09/20/2026
TWO MEN SENTENCED IN $362,000 WALMART THEFT OPERATION THAT REACHED NORTH CAROLINA
Two men have received lengthy prison sentences after investigators uncovered a large organized retail theft operation involving Walmart stores across 11 states, including North Carolina.
Authorities say Anthony Lamar Belser, 56, and George Frank Mayo, 52, were connected to the theft of approximately $362,844 worth of merchandise during a 10-month operation that ran from August 2022 through June 2023.
Investigators ultimately connected the pair to 51 felony shoplifting incidents across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Tennessee and Virginia.
The investigation began in December 2022 after nearly $15,000 worth of electronics were taken from secured display cases at a Walmart in Canton, Georgia. Later that same day, authorities connected the suspects to another Walmart theft in East Ellijay.
Investigators say the operation used a repeated method. Smaller, expensive merchandise would allegedly be hidden inside larger items, including laundry baskets. The merchandise would then be placed inside emptied retail boxes, which were sealed before checkout. The lower-priced item listed on the outside of the box would be paid for while the more expensive merchandise remained concealed inside.
Authorities used surveillance footage, banking information, credit-card transactions and rental-car records to connect the cases across multiple states.
Belser was eventually arrested in New York and later pleaded guilty to violating Georgia's RICO Act and organized retail theft.
Mayo was taken into custody in Atlanta in March 2026 after a security officer recognized him from a lookout notice. He pleaded guilty earlier this month to charges involving Georgia's RICO Act and organized retail theft.
Belser was sentenced to 25 years, with the first 10 years to be served in prison.
Mayo received a 40-year sentence, with the first 20 years to be served in prison.
Both men were also ordered to pay $328,448 in restitution.
The investigation started with what appeared to be one Walmart theft in Georgia before authorities connected it to a much larger operation stretching across the country, including here in North Carolina.
