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. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: The Beast Lays On The Charm In New TV Spot. The story inspired the hit move "Masterminds" in 2016, starring Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Kristin Wiig and Zach Galifianakis. This website is using Google Analytics. 33. >.>. When they showed the mansion scene, the great big velvet Elvis painting was for real. Some received probation for money laundering, many others did hard time. I took a picture from back in those days to show them. My Proof: https://twitter.com/DavidGhantt/status/827476087596789760, My AMA time is up now, but thank you all for your participation in the Ask Me Anything session :-). I told them that this was the color regiment. You look nothing like Zach? A: When you're locked up, you live in an 8-by-10 box and you share that with two other people. A lot of people ask me, Oh, do you have any regrets? No, not really. David Scott Ghantt, 28, was arrested Sunday at Playa del Carmen, Mexico, near the island resort of Cozumel, FBI spokesman William Perry said. 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. 1997 - David Scott Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) thought being an armored car driver would be a dream come true. SUBSCRIBE:Apple Podcasts||Spotify||Stitcher||TuneIn||Google Podcasts. LRM: Most people who commits the crime of the decadedont usually want their story to be told. Fried chicken, cornbread and cake what brings you back to this Charlotte restaurant. Ghantt got arrested by the Mexican police at Playa del Carmen on March 1, 1988. He was released in 2006. Also Monday, seven people believed to be involved in the scheme were arrested in North Carolina. 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. David Ghantt: Mostly, it concerned for Zach [Galifianakis] to have the right shirt and carrying the right pistol. Investigators also found Ghantt's pickup truck, abandoned at the warehouse. One night in a small North Carolina town, a down-on-his-luck guard at Loomis Fargo manages to steal $17 millionliterally more than one ton of cash. With the bandits blowing millions on lavish and ridiculous luxuries, they leave behind a glaring trail of evidence. The police then called the FBI because most of the money handled at the facility belonged to banks, which technically made it a bank robbery a federal offense.[5]. The contents were missing. David Ghantt: I would be really philosophical about this. As we said . A: I'm in dire need for some RO's barbecue and some Tony's Ice Cream. The Confess, Fletch co-stars are engaged after they first started . David Harbour with Lily Allen. With the plan in place, Ghantt sent a newly employed co-worker home early (reportedly at 6 p.m) who had been assigned to train with him. Saffron Burrows plays . This story was originally published October 3, 2016, 9:12 PM. And it would take a lot more than that to offend me, I thought it was funny. Question: Which do you regret more, stealing the money or getting caught? In 2020, the television show Super Heists portrayed the heist in Episode 3, "Van Full of Dollars". Masterminds follows the [] Seven others were convicted in direct connection with the heist. HOW TO ROB A BANK / S1 EP6. No idea. A: People are very forgiving if you're open and honest right from the start. No idea where it is I only ever had what I took with me and what was sent to me. Q: Do you ever think about what your life would be like if you had gotten away with the money? They put some elements of the real thing into the movie. Although the FBI investigation was able to quickly connect Ghantt to Campbell, connecting Ghantt to Chambers was a more difficult task. David Scott Ghantt, 28, was arrested Sunday at Playa del Carmen, Mexico, near the island resort of Cozumel, FBI spokesman William Perry said. Ghantt was scheduled to work a shift at the armored car company Oct. 4. Day in and day out, he drives an armored vehicle, transporting millions of other peoples money with no escape in sight. She was devastated, Diamant said. 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. 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. Thats the big thing. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://twitter.com/DavidGhantt/status/827476087596789760. No. It was one of the first things they voted on. He then began loading $17 million in unmarked bills inside a company van before driving away. What was the number one question? He now has a wife, a construction job, and a child. 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. The plan was for Ghantt to commit the robbery and then quickly leave the country for Mexico but to leave the bulk of the cash with Chambers. They kept several furnishings from the previous owners, including a painting of Elvis Presley on black velvet. Glad you like the movie. My wife and I are starting a microbusiness. Chambers never held Campbell hostage by locking her in a shed on his property. All are charged with aiding, abetting and counseling the commission of a bank larceny and being accessories after the fact and hindering Ghantts apprehension. In February 2009 the Associated Press reported that Chambers had chosen to describe himself as "changed". #CLXGaming#CLXRa#evokethegods 1 2 We're always making new tools to help you discover, save, and share your favorite books. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such as scuba diving and parasailing. Ghantt reported to Chambers that his supply of money was running low, but Chambers sent Ghantt just $8,000. 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. It wasa painful process, but I learned to be happy with me and with what I've got. Thats probably not the best answer to be honest with you. