He now has a wife, a construction job, and a child. She was a graduate of Ashley High School and attended Gaston Co 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. Michelle Chambers received a harsher sentence than Ghantt seven years and eight months because she had violated several bond conditions. But last Oct. 4, when he still hadn't gotten home by 2:30 a.m., she called his parents in. They were ordered held without bail Monday until a hearing on Thursday. Loomis, Fargo offered a $500,000 reward for his arrest and conviction. Heres what happened on Sunday nights episode. In real life: False. Could you talk a little more about that? Just the ability to come and go as I please and walk barefooted in the backyard means so much. 20 years ago,on the night ofOctober 4, 1997, David Scott Ghantt loaded $17.3 million of cash from the bank vault in Charlotte, North Carolina he was employed to supervise into a van. Nine other relatives and friends were also charged with money laundering, as they had co-signed for safe deposit boxes used to store some of the money; prosecutors opted to charge them on the grounds that they should have known the money was obtained illegally. Q: North Carolina native Zach Galifianakis portrayed you in "Masterminds." LRM: When you actually pulled off this heist, was there any comedic incidents at all that was actually true? 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. Ghantt, a decorated Army veteran who served in the Persian Gulf war repairing helicopters, was charged in October with bank larceny, sparking an intense manhunt. I got to eat my meal perfectly, but every 5 minutes, someone wanted to shoot a selfie with Zach or an autograph from Zach. At first, David Ghantt said, "I didn't take her seriously. In real life: True. Thats probably not the best answer to be honest with you. Well, it's 'based' on a true event, and there are accurate bits sprinkled throughout. A version of this story originally appeared on CharlotteObserver.com. Ghantt's spending in Mexico was extravagant at first. All were convicted. Sixteen others who were indirectly involved were convicted and federal agents recovered most of the money. So the last third of the movie is almost entirely fiction. Honestly, it got spent and no one noticed. The name she gave the pup is apropos. A guard at an armored car company in the Southern U.S. organizes one of the biggest bank heists in American history. 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. My name is David Scott Ghantt. The Threats to the Grizzlys Fragile Recovery are Expanding, Instead of Stuck in Court or on Some Future Ballot, Legal Marijuana Should Be On DeSantiss Desk ASAP, The Rise of the Consultant Governing Class, Demanding Transparency in East Palestine, Ohio, The Problem with Israels So-Called Crisis of Democracy, The Ukraine War One Year in: Nine False Narratives, When Neoliberals Declared War on the Poor, Liquidating the Legacy of Revolution: Ideology of the Russian Invasion. After the robbery, Ghantt took off to Mexico. The Confess, Fletch co-stars are engaged after they first started . A: I like the 47-year-old David Ghantt more than I did the 20-something David Ghantt. The Chambers moved from a trailer into a mansion, which alerted the FBI to their newfound wealth. C hristopher David Ghantt Phone Numbers (704) 678-8911. The robbery was committed by Loomis vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt, his married girlfriend Kelly Campbell (a former Loomis co-worker), Steven Eugene Chambers (a one-time FBI informant), his wife Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobbies, and four other co-conspirators. Seven others were convicted in direct connection with the heist. He discovers that it's pretty boring stuff, and he often fantasizes about getting robbed. 2023 www.gastongazette.com. 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, now 30, says he's sorry he abandoned his wife--who he says still loves him--and his family. David Ghantt (@DavidGhantt) is a man that still holds the record for the second largest bank heist on American Soil. 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. Tony Mendez, long an on-air fixture handling the cue cards for David Letterman on The Late Show, took the wrong cue this week, assaulting staff writer Bill Scheft, a 15-time Emmy nominee, and getti I know your compatriots would like to keep this low key. I wanted to change my life. Eventually, the money had to run out. Yes, Carrie Underwood adopted a dog in Charlotte. 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. I had more than 700 message requests. "A former co-worker told me, "Everybody has screwed up. 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. Campbell, 29, had pleaded guilty to charges of bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder. And it would take a lot more than that to offend me, I thought it was funny. 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). LRM: Obviously, this is comedy and not a documentary. 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. 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. No. "Twenty-five years ago today. They took a lot of liberty with the story here and there. 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. Heres How We Fix That. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Check your inbox for a confirmation email with instructions to finish signing up. . As we said . 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. 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. I really shouldnt change anything. David Ghantt: That was the first thing the FBI told me when they had arrested me. Chambers declines to comment on the events that made him notorious. Twenty-one people were charged and convicted in the . I did do a lot of diving down in Mexico, which is a great diving spot. Q: Do you appreciate your normal life now more than you would if you hadn't spent years in prison? 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 and his wife, Michelle, moved from their mobile home in Lincoln County to a luxury house in the wealthy Cramer Mountain section of Cramerton. With the bandits blowing millions on lavish and ridiculous luxuries, they leave behind a glaring trail of evidence. 90 Second Job. Any truth to that? Congratulations Dave - very well done. HOW TO ROB A BANK / S1 EP8. You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-869-1823 or www.Twitter.com/TheGazetteKevin. He has a regular life now, but 25 years ago, David Ghantt was the mastermind behind the 3rd largest bank robbery in U. In the meantime, Ghantt's wife reported him missing and the CMPD had found his . The movie is hilarious. Were you really hailed as a hero? Ghantt was the vault manager. 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 . David Scott Ghantt, 28, was arrested Sunday on an island off the Mexican coast, near the resort city of Cozumel, FBI spokesman William Perry said today. All ofWCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. Mary E. Ghantt, 38, died Tuesday in Scranton after a lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis. I might even have more these days. I pretty much let them have their way with it, as you say. Why did this Charlotte engineer leave her job? How? In 1997, Loomis Fargo employee David Ghantt robbed the armored car company of $17 million. (His wife tells him to change that word to "selfish."). David Ghantt: Its a little less dramatic on what they had shown in the movie. 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. She was devastated, Diamant said. Everything changes when he meets Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig), a new employee at his bank, Loomis Fargo. Shelly Miscavige, David's wife, has not been seen in public for 15 years. How accurate was the movie? I felt relieved, I knew that things were getting ready to come to an end and getting caught was a stress reliever even if I knew I was going to jail. He pleaded guilty in January to charges of kidnapping, money laundering and interfering with interstate commerce. After years of working hard, the realisation hit . Ghantt labeled himself as a jerk who was dissatisfied with his life before stealing the money. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. David Ghantt: In my way of thinking, you are part of the story and people will talk about you regardless. Ghantt got arrested by the Mexican police at Playa del Carmen on March 1, 1988. CHARLOTTE, N.C. 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