Did you stay in touch with them? Unfortunately, no one explained that to David Ghantt before he used his position as vault supervisor with Charlotte, N.C.'s Loomis, Fargo & Co. to rob the company of $17 million in 1997. A: I like the 47-year-old David Ghantt more than I did the 20-something David Ghantt. We're always making new tools to help you discover, save, and share your favorite books. Were just getting started on that. People did come up to me and asked me for my autograph. In 1997, Loomis Fargo employee David Ghantt robbed the armored car company of $17 million. Galifianakis will play the armored car driver, David, who evades authorities, will be searching for his co-conspirators who betrayed him, Kelly (Kristen Wiig) and Steve (Owen Wilson). The movie was overly silly and, based on a post-screening conversation with former Observer reporter Jeff Diamant who wrote a detailed 279-page book about the occasionally funny but mostly just-plain fascinating crime, titled Heist much of what wound up in the film is fiction. Ghantt was already married when he took part in the heist, to a woman named Tammy who author Diamant described as very nice. It is true, however, that she had no idea about the plot and that he fled to Mexico without telling her. Chambers promised to wire him money in Mexico until the investigation blew over and Ghantt could return to . Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. [1], This robbery was the second-largest cash robbery on U.S. soil at the time, as only seven months earlier, on March 29, 1997 in Jacksonville, Florida, Philip Noel Johnson stole $18.8 million from the Loomis Fargo armored vehicle he was driving.[2]. Did you get to spend much time on set? Explain: The scary part is that as soon as you put that little bit of money in the van, that there's no going back. Kate. Was Queen Charlotte Black? Q: You came to the North Carolina mountains during Hurricane Irma, but what do you miss about Gastonia? They not only moved from a trailer into an expensive house just miles away from where the theft took place, but also paid for cosmetic surgery, bought a BMW convertible, Rolex watches and other signs of excess. I did get to spend a good amount of time on the set in North Carolina and having a movie based on my story was a bit surreal and a bit funny to be honest. Eventually, federal agents found Ghantt, thanks to uncovering a plot for an assassin to hunt and kill him in Mexico. Also famous for (at least with his friends and family) finally getting his first book finished.Current Life: Wooer of the Wife, Drinker of Coffee, Father, Gamer, Photographer, Fisherman, Gentleman, Mastermind of this book ;-). You'd be amazed at how much stress you can relieve yourself from in your life by just taking 20 or so minutes a day for yourself and just letting the world go. Example video title will go here for this video. MASTERMINDS is based on a true story about a Loomis Fargo robbery, in which a small group successfully stole $17 millionmaking it the second largest bank heist in history back in 1997. At first, David Ghantt said, "I didn't take her seriously. I'd probably be that infamous gringo living in Belize, kicked back on the beach, fishing and bored out of my mind. They received sentences and probation ranging from several years to 11 years and three months in federal prison for Steve Chambers, who was also fined more than $3,500,000. In October of 1997, I was a vault supervisor for armored truck company Loomis Fargo, when I made off with $17.3 million. Tell us on what was actually real from that movie. Updated: Sep 29, 2022 / 03:23 PM CDT. At one point, the hoodlum shows up and Ghantt is wearing a Jerome Bettis Pittsburgh Steelers jersey; the hoodlums favorite team is the Steelers, and he caves and tells Ghantt that McKinney wants him dead. Ghantt added, I really enjoyed the movie. He has a regular life now, but 25 years ago, David Ghantt was the mastermind behind the 3rd largest bank robbery in U. Themansion party is real. I even helped them design the set, where he breaks into the vault. But, thats a huge amount of money that would just disappear. 90 Second Job. Fried chicken, cornbread and cake what brings you back to this Charlotte restaurant. Born in Bristol, Mary was a resident of this area until the late '90s, after which she moved to Susquehanna t No one could just pull off the crime of the decade. LRM: Were you actually concerned that you were one of the most wanted man in the United States while you were in Mexico? 