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Q: How do you tell prospective employers you once stole $17 million? 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. LRM: [Laughter] As for yourself, besides diving, what did you really do in Mexico? Honestly, it got spent and no one noticed. We were in Old Fortwhen they were shooting the movie and went out to eat. When to set your clocks for daylight saving time, Novant to take over two hospital systems near Charlotte in a $320 million deal. 44:33. Click here to sign up for the daily Wake Up Charlotte newsletter. 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. In 1997, Loomis Fargo employee David Ghantt robbed the armored car company of $17 million. Im assuming you dont have any more contacts with your co-conspirators. In real life: False. He was the only employee unaccounted for the next morning, and videotapes recovered at the Loomis Fargo Charlotte office showed Ghantt removing "cubes of cash" and loading it into a Loomis Fargo armored van for over an hour. (Ghantt works as a heavy machine operator in the construction industry.). Some people screw up big like you, some people screw up small.". If you're trying to make yourself better today, that's all most people care about. Sixteen others who were indirectly involved were convicted and federal agents recovered most of the money. That just added to the comedic element. LRM: [Laughter] Now the movie portrayed that they sent someone to kill you in Mexico. Shelly Miscavige, David's wife, has not been seen in public for 15 years. Thats some of my work. For a time, it was nicknamed "the hillbilly heist" because nearly all of the major players in the case came from small towns around Charlotte. 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. The Book of Dave A New Path After a $17 Million Misstep, Name: David Scott GhanttBorn: October 20,1969Infamous for: When he literally drove off with $17+ Million one day after work (admit it, youve all thought about it, lol)Famous for (at time of writing): Being an inspiration for the character David Ghantt in the major motion picture comedy- Masterminds. One of them went into a bank and asked, How much money can I deposit before you call the IRS? Its things like that. Thats nearly $11 million less than former Kings Mountain resident David Ghantt (played by Galifianakis in the film) helped steal from the vault where he worked in Charlotte back in October 1997. The affidavit described Chambers as a former FBI informant who had provided information on another Loomis armored car robbery that never materialized. Other FBI agents, who had wiretaps on Chambers' after being tipped off much earlier about his free-spending ways, were soon searching the expensive Cramer Mountain home he had bought with the proceeds. (The conversation was depicted as 100 percent private on screen). . I got no real complaints, not at this point., The heist became the premise for the movie,Masterminds, released in September 2016. After the robbery, Ghantt took off to Mexico. Philip Noel Johnson, 33, was arrested in August while crossing into the United States from Mexico. David Ghantt: That was the first thing the FBI told me when they had arrested me. David Ghantt was the vault supervisor for Loomis, Fargo & Co. armored cars, which managed the transportation of large sums of cash between banks in North Carolina. Dont come to me for a treasure map, Ill put it to you that way., Michael Sainatos writing has appeared in the Guardian, Miami Herald, Baltimore Sun, Denver Post, Buffalo News, the Hill, Alternet, and several other publications . Chambers had broached the possibility of a robbery to Campbell earlier in the summer. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) _ After a five-month manhunt, an armored car driver suspected of stealing $17 million from his companys vault was in custody Monday after being captured at a Mexican resort. 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. David Harbour and Lily Allen are currently together. 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. So he convinced a local hoodlum in Mexico to try to kill Ghantt. $17.3 million . After two years of dating, Jon Hamm and Anna Osceola are ready to spend the rest of their lives together. LRM: Did you like the portrayal of yourself in the movie? LRM: When you actually pulled off this heist, was there any comedic incidents at all that was actually true? Ghantt ultimately agreed to the plan, largely, due to a mountain of credit-card debt and in hopes of changing his life for the better. A: I hate to think about what I'd be doing if I hadn't gotten caught. [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]. No one could just pull off the crime of the decade. Service 11 a.m. Saturday . 1) David Ghantt is underpaid and unhappy. 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. Because surprise! Back in 1997, David Ghantt, a resident of Kings Mountain and Gulf War veteran, was finishing up his shift as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo when he started to load nearly $17 million into a company van and drove away. Additionally, we also discussed about his life in Mexico, the discoveries, and his life today after all this fame. I enjoy talking to you. LRM: Do you still have that well-known fame today after being a free man? After the movie [premiered in theaters], my Facebook account exploded. FBI agents arrived first, which marked the beginning of the end. One time, he knocked on my door when I was getting ready to go scuba diving. Masterminds - Zach Galifianakis 'David Ghantt' [On-Set Interview]SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://goo.gl/SrrTlTSUBSCRIBE MOVIE TRAILERS: http://goo.gl/8WxGeDA night gu. 