After the movie [premiered in theaters], my Facebook account exploded. You said that was the number two question. All rights reserved. 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 ;-). David, now 30, says he's sorry he abandoned his wife--who he says still loves him--and his family. 43-year-old Margret and her mother both died in 2012 . Glad you like the movie. Chambers finished serving his prison sentence in November 2006 and told the Associated Press in 2009 he was "changed.". They had initially agreed to control their spending for a year or two, in the belief that the government would vigorously track the spending habits of any and all suspects for at least a year before relenting. All were convicted. In the end, it is a good story. How? After the robbery, Ghantt took off to Mexico. ``During the conversation Campbell. Here's whatGhantt says now about the heist that madethe "Cramer Mountain Hillbillies" famous and changed him forever. Tell Me When Systemic Racism Ended? When it comes to crime news, few events have had the longevity or the notoriety of the Loomis Fargo heist, which occurred 25 years ago on Oct. 4, 1997. 44:38. The scary one is stealing the money. What was the number one question? David Ghantt, a Gulf War veteran, was finishing his shift as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo when he loaded $17 million into a . [1] Tips had led the FBI to begin monitoring Chambers's (and his wife's) activities, but it was not until the FBI recorded a phone call from Ghantt in Mexico that the final connection was made. Going to prison helped me grow up as a human being. David Ghantt normally came home between 6 and 8 p.m., and often he was late, his wife said. The company reported the theft Oct. 5. 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. Eventually, the money had to run out. David and Kelly hit it off at a shooting . Chambers, who made an ill-fated decision to buy a home in the gated Cramer Mountain community with his newfound wealth, now runsa gym on Lowell-Bethesda Road. The couple was married for 22 years before her untimely death in 2012. Answer: The painful one is getting caught. LRM: Were you actually concerned that you were one of the most wanted man in the United States while you were in Mexico? 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. . She was born in Gaston County, a daughter of the late Scott and Sue Ghantt. Spending years in prison, he said, gave him time to re-invent himself. Chambers declines to comment on the events that made him notorious. Authorities said a Loomis employee pulled a gun on two co-workers. Chambers would then occasionally wire Ghantt money and see to his basic financial needs; when "the heat was off," Ghantt was to re-enter the U.S. and the money would be split up among all of the co-conspirators. 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. But after one visit, she asked a teller "How much can I deposit before you have to report it to the feds?" In real life: False. That just added to the comedic element. I figured it had to be me. The story inspired the hit move "Masterminds" in 2016, starring Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Kristin Wiig and Zach Galifianakis. There are also a bit of comedy and some tragedy. Seven others were convicted in direct connection with the heist. Because surprise! As we said . We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Philosophically, now looking back I wouldnt be who I am now if I hadnt gone through all that, said David Scott Ghantt in an interview with the Observer. Directed by Jared Hess and written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer and Emily Spivey, the film stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Jason Sudeikis.. Oakland Police Department: Above the Law? I think Zachs a hell of an actor. One of my compatriots, Steve Chambers was in charge of the money. Money does weird things to people. They bought a huge diamond and paid with cash for it. Before he decided to steal $17 million from the bank, Ghantt had worked for years as a relatively taciturn and compliant employee. I might be a little biased. $17 Million and Change. The FBI investigation was aided by the gang's extravagant spending. So he convinced a local hoodlum in Mexico to try to kill Ghantt. The van used to move the money was later located a few miles from the warehouse. More than 20 people ended up in the FBI's dragnet. Loomis Fargo employees could not open the vault the next morning and called the police. David Scott Ghantt, 28, was arrested Sunday at Playa del Carmen, Mexico, near the island resort of Cozumel, FBI spokesman William Perry said. Now, here we are, two years later. The next day, Steve and Michelle Chambers, Kelly Campbell, and four others were arrested.[6]. Heres what happened on Sunday nights episode. Updated: Sep 29, 2022 / 03:23 PM CDT. Will California Save the Iconic Joshua Tree? Ghantt was never in Chamberss presence until he actually handed off the money to him. LRM: True. 44:33. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM MASTERMIND MOVIE. Were you offended that they portrayed you as an idiot being so easily manipulated? He would eventually be arrested in Mexico in March 1998 after one of his co-conspirators put out a hit on him under the false suspicion he was the only prime suspect authorities were aware of at the time. The Confess, Fletch co-stars are engaged after they first started . He also took various measures to change his appearance, such as shaving, after a patron at a restaurant pointed out to him that he "looked like the man who robbed a bank of $20 million. David Ghantt, who pulled off the Loomis, Fargo & Co. vault robbery in 1997 and was sentenced to seven years in prison for the crime, served as a consultant for the film (in theaters Friday).. Thats the big thing. 'Not for lunch' Shelly Miscavige, David's wife, has not been seen in public for 15 years. Alert: Obviously, spoilers abound. All of us will be looking forward to your story by watching the movie on Blu-ray or DVD. I was taken back. Some received probation for money laundering, many others did hard time. Along with a group of half-brained criminals led by Steve Chambers and an absurdly faulted heist plan, David manages the impossible and makes off with $17 million in cash..only problem is he foolishly hands the money over to this wild group of double crossers and has been set up to take the fall. The contents were missing. Just living day-to-day. There were things in real life that my compatriots did that was pretty comedic and stupid. LRM: So tell me on where are you now? Some people screw up big like you, some people screw up small. While Ghantt spent more than 6 1/2 years in federal prison, he said he usedthat time to"re-invent" himself. The only defendant to not plead guilty, Chambers's attorney Jeff Guller, was found guilty of money laundering and sentenced to eight years in prison. David Scott Ghantt: Vault Supervisor David Scott Ghantt was the vault supervisor at the regional branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina. No idea where it is I only ever had what I took with me and what was sent to me. Although the FBI investigation was able to quickly connect Ghantt to Campbell, connecting Ghantt to Chambers was a more difficult task. 