How Bridgerton restarted buzz about her ancestry. Depression had led to smoking a lot of marijuana and taking Prozac, a combination she figures affected her judgment. Copyright 2022 TheAssociated Press. His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. To that end, Campbell brought in her childhood friend Steve Chambers, who was characterized in the local press as a small-time drug dealer and a local fence for stolen goods, to lead the team. Ghantt, meanwhile, was losing his patience and starting to make threats. He had a favorite restaurant, Zandunga, which had a mariachi band each night and a view of the Caribbean. One thing about teammates, in David's view: You could always trust them. I don't blame him.". David didn't even know Steve's name. That led to better jobs, like the one at Loomis. 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. . Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. Ive never taken offense to anything like that, he tells me. The real 'Masterminds' A version of this story originally appeared on CharlotteObserver.com. Ghantt started at Loomis Fargo in 1994, and soon worked his way up from an armored car driver to a vault supervisor. October was "a blast," he said. This is where it starts to unravel, Ghantt tells me with a wry laugh. She'd heard his stories of other successful schemes, like getting refunds on phony tax returns, or operating a loan shark business. Meanwhile, Steve was keeping a close eye on Kelly. Things went from bad to worse when, in November, Michelle strolled into a bank with a briefcase filled with 200 grand and asked the manager, How much can I deposit without the bank reporting the transaction? When she showed the bank manager that she really had the money to invest, the cash was still bound in Loomis Fargo wrappers. There, Scott and Eric paced the floor as Steve tried to calm them down. "I said, 'I don't want him killed.' If you were one of the much-smaller-than-expected group of people who caught Masterminds at the theater this weekend, and are looking for a fact-check of the events depicted on screen, here are some of the highlights of our chat with Diamant. 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 . It changes you. Despite a mega-watt cast featuring Zach Galifianakis and a handful of some of Saturday Night Lives biggest current and former stars, Masterminds, the comedy about Loomis Fargo robbery completely tanked at the box office in its opening weekend, bowing in sixth place with just $6.6 million. . Michelle Chambers paid off only $27,000. And I said, Hey, man, I got this. In early November, Steve lured the real Mike McKinney, an ex-Marine, to North Carolina from his Illinois home. Before long, the FBI had wiretaps on the ringleader, Steve Chambers, and then they waited for the right time to make their arrests. 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. He covers culture, politics, race, and other perplexing mysteries for MEL. You've violated that trust. Like David, Kelly was frustrated with her marriage. "He was in tears. ', "He asked me if I'd mind holding some money for him. They put up mauve wallpaper. Kelly Loomis Facebook, Instagram & Twitter on PeekYou Some of that money is just gone. When McKinney arrived in North Carolina, the plan had changed. They found Ghantts truck, and in it were his keys, some personal items and his wedding ring. Scott Grant and Steve pulled up next to her in a Mazda. He said every year he files his taxes and the IRS takes all of his tax return. In real life: False. The Chambers, however, didnt fit in with the other members of the gated community. But in November, money ran low. David said he realized then, for the first time, he might not see the millions he thought he had coming to him. Military + Veterans. Kelly called David at. 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. Loomis Fargo Defendants Owe as Much as They Stole in 1997 Before David left for the airport, he had handed Scott an eight-inch key ring. I loved it. Then, on a mid-September day, as he reviewed a credit card bill, David did some math. Dental plans . real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist - molecularrecipes.com 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. TWO TO ENTER GUILTY PLEAS IN ARMORED-CAR ROBBERY - Greensboro News and Ghantt was never in Chamberss presence until he actually handed off the money to him. Come for the Chumbawamba, and stay for the return of the Mack. She never really worried about the moral end of it--she was focused only on getting what she wanted out of life, what so many others seemed to have in this booming part of the South. Thats one of my personality flaws. But it didnt really hit me until later., On March 2nd, when the FBI agents walked up to Ghantt in Playa del Carmen and told him he was under arrest, Ghantt was relieved. Campbell was released from federal custody in 2004 after serving five years, meaning her collection case will age out in December 2024. