Where I was going was right there near the Cayman Islands. One thing about teammates, in David's view: You could always trust them. Maura Healey unveiled a proposed $55.5 billion state budget Wednesday, a plan that offers insight into some of the Democrats spending priorities during her first year as governor. 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. Hidden in it was a 3 1/2-carat diamond ring that cost $43,000. "I thought he was goofing around.". When he finished, the van was filled with $17 million. Exhibit A was that Steve had no steady job but plenty of cash. But the idea of all that money pulled at her. All but one took plea deals, including Ghantt, who was sentenced to seven years in prison. Thanksgiving and Christmas were difficult. 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. Then, I started loading the van., Money, when bound in bulk and stacked in canvas bags, is heavier than you might expect. Ghantt and one other employee were the last to leave. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. The Election, U.S. Foreign Policy, And Harold Pinter's 2005 Nobel Lecture, Nate Parker on Rape Allegations: 'I Don't Feel Guilty'. From going fishing to riding horses on the beach the whole nine yards. By now, you probably know the names -- David Ghantt, Steve Chambers and his wife Michelle, and Kelly Campbell. So the original gang was all totally shocked, Wydra said. ". One of them tapped him on the back. Im a very deliberate person. Kelly drove her pickup to a lot across the street from the Loomis building, on Suttle Avenue in Charlotte. It took me going to prison to realize I was a bag of worms, and it took me years of work to be somebody worthy to come back into our society, he said. After a couple of weeks, Ghantt and the rest of the heist team were ready to strike. Federal prosecutors would ultimately charge 21 defendants in the case, including the Floyds, who were charged with (and pleaded guilty to) money laundering. The plan was to maintain a low profile and wait for things to cool off, allowing Ghantt to return to the states and collect his cut. They set the date, Oct. 4, a Saturday when David knew he could be alone in the building after his shift. The robbers went on a huge spending spree, buying a massive home, artworks, big-screen TVs, expensive cars, pickup trucks, minivans, two boats, six motorcycles and several tanning beds. Hed never really been in trouble, he wasnt a career criminal, said retired FBI agent John Wydra. She asked about the limit for a cash deposit before "paperwork" was required. They loaded the wine cellar with Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Steve hung a velvet portrait of Elvis Presley in the basement. Is he telling the truth? www.loomis.com. Or that it was an inheritance. We got this guy named Bruno. ". She also assured the teller her cash wasn't drug money. They stocked a wine cellar. "It wasn't me, it was Steve," she says she told him. Mexican police, Interpol officers and an FBI agent were watching him. Agents began picking up signs that David definitely had help: The abandoned Loomis van with $3.3 million in small bills still inside, and phone records showing that somebody beeped him while he stole the money, using David's own cell phone. More agents waited outside to arrest them. Until, that is, he decided to hell with it he was going to pull-off the second largest heist in U.S. history. I told them, Take it, box it up, and youll be able to ship it to me in Mexico. Back in the 1990s, you couldve probably boxed up a hot pink elephant and shipped it to Mexico; no one wouldve ever noticed. "She just called me up on the phone and said, 'Hey, let's meet one day after work.' "He said, 'Yeah, right,' and turned his head. David was living under the name Mike McKinney on a phony ID. 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. Working together, they got the gate open, then drove in a caravan to the Reynolds & Reynolds parking lot. Of course the most famous thing inside the home was a velvet Elvis portrait. . "But, I hate to admit it, it doesn't faze me one bit. If we work together, we can all have plenty of pie.. Haz clic en Gestionar ajustes para obtener ms informacin y gestionar tus opciones. He had an endearing smile, a beautiful wife and two children. It just happened to fall on my desk.. I ride motorcycles and fish -- normal guy, Ghantt told Counts. He told Steve he hadn't been able to find David. Criminals dont usually get high-paying jobs after leaving prison. . I couldn't understand why I hadn't been more successful," David said. Steve told Scott to ignore the remaining stacks, which were mostly ones and fives. After a Gulf War stint in the Army, David got married in 1992. There, Scott and Eric paced the floor as Steve tried to calm them down. 1-4-3 is 'I love you.' Director Jared Hess Writers Chris Bowman (screenplay) Hubbel Palmer (screenplay) Emily Spivey (screenplay) Stars Zach Galifianakis Kristen Wiig Owen Wilson On March 1, David Ghantt left his hotel to do some laundry. That movie, Masterminds, was filmed in 2014. First, in January, he tried to get someone to take some millions down to Mexico. This is where it starts to unravel, Ghantt tells me with a wry laugh. When we worked together [for Loomis], we'd joke about it. