The Loomis Fargo robbery of October 1997, planned by vault manager David Scott Ghantt, was one of the most brazen cash robberies in American history. On the night of October 4, 1997, Ghantt, his girlfriend Kelly Campbell, and co-conspirators like Steven Eugene Chambers executed a skillfully orchestrated robbery of $17.3 million from the Charlotte, North Carolina, region office of Loomis, Fargo & Co. The operation was known for its boldness and the participation of people with different backgrounds, among them a former FBI informant and a bank worker.
Planning and Execution
The scheme came to fruition when Kelly Campbell, a former Loomis employee, met up with Ghantt and introduced him to Steven Chambers. Chambers, who had previously discussed committing a robbery with Campbell, agreed to assist Ghantt in getting away with the robbery and keep some of the robbed cash for himself. Ghantt would take the money and head to Mexico, while Chambers would manage the sharing of money.
In the evening of the heist, Ghantz deposited approximately $17.3 million in cash into a Loomis armored vehicle. The money was subsequently couriered to private vehicles at a northwest Charlotte printing company. Ghantz left behind $50,000 as instructed and fled to Mexico, giving way to the resort island of Cozumel in the Yucatán Peninsula.
Investigation and Capture
The following day, employees at Loomis discovered the vault had been opened and the money was missing. The FBI was called in due to the federal nature of the offense. Video surveillance indicated Ghantt loading the money into the armored vehicle, and his hulked-out truck was found with his ring, followed by a break from his wife. The investigation led to Chambers and the remaining conspiracy participants.
The FBI inquiries were funded by the suspects’ lavish lifestyles. Chambers and his wife purchased expensive items and placed large sums in cash, drawing attention. Michelle Chambers’ inquiry to a bank about deposit limits also raised suspicions. Ghantt’s Mexican lifestyle, which included residing in upscale hotels and experiences like scuba diving, also drew attention.
On March 1, 1998, Ghantt was arrested at Playa del Carmen by the FBI, along with Mexican authorities. Chambers, his wife Michelle, Kelly Campbell, and four other co-conspirators were arrested subsequently.
A Charlotte grand jury indicted eight men on bank larceny and money laundering charges. Nine others were indicted on money laundering charges for helping to hide the stolen money. The majority of defendants entered guilty pleas, with sentences between probation and more than 11 years in federal prison. Ghantt spent seven years and was released in 2006. Steven Chambers, who was also ordered to pay more than $3.5 million in fines, finished his sentence in November 2006.
The FBI concluded that more than 88% of the stolen money had been recovered, though more than $2 million remains outstanding. The case, commonly referred to as “the hillbilly heist,” was front-page news nationally due to the unusual background of the bandits and subsequent spending habits.
Cultural Impact
The robbery ignited various media representations. Jeff Diamant chronicled the event in the book Heist!. David Ghantt authored The Book of Dave: A New Path After a $17 Million Misstep, a recounting of the experience. Masterminds, a 2016 film starring Zach Galifianakis as Ghantt, Kristen Wiig as Campbell, and Owen Wilson as Chambers, dramatized the event. The television show Super Heists also featured an episode titled “Van Full of Dollars,” which represented the heist when it aired.
The Loomis Fargo robbery is a watershed case in American crime history, and it demonstrates how criminal conspiracies operate and how challenging it is for law enforcement agencies to solve such cases.
Where is David Ghantt now?
David Ghantt now lives in Jacksonville, Florida, working in the construction industry after serving his prison time for the 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery. He is married with a daughter and leads a more “normal” life, focusing on his family, motorcycles, and fishing.