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. . About 20 ago, Campbell sent him a letter of apology, but he never responded. "But, I hate to admit it, it doesn't faze me one bit. From going fishing to riding horses on the beach the whole nine yards. "I've moved on with my life," he said Tuesday. Question: How much of 'Masterminds' is true? Man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago now a 'normal guy Anybody who gets caught up in the system is getting chewed up by it, the now-retired Gronquist told the Observer. Steve and Michele invited everyone back for a Christmas party, where they gave Michele's stepfather a special gift--the pickup truck he'd always wanted. The name she gave the pup is apropos. He rewarded Robert with $3,000 and vowed never to meet McKinney alone. Kelly, using David's cell phone, kept beeping him. Some family members hid money in bank deposit boxes, other friends were asked to mule cash to the Cayman Islands. "I" has one letter. 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. Contact Us | Loomis US As soon as you put that first bag of stolen money in that van, theres no going back. They didn't know it, but they were leaving $3.3 million behind. It's about the 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery also known as the "hillbillly heist" the second largest cash robbery in the history of the United States. In the following months, Steve persisted, even floating the notion of placing phony hand grenades on a Loomis truck to scare away the drivers, Kelly said. . Before long, the tales of high living by Chambers and his now former wife, Michelle, led the thieves to be labeled either the "Cramer Mountain Hillbillies" or "The gang that couldn't steal straight." Each week, Michele deposited thousands of dollars in cash. Kelly drove her pickup to a lot across the street from the Loomis building, on Suttle Avenue in Charlotte. I wanted to get as far away as I could. "He showed me a lot of money," McKinney said. When he finished, the van was filled with $17 million. This meant a bump in pay, up to $8.15 an hour. real kelly campbell loomis fargo heist. Sandra Floyd, Michele Chambers's mother, remembers the first time she saw the house. "She said, 'What would it take to convince you to do it?' In the two days after the robbery, agents interviewed more than 100 people, most connected with David. At the sight of all that money, Scott and Eric had the same thought: They'd made the worst mistake of their lives. When neighbors asked where they got their money, Steve said hed played in the NFL. . Basic and voluntary life insurance plan. The plan was to split the money three ways: Chambers, Campbell and Ghantt would each walk away with what Ghantt estimated to be $5 million a piece the kind of money that changes lives forever. In real life: True. ];Kelly Jane Campbell [Misc. In real life: False. Question: Do you ever think you could have been killed? As for his new wife, when the two just started dating, he was nervous about letting her know about his past, but he wanted to be honest. It was the first Saturday in October. He took bus tours of Mayan ruins. David thought about it. But after a year, they'll cut it down to two agents. "It wasn't me, it was Steve," she says she told him. In the meantime, the FBI was closing in looking to bust a total of 21 suspected accomplices. Hes well thought-out. You might as well go all the way now.". Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Kelly drove David to the airport. He and his wife, Tammy, lived in a mobile home in Kings Mountain, N.C. Money was always tight. As soon as Corey left, I pretended like I was leaving. I just want people to go to the movies and have a good laugh, even if it's at my expense. There it was, "The Heist." First, in January, he tried to get someone to take some millions down to Mexico. Ghantt ultimately agreed to the plan, largely, due to a mountain of credit-card debt and in hopes of changing his life for the better. The first weekday after the heist, Michele Chambers, co-conspirator Steve's wife, walked into a NationsBank branch with a briefcase containing $5,000. I didnt pick the heist team. "Think of how many women would have stood by. But McKinney never stopped trying to kill Ghantt although, initally, McKinney thought Chambers had paid for the hit over a drug deal gone bad, Diamant said. On Monday, October 6th, the FBI agents who were investigating the robbery located the Loomis Fargo van abandoned in the woods. About 200 keys dangled from it. Why fans love it. But what did that mean? "It probably should bother me," he said. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-869-1823 or Twitter.com/TheGazetteKevin. Records show the government has garnished his Social Security checks. Nah, it was always about the money, he told the agents. Eric watched. Campbell, a mother of two, was in the process of divorcing her. I mean, it was dark, Ghantt explains. In hindsight, it doesnt surprise me a bit, Ghantt says, a bitter laugh catching in his throat. Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. Campbell, a former Loomis employee and one of the original masterminds of the caper, has paid off less than $21,000 of the $4,701,694.18 she was docked. . This real-life crime is the core of "Untitled Armored Car Project," which stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson and Kristen Wiig. But he tried to keep his face averted, so David wouldn't be able to ID him. 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. She could spend time with her children and parents. Scott Grant and Steve pulled up next to her in a Mazda. Next month, Payne will back in the Charlotte federal courthouse, this time to be sentenced from weapons and methamphetamine trafficking charges. "I was dumb," Ghantt said Wednesday, the eve before the movie hits screens nationwide. 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.