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. Youre supposed to get less time for cooperating, a lesser penalty, and instead, you see what she got hit with. Gronquist said. Eric Payne got out of prison in 2006 for his role in the heist and has since paid $11,357 on his $292,000 debt. 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. In one case, the restitution for a Loomis defendant may be a moving target. A week later, another informant told the FBI that Eric Payne had quit his job at a printing company soon after the heist and was spending money he probably hadn't earned legally. "He was speechless," said Sandra Floyd. She could walk under the trees, with the chickens and goats and dogs that live around her mobile home. The authorities didn't know yet how much was missing from the armored-car company, but Steve did. . And robbing a truck was dangerous. hippie fest 2022 michigan; family picture poses for 5 adults; unforgettable who killed rachel; pacific northwest college of art notable alumni; adler sense of belonging family constellation This robbery is the largest cash robbery on U.S. soil. One day, Campbell was speaking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. His collection case, which closes in November 2026, got credit for the couples $540,000 house on Cramer Mountain in Gaston County, Butcher says. Steve Chambers has told agents the missing cash was stolen from a shed in Lincoln County. Its about the 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery also known as the hillbillly heist the second largest cash robbery in the history of the United States. At the end of one session, they wound up kissing outside the pickup. Sun, sand and beaches are all part of why Jacksonville is a popular destination. "I said, 'Yeah, sure.' He'd even bragged that he'd killed people. When Chambers and the two Erics were done loading the stolen millions into barrels, they abandoned the van in the woods. 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. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. This month marked 25 years since one of the biggest armored car heists in U.S. history. The principals here are David Ghantt, a driver for Loomis, Fargo and Co.; Kelly Campbell, the woman Ghantt had a crush on, and who convinced him to commit the crime; and Steve and Michele Chambers. On Monday, October 6th, the FBI agents who were investigating the robbery located the Loomis Fargo van abandoned in the woods. ALSO READ: Leader of $3M check theft, bank fraud scheme in Charlotte area sentenced to prison, The hillbilly outfit did more that just drop a few breadcrumbs. Or is the loot buried in somebody's yard? From Mexico, David usually spoke with Kelly on the phone once a week, paying with calling cards. He realized that if they met the minimum monthly payments, the bill would take 30 years to pay. He wouldn't give me the opportunity to say anything else. So he got in a cab and went to a mall. They soon realized David had stolen more money than would fit in their 55-gallon barrels. If you want me to leave, Ill leave. Then, Ghantt went into another room. Username. Kristen Wiig plays Kelly, who really wasn't that into David, but convinced him to take a fortune from Loomis Fargo in the fall of '97. 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.. "That would be living on the run, and I didn't want my kids to live that way. 2023 Cox Media Group. And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth.. To the community, the Loomis Fargo heist was a big joke -- the largest hillbilly caper of all time. Ghantt simply got ready for work one morning knowing it would be his last day on the job. The Loomis case is another example where the amount of restitution ordered vs. what is actually paid are two dramatically different numbers. They ditched the Loomis van, then drove the cash-heavy Budget van to Steve's mobile home in Lincoln County, where his wife, Michele, waited with a calculator and rubber bands. 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. Steve Chambers would keep the rest. Will Vin Sant Leave You Jacked or Scammed. Its kind of like that. 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