1997 - David Scott Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) thought being an armored car driver would be a dream come true. [7][8], Rocket Science, a 1998 double-disc album by Charlotte-based radio personalities John Boy & Billy, includes a track ("Marvin: The Loomis Caper") mocking the defendants. DeSantis: Youre a History Grad. The informant ``felt the timing of their sudden wealth certainly aroused suspicion in light of that theft, the affidavit said. And it would take a lot more than that to offend me, I thought it was funny. LRM: When you first heard the story he was there to get rid of you, what was your reaction? Follow him on twitter: @MSainat1, 20 Years Later: Masterminds of One of the Largest Bank Heists in U.S. History, The CIAs Changing Take on the Climate Emergency, Emancipation, Hollywoods Best Civil War Film Ever. How accurate was the movie? David GhanttRetweeted Iraqveteran8888 @Iraqveteran8888 Dec 9, 2022 Elect me President and I'll fire everyone, free Julian Assange, and pardon Edward Snowden. 'Not for lunch' I live down here in Jacksonville, Florida. This Wednesday marks the 20th anniversary of the notorious Loomis Fargo heist. Grants brother, Eric Scott Grant, also was in federal custody but it could not be determined late Monday whether he was charged in the scheme. Ghantt got arrested by the Mexican police at Playa del Carmen on March 1, 1988. David Ghantt: That was the first thing the FBI told me when they had arrested me. David Scott Ghantt Ghantt, his former co-worker Kelly Campbell and her friends Steve and Michelle Chambers carried out the Loomis Fargo heist on Oct. 4, 1997. In real life: False. His wife, they said, got breast implants and used cash to purchase a 1998 BMW Z3 sports car. She denied ever being romantically involved with Ghantt, although she ``expressed her love to him during their last intercepted conversation last Monday, according to the affidavit. ", After successfully tracing Ghantt's phone call, FBI agents coordinated with Mexican police to arrest Ghantt on March 1, 1998, at Playa del Carmen, a city near Cancun. There was in fact a basically similar conversation involving Chambers and Campbell that took place during a barbecue the Campbells were hosting. In August 1997, Campbell informed Ghantt of an old high school friend of hers, Steve Chambers, who could assist Ghantt in executing a massive cash robbery of the Loomis Fargo vault in one night. You might as well take part in the conversation. (Source: People) "They were short staffed and I noticed a lot of. He now has a wife, a construction job, and a child. His wife, they said, got breast implants and used cash to purchase a 1998 BMW Z3 sports car. Then, keeping with the plan, Ghantt took $50,000 (the maximum that could by law be taken across the border without further authorization) with him and left for Mexico, winding up at the popular Yucatan Peninsula resort-island of Cozumel. AMA In October of 1997, I was a vault supervisor for armored truck company Loomis Fargo, when I made off with $17.3 million. Most of the money was in $20 bills, according to the FBI. Five years he told how he explains his past like this: "People are very forgiving if you're open and honest right from the start. There are also a bit of comedy and some tragedy. They bought a huge diamond and paid with cash for it. A: Zach and I have a runningtext conversation going, but he's very busy. Chambers did more than 11 years. Im still going through the friend requests. $17 Million and Change. Do you still have contact with him? While Ghantt spent more than 6 1/2 years in federal prison, he said he usedthat time to"re-invent" himself. From Oct. 6 through Feb. 20, the couple made 47 deposits totaling $271,500 at a Belmont bank, and at. Court documents said an informant who was not identified tipped off federal agents about the couples suspicious spending habits. ", "If you're trying to make yourself better today, that's all most people care about.". David Ghantt discovers the true meaning of adventure far beyond his wildest dreams. LRM: Most people who commits the crime of the decadedont usually want their story to be told. Michelle Chambers received a harsher sentence than Ghantt seven years and eight months because she had violated several bond conditions. Ghantt plead guilty to his charges andserved six years in prison, along with21 other defendantswho received chargesrangingfrom money laundering to bank larceny. GASTONIA - Nancy Carolyn Ghantt, 71, died September 6, 2018. The van was later found with $3 million in it, but the rest of the money is still missing. 