33. I didnt even know about it and overlooked it, he said. At the. There is nothing of value in this movie. The thieves had simply abandoned whatever they couldnt carry away. When asked what the dumbest thing was that Ghantt spent money on, he admitted: The 4 pairs of boots I bought in one day [shrug] what can I say they were nice and I was impulse shopping.. The details of the heist itself, coupled with the missteps the crew made after stealing the money, attracted the attention of writers and movie producers. Said Ghantt, one day life kinda slapped me in the face. Two days after the heist, the FBI found the missing van with $3.3 million of cash left in it. He told me they were in the dirt business, so he didn't have to worry too much about me. To its credit, Masterminds does nail down the broad strokes of the real story, although there were a couple of noteworthy details the film left out. But after one visit, she asked a teller "How much can I deposit before you have to report it to the feds?" Q: Do you appreciate your normal life now more than you would if you hadn't spent years in prison? To make a successful getaway, Ghantt had to lift nearly 2,800 pounds of currency. Q: You came to the North Carolina mountains during Hurricane Irma, but what do you miss about Gastonia? . I got no real complaints, not at this point., The heist became the premise for the movie,Masterminds, released in September 2016. David Bragg . A: I'm in dire need for some RO's barbecue and some Tony's Ice Cream. The missing couple were identified as David Harrison Robinson and his wife Lucretia Robinson. Too bad it was so poorly planned. [1], Steven Chambers finished serving his sentence in November 2006. Chambers, it turned out, became the biggest source of evidence for the FBI. The police then called the FBI because most of the money handled at the facility belonged to banks, which technically made it a bank robbery a federal offense.[5]. My name is David Scott Ghantt. Wyatt Redd is a freelance writer from Nashville, Tennessee. On March 12, a Charlotte grand jury indicted the eight co-conspirators for bank larceny and money laundering; the latter offense was included because of how they spent the stolen money. Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. Where ever it was, it is long gone now. Steven Chambers, left, and David Scott Ghantt leave federal court. 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. Campbell was receptive and brought the idea up to Ghantt. He and his wife,. Here's whatGhantt says now about the heist that madethe "Cramer Mountain Hillbillies" famous and changed him forever. 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. Retro CharlotteFBI security footage of David Ghantt in the midst of the Loomis Fargo heist. Guided by federal sentencing rules, prosecutors had requested a sentence of nine years for Michele Chambers. Instead, the two started hanging out on the beach together and became friends. 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. You can cancel at any time. Ghantt was the vault manager. Philosophically, now looking back I wouldnt be who I am now if I hadnt gone through all that, said David Scott Ghantt in an interview with the Observer. Until it's gone, you don't appreciate it. Investigators also found Ghantt's pickup truck, abandoned at the warehouse. Back then all I really wanted to do was just, I wanted to change my life. Eventually, Ghantt called in from Mexico, seeking more money, and the FBI officially recognized Chambers as a co-conspirator. David Ghantt, a Gulf War veteran, had never been in trouble with the law. 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 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. 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. A: People are very forgiving if you're open and honest right from the start. In fact, David Ghantt was about to commit the heist of a lifetime. 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. Masterminds - Zach Galifianakis 'David Ghantt' [On-Set Interview]SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://goo.gl/SrrTlTSUBSCRIBE MOVIE TRAILERS: http://goo.gl/8WxGeDA night gu. The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. I'll take the live one. 121 90 1,443 Show this thread David GhanttRetweeted C.A. I wanted to make a drastic change and I went for it, Ghantt remembered later to the Gaston Gazette. Ghantt believed the new employee would make a good replacement for his wife, but the feelings were not necessarily reciprocated. But even though he worked for a company that regularly moved millions of dollars, David Ghantt himself was underpaid. Playing upon David's obvious feelings for her, Kelly is the . Michele Chambers declined to make a statement at the hearing. In 2020, the television show Super Heists portrayed the heist in Episode 3, "Van Full of Dollars". What ACT target score should you be aiming for? Just days after agreeing to the plan, the group set a day to carry out the robbery. By now, you probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve Chambers and his wife Michelle, and Kelly Campbell. But before thehit could be carried out, the FBI swooped in and arrested Ghantt and the others. Meanwhile, David Ghantt was relaxing on a beach in Cozumel, Mexico. While she made small deposits at first, she became more reckless, eventually making a deposit of thousands of dollars in cash, telling the teller not to worry: Its not drug money.. I really don't miss that guy. Chambers would hold on to most of the remaining cash and wire it to Ghantt as needed. I learned that I was an a--hole. In February 2009 the Associated Press reported that Chambers had chosen to describe himself as "changed". 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 . 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. If you can see the obvious flaw in this plan, namely that Chambers would have no reason whatsoever to actually wire Ghantt any money, then congratulations. David Ghantt : I had a hard time liftin' it up. so make sure youre taking the right ones for you. Nous, Yahoo, faisons partie de la famille de marques Yahoo. ", 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. From there, the money was moved from the company vehicle to private vehicles. 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. Everybody thinks being famous and being an actor is stupendous, and the money is fantastic, but they kind of live in afish bowl. 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. David Bowie 's widow recently took to Instagram to post selfies, while promoting both her makeup brand and fashion line. He made it across the border just as his deception was discovered. Director Jared Hess Writers Chris Bowman (screenplay) Hubbel Palmer (screenplay) Emily Spivey (screenplay) Stars Zach Galifianakis Kristen Wiig Owen Wilson 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. 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. So he hatched a plan to rob his employers. After finding himself in prison he made a concious choice to do things differently. As it turns out, the heist did in fact go as well as you might expect. "Wells Fargo and Loomis forming armored car company", Last edited on 21 February 2023, at 16:45, Learn how and when to remove this template message, painting of Elvis Presley on black velvet, "FindACase | United States of America v. Steven Eugene Chambers", "The Unperfect Crime | New Dominion Pictures", "Sunday Evening/Late Night September 9, 2001", "Loomis Fargo heist: Q&A with guy who stole $17 million", "MASTERMINDS - Movie Production NotesCinemaReview.com", Ghantt and other gang members arrested in March 1998, Steven Chambers released from prison; announces he is a "retired criminal", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=October_1997_Loomis_Fargo_robbery&oldid=1140756292, Overcoming the mindset that led to the part David Ghantt played in the Loomis robbery and how he started on a new path was the subject of the book, Within days of the robbery, the case was depicted on the television criminal reporting show, An expanded two-hour special episode of the crime documentary series. An FBI criminal investigation ultimately resulted in the arrest and conviction of eight people directly involved in the heist, as well as sixteen others who had indirectly helped them, and the recovery of approximately 88% of the stolen money. It wasa painful process, but I learned to be happy with me and with what I've got. 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.