real life kelly campbell loomis fargo

What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done.. They were the butt of a national joke. The van door opened. Twenty-five years ago, a small group of rural North Carolinian amateur bank robbers pulled off the second-largest heist in American history. Or that hed gotten lucky gambling. I said, Probably, the best time would be on the weekend; theres fewer people there. 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. 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the year that everything happened 1997. In real life: False. I mentioned it to Kelly. I didn't think I had the guts. Chambers never held Campbell hostage by locking her in a shed on his property. And with Loomis, were looking at only one case. Once in a lifetime, Murdaugh verdict sends a Lowcountry message: No one is above the law | Opinion, Charlotte Waffle House found with live roach, unclean equipment during health inspection. The Evergreen State takes the top spot again in the U.S. News Best States ranking on the strength of its tech sector and other industries. Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. 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. It's one of the biggest jokes at the place. That was great. We got this guy named Bruno. Chambers, now 32, didn't grant an interview for this article, but last year, in response to written questions, he said the biggest lesson he learned was: "Family is more important and valuable than money. It wasn't known whether anyone would receive it. His new life in Mexico had begun. Steve had another conversation with Kelly about killing David. But it wasnt. Steve, who had sworn Kelly, Eric and Scott to secrecy the night of the theft, named them all to the FBI. I missed my wife. Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis employee; Michael L. McKinney . Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. I didnt pick the heist team. I knew I was going to be the prime suspect. Industry leading Training and Development. Before David left for the airport, he had handed Scott an eight-inch key ring. "I've learned that I'm a fortunate man," he said. 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. Eventually, Steve made Kelly believe they could steal from Loomis and get away with it, she said. She came from a blue-collar background, a high school dropout who had grown tired of working in a mill and gotten an equivalency diploma. He frequently entertained there, buying steaks for his guests. But I thought this is me being hard-headed Im going to ride this thing to the ground. And so thats what I did.. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. If I hadn't done what I did the, the life I have now with my wife and child, I wouldn't have. I was just going to get the money into the van. For her part, Kelly Campbell spent six years in federal prison. "You" has three. Although David was in on most of the planning, one discussion between Steve and Kelly was kept a secret. The next week, they heard Steve plan to send Mike McKinney to Mexico to kill David Ghantt. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. "Things I always wanted to do, but never had the time or the money," he said. Ghantt was missing and no one, not even his wife, knew where he was. Scott Grant said he hesitated, but agreed if no guns would be involved. Instead of lobster, the man who stole $17 million survived on home-cooked pasta and grilled cheese sandwiches. Chambers and Campbell were waiting for him in the Loomis Fargo parking lot, both in separate vehicles. The real 'Masterminds' Ghantt was scheduled to work a shift at the armored car company Oct. 4. Question: Are you happy that Wilkesboro-nativeZach Galifianakis plays you in the movie? For his part, Ghantt was now officially on his way to Mexico, his future stretched out before him. 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. . Loomis - Home The mystery 1-4-3 caller had been Kelly, though agents didn't know it yet. They paid for all of it in cash. Should David be killed after he gave them the money? The money was heavy. If you want me to leave, Ill leave. Then, Ghantt went into another room. Hes well thought-out. A couple weeks pass, and I call again, Hey, Id like to get some more money. [Kelly] told me, 'Just think about it.' 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.. And it turned Steve into he thought he was Don Corleone all of a sudden.. Its kind of like that. She declined to take a lie-detector test. Dental plans . I studied up on the FBI. 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. . And after two years, you're just a file." Theres less security. The number of people involved had ballooned after Steve started asking friends and family to help him launder the stolen cash. Even still, he was 27, married and struggling to provide for his family. To say nothing of their art purchases like the aforementioned velvet Elvis portrait and a painting of a bulldog dressed as General George S. Patton. Called Masterminds, the 2016 film stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson. Its a yes: Clover teen shakes off nerves to earn American Idol golden ticket, Mail carrier cant believe his eyes after seeing NC lottery win. Exhibit A was that Steve had no steady job but plenty of cash. She was the group's only contact with David, and she was smoking marijuana "like other people smoke cigarettes," she said. I don't blame him.". Question: What made you, Chambers and the others think you could get away with this? Key benefit components include: Health insurance plans. In