With a star-studded cast including Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Jason Sudeikis and director Jared Hess, Masterminds was bound for comedic success. David Scott Ghantt: Vault Supervisor David Scott Ghantt was the vault supervisor at the regional branch of Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina. Campbell, 29, had pleaded guilty to charges of bank larceny, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder. $7 Million by Air. How many years did David Ghantt get? When to set your clocks for daylight saving time, Novant to take over two hospital systems near Charlotte in a $320 million deal. $17 Million and Change. LRM: [Laughter] Now the movie portrayed that they sent someone to kill you in Mexico. ``Thats always something that sends up a red flag, she said. David Ghantt: I would be really philosophical about this. The contents were missing. 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. David Ghantt: They did hire a guy to kill me. Were just getting started on that. Outside the building, Ghantt met up with Campbell, Chambers, and others who were involved in the plot, and drove off to a printing business called Reynolds & Reynolds in northwest Charlotte. 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. Chambers got 11 years. David and Kelly hit it off at a shooting . Sign up now to get updates whenever we release new features! Service 11 a.m. Saturday . CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM MASTERMIND MOVIE. I had more than 700 message requests. 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. 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. My name is David Scott Ghantt. One of my compatriots, Steve Chambers was in charge of the money. The van was later found with $3 million in it, but the rest of the money is still missing. I've read that once the FBI actually closed in on you, you were relieved because you were fearing for your life at that point. Six were accused of plotting the heist and helping Ghantt flee: Steve and Michelle Chambers; Kelly Jane Campbell; Michael L. McKinney; Thomas Nathan Grant; and Eric Haley Payne. David Scott Ghantt, 28, was arrested Sunday at Playa del Carmen, Mexico, near the island resort of Cozumel, FBI spokesman William Perry said. 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. There was in fact a basically similar conversation involving Chambers and Campbell that took place during a barbecue the Campbells were hosting. David Ghantt: Well, my compatriots did lock themselves out of the van. There was no sign of forced entry into the building, but surveillance tapes and photographs showed a man believed by authorities to be Ghantt putting bags of money onto a cart in the vault at Loomis, Fargos offices in Charlotte, and then into the company van. The amount of money stolen is correct. It was one of the first things they voted on. Honestly, it got spent and no one noticed. Saffron Burrows plays . [1], Steven Chambers finished serving his sentence in November 2006. The company reported the theft Oct. 5. A lot of people ask me, Oh, do you have any regrets? No, not really. David Ghantt (@DavidGhantt) is a man that still holds the record for the second largest bank heist on American Soil. Zach Galifianakas takes on the role of David Ghantt, a small town, backwoods security money truck driver who falls in love with Kristen Wiig's Kelly. The only glimmer of excitement is his flirtatious work crush Kelly Campbell who soon lures him into the scheme of a lifetime. I Am A, where the mundane becomes fascinating and the outrageous suddenly seems normal. In real life: Yes and no. 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. LRM: Do you enjoy the publicity for yourself? David Ghantt: I was very sure they [were looking for me]. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. The FBI investigation was aided by the gang's extravagant spending. All were convicted. 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). I realized a lot of things that were wrong with me as a person. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: The Beast Lays On The Charm In New TV Spot. Steven Chambers, left, and David Scott Ghantt leave federal court. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. 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. 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. I'll take the live one. He was released in 2006. No idea. How accurate was the movie? To me, [all of this] was a business deal between the original three of us. Authorities say Steve. The affidavit described Chambers as a former FBI informant who had provided information on another Loomis armored car robbery that never materialized. His accomplices included coworker Kelly Campbell, as well as friends Steve and Michelle Chambers. 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. A: People are very forgiving if you're open and honest right from the start. Chambers did more than 11 years. On similar grounds, four other people were ultimately also charged with money laundering. 2023 www.gastongazette.com. David Ghantt: No, I havent talked to them in a very long time. Answer: The painful one is getting caught. 'Not for lunch' Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. David Ghantt: There are quite a few small facts and tidbits. 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 movie is hilarious. Despite being caught on camera wheeling the money from the vault to the getaway van, David Ghantt makes off to Mexico before the FBI can blink. He had stayed in a luxury hotel and paid for expensive food and activities such as scuba diving and parasailing. All but $186,000 in that theft was recovered from a North Carolina storage building. Im like, You need to understand that, that money has been missing for 20 years. David Ghantt: In my way of thinking, you are part of the story and people will talk about you regardless. Its gone! Ghantt had a lot of help pulling off the heist. (The conversation was depicted as 100 percent private on screen). Updated: Sep 29, 2022 / 03:23 PM CDT. Day in and day out, he drives an armored vehicle,. Authorities found Ghantts unlocked red pickup truck near the Loomis building. Q: North Carolina native Zach Galifianakis portrayed you in "Masterminds." Im assuming you dont have any more contacts with your co-conspirators. 