This story was originally published October 1, 2017, 6:44 PM. Ghantt:I hate to say it, but I had six years of sitting in a box to think about my life. "I was unhappy with my life. But former Kings Mountain resident David Scott Ghantt can. Question: How much of 'Masterminds' is true? Now on the lam and in over his head, David must dodge the authorities, evade a hilarious hit man, Mike McKinney, and try to turn the tables on the ones he trusted most. The Gaston Gazette spoke with Ghantt, who is now in his late 40s and lives in Florida as a free man. Where things stand in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial ENTERTAINMENT. At the time . More calls between the two men, and also between Steve and Kelly Campbell, made it clear that the group was starting to turn on David Ghantt. I worked sometimes 75-80 hours a week for $ 8.15 an hour, I didn't even have a real life at home because I was never there, I worked all the time and was unhappy, which is understandable considering how old I was then. She also . The FBI recovered several million dollars in a van found in Mecklenburg County, but about $14 million in cash is still missing, authorities said. Ultimately, eight co-conspirators were indicted for the Loomis Fargo bank heist. David Ghantt was living an equally luxurious life in Mexico. Channel 9 speaks with the man at the center of Loomis Fargo heist 25 years ago. Ghantt met up with the other members of the plot and offloaded the cash. I started just chucking it as fast as I could, he said, adding the sweat was pouring off of me.. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. David Ghantt had been a model employee for an armored car company before pulling off the second biggest cash heist in U.S. history, fleeing with more than . Another name the FBI had become very interested in is Eric Payne. This caused them just to leave the cash they could not take with them in the back of the van. He walked out with $17.3 million in cash and a movie-ready story. The picture, which is directed by Jared Hess and written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, and Emily Spivey, stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and The FBI began to question past and current employees of Loomis Fargo. NEWS. Even if Campbell denies the relationship was ever romantic, the FBI evidence says otherwise. I'll never pay it off on my paycheck." Next, he went to the managers office and took out the tapes from two security cameras. $17.3 million in cash was robbed from the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis, Fargo & Co. on the evening of October 4, 1997. You ever been to Rio? Once Ghantt loaded the large haul from the vaultwhich could have been close to $20 millioninto a truck, he planned to drive to a second location, then head straight to the airport and fly to Mexico. Pocketing $50,000 for himself, that man, named David Ghantt . When to set your clocks for daylight saving time, A raw bar, Asian restaurant, ice cream shop and arcade debut at Concord food hall. It all went down in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the man at the center of that heist, David Scott Ghantt, now lives in Jacksonville. So its one thing to go from up here, thought, to action, he said. 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. It was here that the money was moved from the armored car to private vehicles. Within the next two days, investigators found an abandoned van with the security tapes and a staggering $3.3 million! >> PHOTOS: The Loomis Fargo heist, 25 years later. A woman by the name of Kelly Campbell had worked there in 1996, and she and Ghantt had become friends in that time. It's based on the true story of David Ghantt (Galifianikas), a vault supervisor at the Charlotte Loomis Fargo depository in Uptown Charlotte that was involved in the second largest cash robbery in history, making off with $17.4 million ($25 million today). . CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) _ While the FBI spent five months looking for David Scott Ghantt, authorities say his accomplices in a $17 million heist were living the high life _ a new car, a new home, even breast implants for one. The plan went off with few problems, but after Ghantt was safely in Mexico, his partners were left storing large amounts of cash. The 2016 comedy movie, Masterminds is based on the story of the Loomis Fargo Heist. Ghantt went on to explain that he left for his flight to Mexico with about $25,000, and that two or three deliveries of extra money was made to him by the man Chambers would pay to kill him. I knew that if we could stay off the radar for about a year, we could basically live a vacation life, Ghantt said. The judge said he would recommend that Michele Chambers be given mental health treatment in prison. As Ghantt and seven others await hearings on charges from the October theft, authorities still have a big unanswered question: Where's most of the money? Kelly Jane Campbell, a former Loomis . Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward after the theft. Question: You were a consultant? They already knew who he was-David Ghantt, a Loomis Fargo employee. David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) is slowly creeping by in life driving an armored truck.His life is at a stall and he's slowly dwindling down into the trash life that was destined for him. Hes a family man with a wife and daughter. The eight accomplices were also apprehended. It was committed by David Ghantt and the heist subsequently inspired the comedy movie Masterminds. She is a self-proclaimed "super-self-aware person" and this is her first guest post on the blog. I made a joke once that was the hardest Id ever worked for Wells Fargo -- yeah, its a lot of work, Ghantt said. David Ghantt, el "cerebro" del golpe. They soon realised that their joke was not a far-fetched idea. This company managed the transportation of large amounts of money between banks in North Carolina. More than 2 million dollars are still missing to this day. The FBI continues to search for a missing $2 million from the theft. And if that gives people out there a little bit of hope, then Ive served my purpose on this earth., (WATCH BELOW: The Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later). Question: What made you, Chambers and the others think you could get away with this? Almost 19 years after Ghantt and a group of friends from Gaston County pulled off one of the largest cash heists in U.S. history, the movie "Masterminds" will play up the caper for laughs. David Ghantt may have walked out of the Loomis Fargo heist with the money in hand but then the problems started piling up. 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. David Ghantt : Oh, Rio, yeah, yeah. Upon viewing it the investigators saw exactly what had taken place that night. Ghantt, who by then was long out of prison, served as a consultant. To connect Chambers to them was more difficult. That first day in prison was scary, Ghantt said. Galifianakis can pull off broad comedy effortlessly, a skill which catapulted him to . In all, they recovered $6.6 million. I knew that if I did something like that, I would take a huge amount of money, Ghantt said of the brash robbery on an upcoming episode of CNBCs Super Heists, airing Monday at 10 p.m. 