars. The $17 million Loomis Fargo heist in Charlotte, North Carolina, was the second largest armored car robbery in U.S. history. A couple by the names of Steve and Shelley Chambers also became people of interest in the investigation due to their extreme sudden increase in spending. He worked close-by to where the van and over $3 million dollars had been ditched, and was friends with Steve Chambers. "What would it take to make you do it?". Curiously, Payne had recently paid of his Visa in one payment and had been driving around new and rented vehicles for the past weeks. The plan to rob Loomis Fargo was spawned by Campbell and her friend Steve Chambers, during a casual bonfire at Chambers' home. He was a hard worker, smart enough, and had graduated from high school. 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. Its in the ether. A few of the Loomis restitution cases have already been closed either because the amount was paid in full or because the 20-year clock wound down. OWLS director fired in wake of new board taking over, New rules will require flood history disclosure in real estate, North Carolina recreational spring flounder season canceled for 2023, Supreme Court seems ready to sink student loan forgiveness, Beach commission gets update on search for new sources of sand for beach nourishment. Except for the kiss in the pickup truck a few weeks before the heist, Kelly had kept things platonic. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Michelle Chambers received a few more months than Ghantt, because she had violated several bond conditions. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with. Gronquist said. From my standpoint, it was just a business deal, Ghantt said. You can seize property. At about 6:40 p.m., he went back inside. The FBI says Chambers hired a hitman to tie up the ultimate loose end -- Ghantt. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. They involve Loomis armored car driver David Scott Ghantt. They also bought aBMW Z3with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 statue of aNative American. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. As it neared its end, David stealthily left the vault door ajar. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later Former FBI agent John Wydra, who helped crack the case, sat down with Channel 9 Reporter Glenn Counts to talk about the clues that led to solving the crime, and how the group got caught. Heist! Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. So the pieces were falling into place for investigators. After marrying Tammy in 1992, he worked fueling airplanes at the airport in Hilton Head, South Carolina. There are multiples of thousands of these things coming every year. Since then, there have been numerous articles, books, documentaries and even a movie about this gang -- the gang that couldnt shoot straight. David and Kelly had driven to Rock Hill, South Carolina, and used the documents to obtain a fake ID that David would also rely on after the theft. Not all of them, but some of them are going to forgive you, theyre going to overlook it., he said. A third surveillance tape was carelessly left behind, and the company was able to identify the man who robbed the vault as David Ghantt. If we work together, we can all have plenty of pie.. At that point, Kelly and David had known each other for two years. Chambers had no intention of wiring any money to Ghantt and intended to have him killed to keep him from implicating the others. In the parking lot, David sat in his pickup truck smoking a cigarette and waving good-bye as the trainee drove home. Libraries without that edition should consider purchasing this entertaining and lightly edited version, which reads like a fast-paced novel. When some friends stole a stop sign from a busy intersection, David made them put it back. Action News Jax facebook feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax twitter feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax youtube feed(Opens a new window), JSO K9 escapes kennel, bites three people in Jacksonville neighborhood, To know Nancy was to love Nancy: St. Johns County woman killed in suspected DUI crash, JSO says missing child alert results in deadly drowning, Senator proposes bill giving state emergency jurisdiction over custody of kids with trans parents, Florida woman accused of killing terminally ill husband released from jail. Hes a family man with a wife and daughter. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later David Scott Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. This website uses cookies and some data tracking to improve your experience and serve adverts, We assume you're ok with this, you can opt-out if you wish. Jim Gronquist, Campbells defense attorney during the Loomis case, says the financial penalties levied against his client and her co-defendants are grossly excessive and unjust, particularly since most of the stolen Loomis money was actually recovered. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. These (Loomis) guys, not so much.. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers, carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997.