Feet Security Officer Bo Foot's Incident In Happy Town | ipl.org Turns out, most of the thieves and their accomplices have been about as effective coming up with their court-ordered restitution as they were hiding their original crimes. Was the temptation too much? Getting that off his chest calmed him some, and the conversation returned to the plan. Hed never really been in trouble, he wasnt a career criminal, said retired FBI agent John Wydra. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]. Chambers had no intention of wiring any money to Ghantt and intended to have him killed to keep him from implicating the others. People dont seem to understand human nature. 25th anniversary of the incredible Loomis Fargo bank heist | wcnc.com Some of that money is just gone. Ghantt took $50,000 for himself and fled to Cozumel, Mexico. A former FBI agent who helped crack the case sat down with Channel 9 Reporter Glenn Counts to talk about the clues that led to solving the crime, and how the group got caught. She'd left Loomis in November 1996 to take a job elsewhere as a security guard. I appreciate your kind words! Also charged with money laundering were innocent relatives and friends who had co-signed safe deposit boxes. The van used to move the money was later located a few miles from the warehouse. David would simply empty the vault and deliver the money to the others. sole discretion of the site administrators and repeat offenders may : The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) During one overnight shift, a bumbling conspiracy of thieves just west of Charlotte stole more than $17 million from Loomis Fargo. Ghantts spending in Mexico was extravagant at first. They also purchased expensive cars, jewelry and a breast enhancement or two. Hes a family man with a wife and daughter. Copyright The Nashua Telegraph | https://www.nashuatelegraph.com | 110 Main St, Ste 1, Nashua, NH 03060 | 603-882-2741, Loomis Fargo defendants owe as much as they stole in 1997, Thats pretty standard in restitution matters. But after one visit, she asked a teller How much can I deposit before you have to report it to the feds? followed by Dont worry, it is notdrug money, the bank filled out asuspicious activity report, which ultimately reached the FBI. The unsolved crime mystery of Marilyn Sheppard. (John D. Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP). 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. Curiously, Payne had recently paid of his Visa in one payment and had been driving around new and rented vehicles for the past weeks. It has a certain feel, a smell and weight to it. For example, Steve Chambers and his wife were living in a trailer and upgraded to what would today be a multi-million-dollar mansion at Cramer Mountain. '. In total, 24 people were convicted and all but one of the accused pleaded guilty. 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. Outside of the building, Ghantt met up with Campbell, Chambers, and others who were involved in the plot, and drove off to a printing business called Reynolds & Reynolds in northwest Charlotte. 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. contact us to submit an unexplained mystery article, or to join the team on the email address below. be blocked or permanently banned without warning. He knew they were nervous outside waiting for him, but he also knew he wouldn't stop stealing until he had taken everything. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. All but one took plea deals, including Ghantt, who was sentenced to seven years in prison. And after two years, the case is just a file. And they could barely afford the minimum payments, given the power bills, phone bills, car insurance bills, and home payments they had to meet. And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth.. Now one of the most wanted men in America with the FBI hot on his heels, Ghantt must figure out how to get his money, get away from a hit man, and get even. Jeffrey Guller, who at 81 is by far the oldest of the Loomis defendants, still owes almost $1.1 million on his original court debt of $1.14 million and will remain on the governments books for another four years. Agents raided safe deposit boxes, where they recovered more than $11 million. Inside $3.3 million was located along with the two stolen surveillance tapes, apparently left due to the robber and his accomplices being sloppy, or in a hurry. Two days later, when the FBI found the Loomis Fargo armored van, they discovered almost $3.3 million in cash left in the back of the van; it was later discovered that the thieves had miscalculated the sheer bulk of the small denomination currency, and that they simply left the cash that they could not take with them in the back of the van. These weren't the hardest of criminals, and though there was logic to not knowing each other's names, they had derived some of their methods from Hollywood depictions of crime. They also found several stacks of money with Loomis bands still attached throughout all the homes searched. Paying the money back has taken a lot longer, and time is running out for the U.S. government to collect. Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. Campbell used to work for Loomis and continued the friendship with Ghantt, eventually hooking him up with Chambers. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. The Chambers home is now gated, which means Channel 9 crews cant drive up to it like we used to. Heist: The Oddball Crew Behind the $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft Many of the lesser players in the conspiracy have been the most effective in paying their debts. Of course the problem was, the money belonged to someone else. My knee-jerk reaction was to be angry, and then the sarcastic ass side of me started laughing about it, Ghantt said. The gang made numerous mistakes. Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later Steve Chambers and his wife were living in a trailer and upgraded to what would today be a multi-million-dollar mansion at Cramer Mountain. One day, the two employees were in the break room and got to talking about the news of the day a massive bank heist that just occurred in Florida by someone at their company. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. 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. Tuesday marked 25 years since a group of buddies pulled off the third-largest money grab in U.S. history -- the Loomis Fargo heist. Discover the truth behind unexplained ancient mysteries, UFO mysteries, secret locations and paranormal events. You can garnish wages. But being the vault supervisor at Loomis Fargo had one perk -- exposure to tons of cash. In David's eyes, Johnson's big mistake was that he did it alone. remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats Winds light and variable. You can seize property. Steve's a serious guy.". Nathan, Steves cousin, was found in a mobile home the Chambers had abandoned. He added that he would be able to send the trainee home at about 6:00 p.m. and would then need about an hour to load the money from carts, shelves, and the floor into a Loomis company van. Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps. The towns booming construction industry attracts workers from around the country. The loot would later be divided among David, Kelly, and Steve. 'When you have money, you just have different problems': The Loomis But after a year, they cut it down to two agents. Although the FBI investigation was able to quickly connect Ghantt to Campbell, connecting Ghantt to Chambers was a more difficult task. RELATED: When you have money, you just have different problems: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later, How I held it together is beyond me, Ghantt said. Getting restitution, its like pulling teeth.. He and Tammy could have one or two meals each week that he really liked, but the rest were hot dogs or Hamburger Helper. He added that money can be a motivator for anyone. He and his wife, Michele, moved from theirmobile homeinLincoln Countyto a luxury house in the wealthy Cramer Mountain section ofCramerton. Not every agent has a case like that, he said. Butcher says the federal courts in the Western District of North Carolina have never handled a case quite like Loomis. 12) Loomis Fargo heist- The aftermath Ultimately, eight co-conspirators were indicted for the Loomis Fargo bank heist. Perry identified the other six people arrested as Steve and Michelle Chambers; Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis employee; Michael L. McKinney; Thomas Nathan Grant; and Eric Haley Payne.. They kept several furnishings from the previous owners, including avelvet Elvis. So the pieces were falling into place for investigators. But you cant get blood from a stone, Johns said. "What would it take to make you do it?". In March 1997, after Loomis Fargo & Company has been robbed of $18.8 million in Jacksonville by company security guard Philip Noel Johnson, Steve Eugene Chambers and Kelly Campbell, a former employee of Loomis, decides to rob the company. In 2017, for example, Paul Burks of Lexington was ordered to pay $244 million to the victims of his worldwide Ponzi scheme, Zeek Rewards. Action News Jax facebook feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax twitter feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax youtube feed(Opens a new window), JSO K9 escapes kennel, bites three people in Jacksonville neighborhood, To know Nancy was to love Nancy: St. Johns County woman killed in suspected DUI crash, JSO says missing child alert results in deadly drowning, Senator proposes bill giving state emergency jurisdiction over custody of kids with trans parents, Florida woman accused of killing terminally ill husband released from jail. Low 46F. The FBI was inadvertently aided by the gang members extravagant spending. The bizarre true story of the criminals behind the second-largest bank heist in American history. Jeff Diamant was a reporter for the Charlotte Observer when the heist took place. You can seize property.