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. Question: Are you happy that Wilkesboro-nativeZach Galifianakis plays you in the movie? On Oct. 4, 1997, former Kings Mountain resident David Scott Ghantt finished his shift as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo in Charlotte. Bank heists are ideally supposed to have meticulous planning right? Kelly Campbell. They also purchased expensive cars, jewelry and a breast enhancement or two. . Today's guest author is David Ghantt. While listening in, they uncovered another more sinister alleged plan to kill Ghantt. It still had almost $3.3 million in cash left in the back of the van. The Loomis Fargo heist: 25 years later The case had gotten national publicity and was the subject of numerous articles, documentaries and even a movie. He said every year he files his taxes and the IRS takes all of his tax return. Did you get paid? From the start, David Ghatt was considered to be a prime suspect. : The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft. ", GREENSBORO Jurors found TikTok star Jessica Middlebrook, known as towtruckjess on social media, not guilty of involuntary manslaughter Thu. Explain? The plot revolves around Ghantt who teamed up with his former loomis co-worker Kelly Campbell. #7 Loomis Fargo, Charlotte, North Carolina, 1997 . Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. View contact info: Address, Phone, Email & Photos. If I could get far enough away in a very short amount of time, my odds of getting away with it were pretty high, Ghantt said. Culler acknowledged that she had overheard her husband and co-defendant Kelly Campbell talk about the plan, ``but she thought it was fantasy world.'. I knew it was over then, Ghantt said. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. stockpile guns, Timeline puts Murdaugh at crime scene, SC prosecutor says in trial closing after Moselle visit, Get ready for less sleep in Charlotte. One day, David's girlfriend Campbell was talking to an old friend named Steve Chambers. . Six other people also were arrested, including a couple who suddenly moved from a trailer to a $635,000 house. That time in prison was actually good for me. Robbing the 7-Eleven and getting $40 bucks and a pack of Marlboros was not for me. Defense lawyer Andy Culler sought a seven-year, three-month sentence. Shortly after, investigators found Ghantt's pickup truck abandoned at the warehouse. He was also married, but none of those things would matter after he met Kelly Campbell. They had to be extremely careful not to tip off the group, as they could lose potential conspirators or more information important to a conviction. You have permission to edit this article. This was why he devised a plan for the Loomis Fargo heist. Ghantt fled to Mexico. Regular folks, big dreams and a ton of money: How the Loomis Fargo heist happened. Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother The others, though, went no farther than Cramer Mountain. This technically made it a bank robbery and a federal offense. The next day, before Mike was able to leave the country, the FBI arrested him in his hotel room. Thank you so much. In addition, six other people, some of whom had been spending large amounts of money, were arrested Monday in North Carolina in connection with the case, Perry said. All Rights Reserved. He rarely went to the nearby beach, she said. Day 27 live updates: Murdaugh family weapons killed victims, SC prosecutor says in closing, Woman who caused death of Charlotte athlete takes plea deal + NC police depts. Popular Lake Norman pub set to reopen after a major face lift. Kelly Campbell, a former firm employee, pleaded guilty to bank larceny, money laundering, and murder conspiracy charges earlier this year. Ghantt:It's kid-friendly, it's family-friendly (the movie is rated PG-13). I ride motorcycles and fish -- normal guy, Ghantt told Counts. Along with Ghantt and Campbell, there were eight others, including Campbell's former high school friend Steve Chambers and his wife, Michelle. Additionally, all the stolen cash was recovered or accounted for, except for $2 million. 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. 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. We are talking about the 1997 Loomis Fargo heist. One of them was a former Loomis employee. La vie de David Ghantt n'a rien de compliqu. Ghantt believed the new employee would make a good replacement for his wife, but the feelings were not necessarily reciprocated. Since Ghantt was the supervisor, he sent his co-worker home first. "I work construction. If you go from a mobile home to a mansion, that's going to attract attention. Even when Ghantt left, they continued to maintain contact. Ghantt didnt know the full extent of what was happening back home -- how that lay low plan turned into a flurry of extravagant spending. The Loomis Fargo heist happened in Charlotte, North Carolina when this bank was the target of a robbery. LIFE. "I was dumb," Ghantt said Wednesday, the eve before the movie hits screens nationwide. Ultimately, the sum amounted to $17 million. There was a book published in 2002 as well, by author Jeff Diamant called,Heist! My knee-jerk reaction was to be angry, and then the sarcastic ass side of me started laughing about it, Ghantt said. As they had so much money, Chambers wife thought it would be a great idea to deposit a chunk of it into a bank. This had led the FBI to begin monitoring Chambers' and his wife's activities. By Sue Anne Pressley. Ghantt would then take a bulk of the cash, as much as could legally be carried across the border without questions, and flee to Mexico. David Ghantt, a Gulf War veteran, . Steve Chambers would keep the rest. I felt stiff and one day the jokes during the break about the robbery of that place suddenly didn't look so obvious. Ghantt: My cut was supposed to be about $5 million, but that's not what I ended up with. Founder With Four Million Fake Customers Tricked JPMorgan Out Of $175 Million, Police Search For More Than 70 Bodies After Woman Claims Dad Was A Serial Killer, Mother Turned Her Own Son In To Police As She Was Afraid He Would Attack School. 1998 The Associated Press. Ghantt was the vault manager and was surrounded daily by millions of dollars-worth of temptation. Once they were in custody, the overwhelming task of clearing out possessions possibly purchased with the stolen money began. Robbing the 7-Eleven and getting $40 bucks and a pack of Marlboros was not for me. On the evening ofOctober 4, 1997, the Loomis Fargo & Co branch in Charlotte, North Carolina was in the process of being plundered. Had become very interested in is Eric Payne Loomis, Fargo offered a $ reward... 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