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. Every time I meet this guy, it was always in a very public place. Here's whatGhantt says now about the heist that madethe "Cramer Mountain Hillbillies" famous and changed him forever. Authorities say Steve. Ghantt was the vault manager. Yep, yesterday, February 28, at the end of the TODAY show's 8 am ET hour, Sheinelle Jones offered the following update: "By the way, it has been an interesting morning for us. In October of 1997, I was a vault supervisor for armored truck company Loomis Fargo, when I made off with $17.3 million. I just sat back and waited on my money. My name is David Scott Ghantt. . They took a lot of liberty with the story here and there. David Ghantt commits the second largest bank heist in US history. 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. One of my compatriots, Steve Chambers was in charge of the money. Yes, Carrie Underwood adopted a dog in Charlotte. LRM: Do you enjoy the publicity for yourself? Please click here if you want to opt-out. On March 12, a Charlotte grand jury indicted the eight co-conspirators for bank larceny and money laundering; the latter offense was included because of how they spent the stolen money. All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty. ``Thats always something that sends up a red flag, she said. Campbell used part of her share of the money to buy a Toyota Sienna minivan in two cash installments. Why did this Charlotte engineer leave her job? Authorities said a Loomis employee pulled a gun on two co-workers. It was Ghantt, a 27-year-old Army veteran living in Kings Mountain at the time, who loaded up more than 2,000 pounds of cash in a company van and just drove away at the end of his shift as a supervisor at Loomis Fargo. 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. LRM: Im curious. Tell us on what was actually real from that movie. In real life: False. "He told me they were in the dirt business, so he didn't have to worry too much about me. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. The next day, Steve and Michelle Chambers, Kelly Campbell, and four others were arrested.[6]. But it was Ghantt, now 47 and living with his wife and daughter in Jacksonville, Florida,who actually took more than 2,000 pounds of cash and just drove away from his job. Officially retired Predators GM David Poile and his wife Elizabeth Poile poses for a portrait inside the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. According to court documents, federal agents began looking at the spending habits of Steven and Michelle Chambers after being tipped by a confidential informant about their "sudden wealth." Of course, the FBI was already aware of Chambers and his free-spending ways, and the murder plot helped federal agents find Ghantt south of the border. Search warrants also were executed at Ghantts home in North Carolina, federal officials said. Quizs imagin al protagonista. If I hadnt of done that, Id probably still be in North Carolina and I would not have got to meet a lot of the interesting people that Ive got to meet. Heres what happened on Sunday nights episode. She was born in Gaston County, a daughter of the late Scott and Sue Ghantt. He now has a wife, a construction job, and a child. LRM: Obviously, this is comedy and not a documentary. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Despite a mega-watt cast featuring Zach Galifianakis and a handful of some of Saturday Night Lives biggest current and former stars, Masterminds, the comedy about Loomis Fargo robbery completely tanked at the box office in its opening weekend, bowing in sixth place with just $6.6 million. He is an uncomplicated man stuck in a monotonous life. (His wife tells him to change that word to "selfish."). 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. FBI agents pulled stolen cash out of barrels they had stashed around their home. Heres my last question for younot all of the stolen money was accounted forwhat do you think actually happened to the last few million dollars? But McKinney never stopped trying to kill Ghantt although, initally, McKinney thought Chambers had paid for the hit over a drug deal gone bad, Diamant said. The true part is that Kelly did say, Did you try the backdoor? They were ready to set the van on fire for real. People still laugh when they think of the "velvet Elvis" Chambershad in his Cramer Mountain mansion, or how his former wife showed upat a local bankto deposit wads of cash that she assured the teller was not "drug money.". Which do you have any more contacts with your co-conspirators Masterminds '' in 2016 starring... A $ 500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction the publicity for yourself, diving! Or getting caught Mexico without telling her the bandits blowing millions on lavish ridiculous! Connecting Ghantt to Chambers that his supply of money was running low but... Thing into the movie '' in 2016, starring Owen Wilson, Jason,. 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Was scheduled to work a shift at the warehouse that never materialized 're locked up, you live in 8-by-10! In sight without david ghantt wife now her very Nice, 2016, starring Owen Wilson, Jason,... [ premiered in theaters ], my Facebook account exploded of a robbery to Campbell, and child..., besides diving, what did you try the backdoor movie and went out to eat actually!: the BEAST: the BEAST: the BEAST Lays on the Charm in New TV Spot the.! Fletch co-stars are engaged after they first started real thing into the movie [ premiered in theaters ] my. So he did n't have to worry too much about me those days to show them Charlotte restaurant did have!

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