My name is David Scott Ghantt. I stole $17 million, and Zach Galifianakis played me in a movie. AMA

What happened to the 2 mil that is still unaccounted for? Did you really only go to Mexico with 50k?

No idea where it is I only ever had what I took with me and what was sent to me.

Would you tell us if you knew? ;)

hahahaha! nope

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. Any truth to that? How did it actually feel when the FBI took you in?

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.

The movie is hilarious. How accurate was the movie?

Well, it's 'based' on a true event, and there are accurate bits sprinkled throughout. However, it's a Hollywood comedy.

So my AMA hour is up, thank you all for the great questions and swinging by to Ask Me Anything.

Why did you do it?

I just wanted to change my life, in hindsight the quick and easy way is not always the best way. I do not recommend doing what I did.

But would you recommend it if you had not been caught?

No....philosophically I would not recommend it, however a life in the Caribbean wouldn't have been soooo bad I think.

Prior to planning and executing the robbery, would have you ever thought of yourself as an armoured car robber? If not, when was the turning point?

Prior to, I would have never even considered it but one day life kinda slapped me in the face. I was working sometimes 75-80 hrs a week for $8.15 an hour, I didn't even have a real home life because I was never there I was working all the time and unhappy which is understandable considering how old I was at the time. I felt cornered and one day the joking in the break room about robbing the place suddenly didn't seem so far fetched.

David, what do you feel like was your biggest mistake in the heist? Getting too many people involved? It seems like you got away with it for a while until all of your cohorts started talking too much.

To be honest, doing it at all was my biggest mistake but that thought comes with a bit of perspective. I will say though, if you have a "secret" it's best to keep it to yourself, lol.

What are Jandice and Kelly up to now? Did you stay in touch with them? Masterminds was a fun movie. Were you offended that they portrayed you as an idiot being so easily manipulated?

No idea. No. Glad you like the movie. And it would take a lot more than that to offend me, I thought it was funny.

What is the biggest difference between the real you and how you were portrayed in the movie? Something that was super accurate?

Well I'm taller than Zach and we have different Carolina accents. He even says that he played a much 'dumber version' of me, I'm actually pretty laid back. Something that was very accurate was the victory dance when leaving the vault.

Was the victory dance caught on cctv like in the film? If so, is there anywhere we can go to see the real victory dance? lol.

Truthfully I don't know , I kinda hope its out there somewhere , lol

Has this affected your ability to get a job? Being a quasi-famous bank robber and all?

Good question , Oddly most employers are very understanding as long as you are honest with them up front .

Curious, how would you even begin? "I stole $17 million from my last employer but I did my time and it won't happen again?"

there is no "gentle " was of broaching the subject , must don't , really believe the 17 million dollar part at first .

Have you had problems getting positions of trust at all?

I ll be honest and say I probably have to put forth a bit more effort

Hello David! How was life in prison? And what is the biggest lesson you learned from this whole experience?

well move into a broom closet with two other people ,and eat hospital food every day . That part really sucks , its supposed to suck to discourage returning . Freedom is a precious , precious thing

Did you get to spend much time on set? What was it like to have a movie based on your story?

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. 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.

What did you dream of spending the money on?

well my long term plan was to bank the money , buy a boat and kinda cruise around , the Caribbean fish and dive . Kind of a permanent tourist if you will.

So basically this was you

lol, good meme, thank you.

Why didn't you do this? I assume you got caught first but why not make a beeline for a country with no extradition laws/international water?

Well, you know what they say about hindsight.

What do they say about hindsight?

Hindsight is 20 /20

What kind of boat would it have been?

I wanted something that would go mostly unnoticed . I was looking at a small (40 ft. ) trawler

How do you feel about your actions 20 years later?

Would you have not done it altogether, looking back, or would you have done things differently to make sure you got away with it?

If I hadn't have done what I did, my life would be completely different now. The things that have happened in my life since then have led me to having a lovely wife that I wouldn't have met if I didn't move here after I got out which led to us having a wonderful child. That being said my actions years ago were from someone who was very different than I am now and while I think what I did was wrong, well, at this point it is what it is.

Honestly, you've accomplished a pipedream fantasy that many people hold. Embrace your success and failure both. I note you as being inspirational, not criminal. Hey, very few people have done what you have and that makes you absolutely an interesting man, not to say that other things don't, but you are elite.