1) David Ghantt is underpaid and unhappy. Were you really hailed as a hero? [citation needed], The defendants were the targets of many barbed jokes in Charlotte and across the country, in part because of their extravagant spending. by Jeff Diamant (left) and Steven Chambers (left) and David Scott Ghantt leave federal court. A movie based on the heist starring Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones and directed by Jared Hess (the guy who made Napoleon Dynamite) is out now on Blu-ray and DVD. (His wife tells him to change that word to "selfish."). Day in and day out, he drives an armored vehicle, transporting millions of other peoples money with no escape in sight. Its baggeditup.net. The name she gave the pup is apropos. The Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery was a robbery of $17.3 million in cash from the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis, Fargo & Co. on the evening of October 4, 1997, by vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt, his married girlfriend Kelly Campbell (a former Loomis co-worker), Steve Chambers, his wife Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobbies and four other co-conspirators. Until it's gone, you don't appreciate it. The Mandalorian S3 Episode 1 Review: ROUGH START!!! An FBI criminal investigation ultimately resulted in the arrest and conviction of eight people directly involved in the heist, as well as sixteen others who had indirectly helped them, and the recovery of approximately 88% of the stolen money. He discovers that it's pretty boring stuff, and he often fantasizes about getting robbed. When McKinney realized Ghantt was wanted for the Loomis Fargo robbery, he backed off personally because he didnt want to be anywhere near a federal investigation. Where ever it was, it is long gone now. Lessons Not Learned From the Pentagon Papers, The US Navy is More Than Just Broken, Careerism is Tearing It Apart, Sensitivity Rewrites: The Cultural Purging of Roald Dahl, The Biden National Security Team Must Get SmarterSooner, Building Direct Democracy in an Atlanta Forest, Truth, No Matter What: Why Watering Down Palestinian Reality is a Crime, How Howard Schultz Made Starbucks the Poster Child of Corporate Abuse, Letter from London: Meeting at Maison Bertaux, Why Much of the Global South Isnt Automatically Supporting the West in Ukraine. February 28, 2023. He then began loading $17 million in unmarked bills inside a company van before driving away. CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kelly Campbell, the woman who helped plan the $17 million robbery of armored-car company Loomis, Fargo was sentenced yesterday to nearly six years in prison and ordered to pay back more than $4 million. 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. LRM: Did you like the portrayal of yourself in the movie? C hristopher David Ghantt Phone Numbers (704) 678-8911. David Ghantt commits the second largest bank heist in US history. David Ghantt (@DavidGhantt) is a man that still holds the record for the second largest bank heist on American Soil. Then you have the huge velvet Elvis. He just never had the opportunity. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. She was born in Gaston County, a daughter of the late Scott and Sue Ghantt. David Ghantt struck up a relationship with fellow Loomis Fargo employee Kelly Campbell, and they continued to maintain contact even after Campbell left the company. Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy a Toyota Sienna minivan in two cash installments. LRM: Obviously, this is comedy and not a documentary. As a die-hard fan of personal development books, I have to say - Ghantt hits the nail on the head with each and every chapter. However, it's a Hollywood comedy. Wake Up CharlotteToGo is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team atWake Up Charlotte. (The conversation was depicted as 100 percent private on screen). David Ghantt: At first, I had a pretty good party. You look nothing like Zach? If you know, you know. LRM: [Laughter] Now the movie portrayed that they sent someone to kill you in Mexico. I pretty much let them have their way with it, as you say. ) thought being an armored car company of $ 17 million the van was later found $. Us on what was actually real from that movie 29, 2022 / 03:23 CDT. 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