Daniel Holdeman http://unifiedprotectiveservices.com 2m 578 #bankheist
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Hopefully the closest we’ll ever get to a bank robbery is watching one in a movie. Bank robberies have subsided quite a bit due to security technology, however they still happen from time to time. There are quite a few robbers and robberies, most people know the name Bonnie and Clyde, or John Dillinger. But those robberies seem so outdate, and banks were significantly easier to rob back then. We don’t tend to hear about modern robberies unless they are really substantial. The Loomis Fargo bank robbery was one of the biggest robberies in banking history. The thieves walked away with over seventeen million dollars and 95 percent of the banks money.
The Planning
David Ghanntt, the mastermind behind the robbery, had befriended a fellow Loomis Fargo employee, Kelly Campbell. The two were friends even after Kelly left the company. Campbell also introduced Ghantt to a friend of hers from high school that would assist Ghanntt in the robbery- Steve Chambers. The plan was to have Ghantt actually commit the robbery and then head directly to Mexico, leaving the money with Chambers. Chambers would occasionally wire money for living expenses, and when the heat had cleared, Ghantt would re-enter the country, and divide the money with his friends. However, Chambers had no intention to wire Ghantt any money, and was planning on halfing the money with Campbell. Likewise, Ghantt was making plans to kill Chambers, suspecting that he wasn’t a loyal fellow robber.
The Heist
With the plan in place, Ghantt followed through with his end of the deal. He sent a newly hired trainee home early, reportedly around six. The plan was foolishly simple: Ghantt had most of the bank to himself, and with the absence of any security agency, he simply loaded over seventeen million dollars into a company van. He then met the other two accomplices at a local printing business, and Ghantt took $50K with him, and headed towards Mexico.
The Investigation
The following morning bank employees could not open the vault, and immediately phoned the FBI. Ghantt was instantly a prime suspect. FBI found a trail of his belongings throughout the country. He was also the only unaccounted employee at Loomis the next morning. Chamber and Campbell made off with money and began modestly spending small amounts of cash, although Campbell eventually deposited too much cash at once and attracted the FBI’s attention. It seems to never fail that somewhere down the line somebody slips up, allowing time and truth to do their work.
The Arrest
Through different FBI agents and Mexican police, Ghanntt was arrested in Mexico. Many of Ghantt’s friends and family were arrested as well, for withholding knowledge from the police and authorities. Likewise Chambers and Campbell were arrested, and both served prisons sentences. Ghantt was sentenced to seven years in prison. Chambers was the only defendant that pleaded not guilty and received 11 years in prison. However, in 2007 Chambers was released having served his time, and now works at a gym in Gastonia, NC.
As the full time administrator for a website advertising company, Dan engages as a posting visitor so as to service enterprises within the United States of America like Unified Protective Services. He works in Cali, and is soaking up the seasons along with his wonderful wife plus their three little ones. D-to-the-H invites people to come see his Google Plus group as soon as they get a chance.
(
