He decided at that moment that if Kelly called again, he would go for it. After marrying Tammy in 1992, he worked fueling airplanes at the airport in Hilton Head, South Carolina. 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. 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. 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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. - Husband and wife Steven and Michelle Chambers, whose conspicuous consumption of a luxury home, a BMW convertible, breast implants and a $600 wooden Indian, among other purchases, helped the FBI solve the crime, were assessed $3.81 million and $4.8 million, respectively. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. If we can sit on the money for a year, maybe two, it could work.". "Everything's gonna be all right," she told him. : The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft. Learning from this error, David planned to leave the stolen money behind with his coconspirators while he fled to Mexico. He ejected the two VCR tapes that he knew had recorded him stealing the money, took them, and prepared to leave. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. That was taking the long view. He couldn't understand the gap, why he wasn't more successful, why he couldn't at least match the financial stability of his father, who earned a comfortable salary driving a truck. Theres no way to get it back, Butcher told The Charlotte Observer. The old man me would never survive that, Id have a heart attack.. And they hit the jackpot -- FBI video shows agents recovering most of the stolen cash. 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. After hanging up on her, David returned to work. The Loomis defendants face no additional legal jeopardy for not paying off their debts. There are many robberies registered in the history of America, but the Loomis Fargo Robbery is known to be the second largest robbery in the United States. Campbell and her husband had always been just scraping by, however in the weeks following the robbery, the two seemed to have more money than they've ever had. So its one thing to go from up here, thought, to action, he said. October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery - Wikipedia How Did David Ghantt, Kelly Campbell, Steve Chambers Steal More Than She will never get beyond the debt. If it didn't work out, he could return to the United States later with a new identity. 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. Even with several vehicles, they underestimated how much space they would need and they had to leave $3 million behind. 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. He is a graduate of Yale and has worked for the Connecticut Post, the Associated Press, and the Palm Beach Post. Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. 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. The police almost immediately called theFBI, since 95% of the money handled at the facility was owned by banks. Most people are going to forgive you. Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. Federal law stops government collection efforts 20 years after a defendant leaves prison. 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. He says the Loomis case shows how the criminal justice system and the courts treat lower-income people differently. A third surveillance tape was carelessly left behind, and the company was able to identify the man who robbed the vault as David Ghantt. In preparation for what lay ahead, David had backed an unmarked company Ford Econoline van near the vault entrance and opened the van's back door. Its said the current owner now has it in storage in Phoenix, Arizona. How he felt shorted by life. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. I pay (restitution to) thousands of people, but its in drips and drabs.. It was David who was hours away from committing the most daring act of his life, and she was going off about Steve being a serious guy? Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 Driving away, he said he felt a mix of fear, confidence and excitement that he outsmarted the FBI. https://www.charlotteagenda.com/67457/loomis-fargo-heist-masterminds-movie/, http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/article104506876.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_1997_Loomis_Fargo_robbery#Company, http://retroclt.blogspot.com/2014/07/loomis-fargo-heist.html, . (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP) The inspiration behind the major motion picture Masterminds starring Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Sudeikis! But this time on the phone, Kelly wasn't joking. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or He'd already done enough, he realized, to get himself fired and arrested, even if the gate prevented him from moving the money outside the building. When did you conclude Yeah, Im actually going to do this? Counts asked. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. The Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later We went on a mission to calculate exactly how much size-wise the money was, $11.3 million in $20 bills, and it weighed over 2,000 pounds, former FBI agent John Wydra said. 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. None of the suspects had been in any serious trouble before this. The government does not run debtors prisons, says U.S. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Its in the ether. Steve and Michelle Chambers, who had lived in a mobile home, bought a mansion in Cramer Mountain. The supervisor liked him and gave him the job. Man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago now a 'normal guy 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. What that says is, We will never forgive you for what youve done. But you cant get blood from a stone,, Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. Restitution is a familiar part of sentencing in federal court. David Ghantt was just an average Joe with an average low-wage job. Kelly Campbell, who one day visited a Toyota dealership to purchase a minivan with twenty-dollar bills. According to Butcher, Campbells last official payment came in June 2021 when the government appears to have seized a tax refund of $81.24. David and the trainee left the warehouse. You cannot fine low-income people millions of dollars. Punishment needs to be fair and realistic. I ride motorcycles and fish -- normal guy, Ghantt told Counts. America's Dumbest Heist! (True Crime Documentary) | Real Stories A more immediate need was securing help to move the stolen money to safety the night of the crime. The hillbilly outfit did more that just drop a few breadcrumbs. Then, he proceeded to load 2,800 pounds of cash into a van.
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