20 years ago, on the night of October 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. Loomis Fargo employees could not open the vault the next morning and called the police. After the robbery, Ghantt took off to Mexico. I did get to meet him. The film stars Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, Kate McKinnon and Jason Sudeikis. 33. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. "A former co-worker told me, "Everybody has screwed up. 1:38 On Oct. 4, 1997, former Kings Mountain resident David Scott Ghantt finished his shift as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo in Charlotte. What happened to the 2 mil that is still unaccounted for? As we said . 1997 - David Scott Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) thought being an armored car driver would be a dream come true. 4 million images and real time event coverage from coast to coast , ImageCollect is the only celebrity photo site you'll ever need. Hes scheduled to be sentenced in May. I just sat back and waited on my money. David Ghantt : I had a hard time liftin' it up. I pretty much let them have their way with it, as you say. Two New Featurettes For CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR Are HERE! David Ghantt: At first, I had a pretty good party. The unlikely suspect in the Charlotte heist was 27-year-old David Scott Ghantt, a quiet, unassuming vault supervisor who earned $360 a week. We were in Old Fortwhen they were shooting the movie and went out to eat. "I've learned that I'm a fortunate . Spending years in prison, he said, gave him time to re-invent himself. At the time it was thesecond largest bank heistin U.S. history. LRM: True. David Scott Ghantt, 28, was arrested Sunday at Playa del Carmen, Mexico, near the island resort of Cozumel, FBI spokesman William Perry said. As a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo, David had access to the vaults and all the cash within. Why did this Charlotte engineer leave her job? 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). He is now a stepfather to her two daughters, Ethel, 10, and Marnie, 9. It's the little things like that that gnaw on you. Iraqi war vet, David Ghantt, was a guard at the Loomis Fargo cash vault in Charlotte in October 1997 when he decided to steal 17-million-dollars. 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. People did ask questions or they wanted to chat. He is an uncomplicated man stuck in a monotonous life. I mean, thats pretty much why I did it. 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. Q: You say your time in federal prison changed you. So what made you do it? Like I said before, money does weird things to people. David Ghantt: The number one question is usually, What made you do it?. In October of 1997, I was a vault supervisor for armored truck company Loomis Fargo, when I made off with $17.3 million. Then I realized I needed to be more conservative. David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis), an employee of Loomis Fargo, robbed his own vault, left the $17.3 million in cash with his co-conspirators, Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig) and Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson) and fled the country to Mexico. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- A man caught on videotape looting an armored car company vault of $17 million -- one of the biggest thefts of its kind in U.S. history -- has been sentenced to 7 1/2 years in federal prison. They were ordered held without bail Monday until a hearing on Thursday. The Mandalorian S3 Episode 1 Review: ROUGH START!!! I took a picture from back in those days to show them. In real life: Mostly true. Back then all I really wanted to do was just, I wanted to change my life. Get ready for less sleep in Charlotte. Thats my standard answer these days. How did it actually feel when the FBI took you in? 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. Seven others were convicted in direct connection with the heist. David Ghantt: Awesome. So my AMA hour is up, thank you all for the great questions and swinging by to Ask Me Anything. The company reported the theft Oct. 5. He then began loading $17 million in unmarked bills inside a company van before driving away. From Oct. 6 through Feb. 20, the couple made 47 deposits totaling $271,500 at a Belmont bank, and at. Q: Your troubles were self-inflicted, but you seem happy. Ghantt was charged in connection with the . So what exactly did you do for this production? 90 Second Job. The British spy group MI5 is interested in a safety deposit box in this highly fictionalized version of an actual London robbery. He just never had the opportunity. They obviously werent trying to get it right they were putting together what they believe is a better story, said Diamant. Few who were around then will forget the theft of $17 million in unmarked bills from the armored car company's vault in Charlotte, pulled off by a group of residents of Gaston and Cleveland counties, who were subsequently caught five months later. 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. The affidavits also alleged lavish spending by the six, including the Chambers who moved out of a trailer and paid cash for a $635,000 home shortly after the robbery. 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. Investigators considered Ghantt to be the prime suspect almost from the beginning. I work for a small construction company. Tell us on what was actually real from that movie. No. I was also made myself available on set in case if someone wanted to talk to me. Masterminds - Zach Galifianakis 'David Ghantt' [On-Set Interview]SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://goo.gl/SrrTlTSUBSCRIBE MOVIE TRAILERS: http://goo.gl/8WxGeDA night gu. Yes, Carrie Underwood adopted a dog in Charlotte. So he convinced a local hoodlum in Mexico to try to kill Ghantt. The scary one is stealing the money. 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. The Radical Senate: James Abourezk of South Dakota, America is Not a Racist Country: How Nikki Haley Became Israels Candidate for the White House, Three Reasons (Other Than Age) Why Joe Biden Should Not Run Again For President, The Global South Refuses Pressure to Side With the West on Russia, The 20th Anniversary of the Sociocide of Iraq by Bush/Cheney. 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