The FBI knew they needed to make their move. Both were involved in the second-largest cash heist in U.S. history, in which a group of people stole $17 million from the. Its 90-minutes of mugging for the camera, but the only people who feel mugged are those that pay to see Masterminds. One day, Campbell was speaking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. 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. I started just chucking it as fast as I could, he said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me.. 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. He was released in 2006. 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. Prosecutors also resisted Culler's efforts to downplay Michele Chambers' role in the theft. A lot of people ask me, Oh, do you have any regrets? No, not really. The odds of you actually getting away with something these days is pretty damn slim. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. On the evening of October 4, 1997, one man loaded $17.3 million in cash from the vaults of Loomis, Fargo & Co. into the back of a van. 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. When he was done, the man drove off to a nearby printing press, where the money was distributed into private vehicles amongst a handful of people. In fact, David Ghantt was about to commit the heist of a lifetime. David Ghantt was a nuisance to Steve Chambers and Kelly Campbell, John Wydra, a retired FBI agent who handled the case, told Super Heists.. Ghantt added, I really enjoyed the movie. Als u uw keuzes wilt aanpassen, klik dan op 'Privacyinstellingen beheren'. All rights reserved. Its heavy. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. On Oct. 4, Ghantt sent home the employee he was training and disabled two security cameras near the vault in preparation for the heist. In 2020, the television show Super Heists portrayed the heist in Episode 3, "Van Full of Dollars". For instance, after stealing $17.3 million $11 million of which was in $20 bills the conspirators had to leave behind $3 million in cash because they couldnt fit all of it in their cars. Until it's gone, you don't appreciate it. 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. A: I'm in dire need for some RO's barbecue and some Tony's Ice Cream. On March 1, 1988, Mexican police arrested Ghantt at Playa del Carmen. Now, here we are, two years later. Si vous souhaitez personnaliser vos choix, cliquez sur Grer les paramtres de confidentialit. Its a farce that never farces; a comedy without jokes. Ghantt, who had been with the bank since 1994, was promoted from driver to vault supervisor in 1997, where he earned $360 a week and befriended Kelly Campbell (Wiig), who got Ghantt mixed up in the plans for the heist after she left Loomis. 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. 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.". Ghantt has never explained where that money went. 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. Jandice : In any case, we got to talkin' afterwards, and I thought, well, that one's dead, this one's alive. Though she agreed to cooperate with the government when she pleaded guilty to bank larceny and money laundering in August 1998, Michele Chambers didn't tell the FBI she still had the ring until December, when she turned it in. The former star . EDITORIAL. Over the years many of his social . Together with his wife, Chambers bought a new luxury home (upgrading from his mobile home), a BMW Z3, and some extravagant furnishings. 121 90 1,443 Show this thread David GhanttRetweeted C.A. But because he still owes millions to the IRS, he couldnt be paid. 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. Here's whatGhantt says now about the heist that madethe "Cramer Mountain Hillbillies" famous and changed him forever. I felt cornered and one day the joking in the break room about robbing the place suddenly didnt seem so far-fetched.. When Ghantt called Chambers to have the latter wire him more money, Chambers sent just a few thousand dollars. ABC7 Eyewitness News Watch Now 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. Some people screw up big like you, some people screw up small.". 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 . Wyatt Redd is a freelance writer from Nashville, Tennessee. The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. He was like OK, yeah, we can do that, she recalled. mesurer votre utilisation de nos sites et applications. Hes a great person. Q: How do you tell prospective employers you once stole $17 million? Said Ghantt, one day life kinda slapped me in the face. David Scott Ghantt: Vault Supervisor David Scott Ghantt was the vault supervisor at the regional branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina. Holding her hands behind her back, Michele Chambers was sentenced Tuesday to seven years and eight months in prison for her role in the $17 million heist from Loomis, Fargo & Co. She was also ordered to pay $4.8 million in restitution.It was the fourth-most severe sentence given in the case, which has 21 defendants. AI Chatbots are Even Scarier Than You Think, DeSantiss Educational Policies Come Right Out of the Fascist Playbook, Erase the Memory to Erase a People? 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. 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. Anonymous tips had the FBI monitoring Chambers calls. The chief running joke in Masterminds is the Prince Valiant 'do gamely sported by Galifianakis as David Ghantt, . Where ever it was, it is long gone now. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Its kind of out of sight, out of mind, she said of the reasoning. The pair began to daydream about whether they could really pull off the heist. U kunt uw keuzes te allen tijde wijzigen door te klikken op de links 'Privacydashboard' op onze sites en in onze apps. Everybody thinks being famous and being an actor is stupendous, and the money is fantastic, but they kind of live in afish bowl. The couple was married for 22 years before her untimely death in 2012. 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. After meeting up with Chambers, Campbell, and some other co-conspirators, Ghantt hightailed it to Mexico with $50,000 in cash in his car. Q: You came to the North Carolina mountains during Hurricane Irma, but what do you miss about Gastonia? Steven Chambers, left, and David Scott Ghantt leave federal court. Collections. If you're trying to make yourself better today, that's all most people care about. Fed up, exhausted, and seeing a way out, Ghantt agreed. David Ghantt on stealing 17 million dollars from Loomis Fargo (Crime & Entertainment Full Interview) Crime & Entertainment 3.77K subscribers Subscribe 4.8K views 1 year ago David Ghantt. Ghantt's spending in Mexico was extravagant at first. The thieves had simply abandoned whatever they couldnt carry away. 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. Q: Your troubles were self-inflicted, but you seem happy. Lorsque vous utilisez nos sites et applications, nous utilisons des, authentifier les utilisateurs, appliquer des mesures de scurit, empcher les spams et les abus; et. 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. 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. 2023 www.gastongazette.com. Based on a true story, the premise itself is fascinating, which makes Masterminds all the more a waste. But there was just one thing the group hadnt been counting on: the massive weight of that amount of cash. Chambers, his wife, and several of their accomplices were arrested the next day. As Predators' David Poile braces for retirement, his wife reveals their love story. David Ghantt normally came home between 6 and 8 p.m., and often he was late, his wife said. Ill never pay it off on my paycheck, Ghantt said. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females. All rights reserved. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. 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.