early December, Steve and Michele invited relatives to their daughter's sixth birthday party. Scott was so nervous, he said, that he couldn't help. First, in January, he tried to get someone to take some millions down to Mexico. Our Benefits. ". Ghantt was apprehended in Mexico and returned to the United States in custody. I had a four-hour layover there, and then from New Orleans to Cancun.. Depression had led to smoking a lot of marijuana and taking Prozac, a combination she figures affected her judgment. Though he never found the right moment to carry out the hit, McKinney did find time to make a friend--a shady character named Robert, to whom he revealed more than was prudent. Military + Veterans. About 5:30 the next morning, McKinney knocked on David's door and dropped $8,500 on the bed. Chambers, who still lives in Gaston County and operates a gym, declined to comment. Thomas Grant, who served three years in prison for bank larceny, paid off restitution of $70,000; brother Eric Grant paid all of his $26,000; as did David Craig, $40,000; and Dennis and Sandra Floyd; $27,000. Besides her prison sentence, Campbell must undergo mental health and drug treatment and spend two years in a supervised release program. David Ghantt And The Loomis Fargo Heist: The Outrageous True Story Because lets be brutally honest: Theyre not wrong, okay? He played high school football at Mays High School in Atlanta, and college football at Georgia Tech . Almost 19 years after Ghantt and a group of friends from Gaston County pulled off one of the largest cash heists in U.S. history, the movie "Masterminds" will play up the caper for laughs. How Bridgerton restarted buzz about her ancestry. "Love" has four. To protect themselves, David and Steve didn't meet or talk. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. Ghantt:I've burned that bridge years ago. Steve solicited two others to help move cash during the theft. Kelly had recently left a job driving an armored-car for Loomis, Fargo & Co. "He's the one who brought it up first," said Kelly, a year after her arrest. Twenty people were convicted of roles big and small in the massive 1997 armored-car warehouse heist in west Charlotte. They put up mauve wallpaper. He rewarded Robert with $3,000 and vowed never to meet McKinney alone. They also left behind a life-changing fortune in small bills $3.3 million in fives and ones that they overlooked and the two videotapes that Ghantt had pulled from the security cameras at the bank. 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. 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. I said, It comes down to picking the right day, and the right time of the month, and all that good stuff. I even told her, It wouldnt be all that difficult. Kelly Campbell, 29, a former company employee, entered guilty pleas earlier to bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder charges. Loomis Armored Shreveport, LA, 1124 Forum Dr, Shreveport, LA, USA Shreveport, LA, USA Req #1990. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. I was burned out and just didn't know it. "I was trying to figure out a way to [leave my husband] and take care of my kids without having to depend on him or any other man," Kelly said. Now two NC men face prison. Once I start something, Im going to the end., As for how he felt in the moment, he says, Imagine me and you went on an airplane. Kelly had no problem fanning the flames of their old flirtation. 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. Kelly drove David to the airport. There was in fact a basically similar conversation involving Chambers and Campbell that took place during a barbecue the Campbells were hosting. He realized that if they met the minimum monthly payments, the bill would take 30 years to pay. 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 . Ive never taken offense to anything like that, he tells me. Ghantt simply got ready for work one morning knowing it would be his last day on the job. 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. There it was, "The Heist." Our success depends on our team members, and that's why it's important for us to offer an employee benefits program that is not only extremely comprehensive but also one of the best in the industry. Just head on out. And so, he did. The audacity of the act was breathtaking. Theres some things I want to do., Ghantt planned on traveling from Mexico to the Cayman Islands, bypassing customs along the way. . October was "a blast," he said. He learned to parachute. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP), Police: Officer Who Shot Black Man Retired 'In Bad Standing', 3 Kansas City Officers Who Were Shot Released From Hospital, 1 Killed When Business Jet Encounters Severe Turbulence. He pocketed the money and told Chambers and Campbell to send him his cut in Mexico. 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. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward after the theft. 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.. She could spend time with her children and parents. Ghantt pulled out $50,000 from the back of the unmarked Loomis Fargo van. David complained it wasn't enough. In real life: False. Everything came crashing down on an early March morning in 1998. They planned to kill a man named David Ghantt, the guy who had made their extravagant new lifestyle a reality. Ghantt:I don't think he ever really meant to harm me. He appeared happily matched with his high-spirited wife, Michele, and the two children from her first marriage. One thing about teammates, in David's view: You could always trust them. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. Copyright 2022 TheAssociated Press. The bigger the amount, however, the bigger the damages to victims that likely will never be repaid: Amy Paynes collection account was closed in 2020 with her having paid $53,000 of the $274,000 she owed. That was the most painful truth to come to. Careers. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. On Feb. 27, agents listened in on a call from David to Kelly and learned David's location in Mexico. There, Scott and Eric paced the floor as Steve tried to calm them down. Kelly drove her pickup to a lot across the street from the Loomis building, on Suttle Avenue in Charlotte. Theres no management around. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist - phnxathletica.com The initials on the money wrapper belonged to a Loomis employee who hadn't worked there since before the heist. In early September 1997, Kelly found herself chatting on the phone with a friend who still worked at Loomis, a 27-year-old man who, despite being married, had made no secret of the fact that he had a crush on her. I don't want to be mean, but that's probably the dumbest thing they could do. Hes very articulate. Kelly relayed his message to Steve. The robbery of some $17 million quickly became one of the wildest bank heists of the last quarter century. Sandra Floyd, Michele Chambers's mother, remembers the first time she saw the house. 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. Heres what happened on Sunday nights episode. Speaking of his co-defendants, Ghantt says hes not currently in contact with any of them. So I guess I have no regrets. . Loomis Fargo Defendants Owe as Much as They Stole in 1997 He comes to my door, and hes got a brown paper bag in his hand. This is the person I counted as my friend. I just had to call you., Today, Ghantt cant look back on the whole ordeal without some degree of pride. Chambers did hire McKinney to kill Ghantt, but initially McKinney was making personal cash deliveries to Ghantt in Mexico on behalf of Chambers. So yeah, Ghantt continues, I took a bus from there to Atlanta, and then I hopped a cab from the bus station to the airport in Atlanta., Back in North Carolina, his accomplices were working as fast as they could to hide the $17 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. For reasons that remain obscure, Robert spilled the beans to David. Campbell left her job in the summer of 1997, but she would later use Ghantt's feelings for her to her own advantage to get him to agree to carry out the multi-million-dollar heist. He wouldn't give me the opportunity to say anything else. SEVEN NABBED IN CHARLOTTE HEIST\ - Greensboro News and Record He didnt even really question me. After years of reflection and time in prison to work on himself, Ghantt was able to find a way to a better version of himself. . The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. Kelly drove her pickup to a lot across the street from the Loomis building, on Suttle Avenue in Charlotte. In real life: True. Ghantt:It's kid-friendly, it's family-friendly (the movie is rated PG-13). Hidden in it was a 3 1/2-carat diamond ring that cost $43,000. FBI agents recall surreal story of heist that inspired - WLOS Meanwhile, outside Reynolds & Reynolds, Steve, Scott and Eric needed to move 2,748 pounds of cash, quickly, from the Loomis van into the Budget van. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Seven Charged In $17M Heist - CBS News "That would be living on the run, and I didn't want my kids to live that way. Some of that money is just gone. He couldn't even bear to stick around for the final tally--though when he left he didn't forget to take $6,000, the first cut of his expected $100,000 share. 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. "A lot of people out there had it worse than me, but . At that same time, Steve was growing sick of the calls to send more money to Ghantt, and was looking for a way to end that issue. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. To celebrate Halloween, about seven of Steve's friends, including Eric Payne and Kelly, gathered for a party at Steve's house. ", "I said, 'If you drive a truck, you're always in a financial bind. He and his wife, Tammy, lived in a mobile home in Kings Mountain, N.C. Money was always tight. Figure in Loomis Heist Gets Prison | AP News What purpose does that serve other than to denigrate that person into abject poverty?. Soon thereafter, he met Kelly Campbell, a co-worker at Loomis Fargo. CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kelly Campbell, the woman who helped plan the $17 million robbery of armored-car company Loomis, Fargo was sentenced yesterday to nearly six years in prison and ordered to pay back more than $4 million. He figured Tammy wouldn't go for it, and though his marriage had been troubled, he wasn't certain he wanted to leave her. Basically, he needed a score to make his problems go away. I'd probably change jobs. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded. They placed a bust of Caesar in the dining room. 6-Year Sentence For Kelly Campbell | The Seattle Times By late November, McKinney made a third trip to Mexico, saying he'd help David move to Mexico City. I learned something that was valuable at the time: Most criminals never leave a 250, maybe 300-mile circle from their home base. . That led to better jobs, like the one at Loomis. October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery - Wikipedia

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