I humbly and honestly Thank you .

Did you have to claim the stolen money on your tax return that year? That might sound like a dumb question, but think about it... Once you were caught and everything was sorted out, there must have been a known amount of money in which the FBI, etc. determined that you had spent at that point. The spent money would have technically been untaxed income, so I'm just curious if the IRS or someone contacted you one day said "so yeah... we need you to pay taxes on the $_____ that you spent". Or did they not even bother and consider it lost currency? All my other questions were already answered :(

good question the short version is that it was all added onto my fines which add up to around 3.8 million .

How much did you make off the movie?

I didn't get money for this, what I got was a great vacation and a chance to tick something off of my bucket list. I know that isn't exciting to most people but I, regular Joe, had the chance to be on a movie set...who wouldn't want to do that? Plus the food truck was awesome, my wife called me a hobbit for having second breakfasts.

How is your life now? Can you relate to the one you were before all this?

My life is actually pretty ordinary, the movie really did not change a thing. I still get up in the morning and go to work just like everyone else.

You didn't hide any of the money???

nope

If you could have anyone besides Zach Galifianakis play you in a movie, who would it be?

Morgan Freeman, he's calm like I am and has a great voice, like, he could read the back of a lunchable and I would listen.

Did you manage to bury any of the money before you got busted?

Nope. And FYI, American currency uses an ink that never really dries and burying money can lead to mold and rot and thus worthless money.

Do you get royalties from the movie? That's kind of a roundabout way to get rich off of robbing an armored truck.

Nope, not a dime. That would be profiting from a crime which is a no no and I'm on the straight and narrow.

What was the dumbest thing you purchased with some of that $?

The 4 pairs of boots I bought in one day [shrug] what can I say they were nice and I was impulse shopping.

Did u enjoy your time as lead singer of the Spin Doctors?

Hahaha, sadly that wasn't me and my wife doesn't recommend singing as a career for me.

So I haven't read your story or anything but what was your thought process going into the heist?

I planned backwards, where I wanted to go and then how much I would need to get there.

Did you help at all with the movie, directing, explaining how it went, etc? If so how was working with them?

I consulted on some of the props and sets in the movie, it was a joy working with Jared, Zach and the rest of the cast and crew.

Whats your favourite film with zach galifianakis in?

Actually my favorite thing with Zach in it is his show Baskets however Due Date was pretty hilarious.

how did you feel with Zach Galifianakis playing you?

I feel fine. I think he did a good job and is a really great guy.

Do you feel more recognized now that a movie has been made about you and has it affected you lifestyle?

my social media has gone a little crazy,but my lifestyle remains mostly unchanged.

This must not have been the first thing that you stole. How did you start and work your way up to the big jobs?

Actually it was. I was whistle clean before this.

Why aren't you in prison for life?

Under the federal guidelines what I committed was bank larceny, this implies that it was a non violent offense and what they call mandatory minimums can apply. They take into account your prior record, military service, and things of that nature. I didn't hurt anyone, nor did I want to, I made a really really bad decision though.

Well you certainly lucked out. Guys in prison for 25 years for some weed and you did 7 for millions? Sheesh

yeah the Federal guidelines for drugs is very lopsided , throw in the conspiracy law and whamoo 25 years .

Dude, spoilers!

So what was it like seeing yourself portrayed on screen?
Do you feel that the actors captured your personality and motivations?
Would you change anything about the movie?

It was an interesting experience, I mean how many people can say that something they did became a movie. The actors were playing a Hollywood comedy. I think that some things were cut that would have lent to the movie.

Did you spend the money on drugs, alcohol and hookers?

Uh, no. I can say that I wasn't bored but the time that I spent in Mexico with the cash I had at the time was actually pretty normal for anyone on a vacation...if there was something touristy to be done there in Cancun then I did it.

Nothing truer to the American film industry than glorifying crimes for the sake of a quick Buck or tax write-off.

I've never stolen anything, where's my biopic? You've stolen 17 mil, let's watch a movie about you. Can't wait to see the movie about the person who steals 18 mil.

I don't disagree with you, the whole thing seems a bit ridiculous but so is life sometimes and I'll probably go see that movie too.

[deleted]

My wife is actually working on a book (as in is almost done) with the David Ghantt she knows as opposed to what everyone thinks.