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. More than 2 million dollars is still missing to this day. David Ghantt: Well, my compatriots did lock themselves out of the van. One of the FBI's wiretaps caught a conversation between David Ghantt and Kelly Campbell, the one who bought the minivan and shopped for the liposuction. David Ghantt (@DavidGhantt) is a man that still holds the record for the second largest bank heist on American Soil. 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. [citation needed], The defendants were the targets of many barbed jokes in Charlotte and across the country, in part because of their extravagant spending. Its comedy. However, it's a Hollywood comedy. The Mandalorian S3 Episode 1 Review: ROUGH START!!! [Chuckles]. I wanted to change my life. When I first got there nobody knew who I was, they just thought I was another producer or something and when they realized they were very gracious and curious. They also bought a BMW Z3 with cash and made several large purchases, including a $600 cigar store Indian. Chambers himself was a former FBI informant who had provided information on a then future Loomis armored car robbery that never happened, court documents stated. LRM: You were a movie consultant on this project. Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. They even made a movie about it, with North Carolina native Zach Galifianakis playing the role of Ghantt in the comedy "Masterminds.". I cut out a lot of partying and stuff that wastes my spending. David Ghantt commits the second largest bank heist in US history . Growing Backlash to Montanas GOP-Controlled Legislature, Gee Its Nice Your State is Blue, the War on Abortions Still Coming for You. At the time it was the second largest cash robbery ever to happen on US soil. He now has a wife, a construction job, and a child. #CLXGaming#CLXRa#evokethegods 1 2 In real life: False. [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. One of them went into a bank and asked, How much money can I deposit before you call the IRS? Its things like that. Ms. Campbell was a former Loomis employee who is the only person known to have contacted Ghantt in Mexico, while Chambers and McKinney conspired in recent days to kill Ghantt under the guise of bringing him more cash in Mexico, according to arrest affidavits. You've decided to give up on a part of your life. David Ghantt: They did hire a guy to kill me. I was like, Okay.. The true part is that Kelly did say, Did you try the backdoor? They were ready to set the van on fire for real. (Ghantt works as a heavy machine operator in the construction industry.). Inside the truck, they found Ghantt's ring and surmised this was a sign of Ghantt's intention to end his relationship with his wife. "He told me they were in the dirt business, so he didn't have to worry too much about me. You take a movie like Oceans Eleven, the whole concept of that movie is so farfetched, its not even funny. He told me they were in the dirt business, so he didn't have to worry too much about me. Any truth to that? 4 million images and real time event coverage from coast to coast , ImageCollect is the only celebrity photo site you'll ever need. AMA In October of 1997, I was a vault supervisor for armored truck company Loomis Fargo, when I made off with $17.3 million. MASTERMINDS will be available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download tomorrow. My face popped up. by Jeff Diamant (left) and Steven Chambers (left) and David Scott Ghantt leave federal court. Michelle Chambers received a harsher sentence than Ghantt seven years and eight months because she had violated several bond conditions. Ghantt and seven others eventually pleaded guilty in federal court to charges directly related to one of the largest cash heists in history while more than a dozen other family members, friends and associates of those involved in the theft were found guilty of related charges, including money laundering. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. How Bridgerton restarted buzz about her ancestry. For the New York State assemblyman, see. In real life: Yes and no. Both were involved in the second-largest cash heist in U.S. history, in which a group of people stole $17 million from the. The movie is hilarious. The only glimmer of excitement is his flirtatious work crush Kelly Campbell who soon lures him into the scheme of a lifetime. Guess what? The odds of you actually getting away with something these days is pretty damn slim. I loved it that she is part of my life now, because of all this. The painful part is that when you get caught, that the part of your brain that was trying to talk to you when you first started the robbery was right, and that's like a dump truck running over you. David Ghantt talks to us about his part in the robbery of Loomis Fargo where he stole over 17 Million Dollars & the events that transpired soon after.Like u. Heist! The Army veteran and Hunter Huss High graduate was captured in Mexico five months later when one of the others involved in the theft, Steve Chambers, decided he needed to tie up loose ends by having Ghantt killed. The amount of money stolen is correct. February 28, 2023. A: I'm in dire need for some RO's barbecue and some Tony's Ice Cream. David Ghantt: The number one question is usually, What made you do it?. I just wanted to restart. David Ghantt was portrayed by Zackary Hatfield. But, thats a huge amount of money that would just disappear. C hristopher David Ghantt Phone Numbers (704) 678-8911. Man accused of planting explosive at Grandfather Mountain Highland Games pleads not guilty, Falcon 9 launches Crew-6 from Cape Canaveral, Flight attendants to get 10 hours rest between shifts under new US rule, Loretta Lynn, coal miner's daughter and country queen, dies, National Taco Day 2022 | Deals and offers. David Ghantt discovers the true meaning of adventure far beyond his wildest dreams. On Monday, he was returned to Charlotte, where he is charged with stealing a van stuffed with cash from the vault at Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte. Sign up now to get updates whenever we release new features! The unlikely suspect in the Charlotte heist was 27-year-old David Scott Ghantt, a quiet, unassuming vault supervisor who earned $360 a week. Most of the money was in $20 bills, according to the FBI. I run the heavy equipment. shes now Miss USA. Going to prison helped me grow up as a heavy david ghantt wife now operator the. 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