Two men had gotten away with stealing expensive merchandise from Walmart for over 10 months before they were caught by police. In total, the criminal duo managed to pilfer over $360,000 in merchandise from the retail chain across stores in 11 states. Now they both face lengthy prison sentences after pleading guilty to violating Georgia’s RICO Act.
Two men convicted after 10-month retail theft spree across 11 states
Two retail thieves, 56-year-old Anthony Belser and 52-year-old George Mayo, were sentenced after they were arrested for stealing $362,844 worth of merchandise from multiple Walmart stores across the United States, according to a September 19 report by ANF.
According to prosecutors, their spree of retail thefts began in 2022 and lasted over 10 months. They stole merchandise from Walmart stores in 11 states along the eastern United States, specifically Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and New Hampshire.
In December 2022, police in Canton responded to a call to a theft at a Walmart on Riverstone Parkway where surveillance cameras caught the pair grabbing electronics from their display cases. While the suspects had already left the store by the time officers arried, they were seen hours later at another Walmart in East Elijay, where Mayo was arrested but Belser managed to escape. It wasn’t until a year later in January 2024 that Belser was arrested in New York.
Prosecutors said the duo used a simple system for their robberies. They would get a retail box, empty it, fill it with small but expensive merchandise, and then check out by paying for the cheaper box. Investigators used security footage, rental car contracts, bank records, and credit card transactions to uncover the extent of their retail theft operation.
Belser was sentenced in April 2025 to 25 years, with the first 10 to be served in prison, after pleading guilty to Georgia’s RICO Act and organized retail theft. Meanwhile, Mayo was sentenced on September 10 to 40 years, with the first 20 to be served in prison, after pleading guilty to two counts of the RICO Act and organized retail theft. The criminal duo has been ordered to pay $328,448 in restitution.
