Canton theft leads to discovery of multistate criminal enterprise targeting Walmarts, prosecutors say
A pricy theft at a Canton Walmart led investigators to find a criminal enterprise targeting Walmarts across the country, prosecutors say.
Authorities say Anthony Lamar Belser, 56, and George Frank Mayo, 52, stole more than $360,000 in merchandise from Walmart stores in Georgia, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia in a crime spree that started in August 2022 and spanned 10 months.
According to the Office of the District Attorney for the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit, the investigation began on Dec. 3, 2022, when Canton police were called to a Walmart on Riverstone Parkway after reports of a theft of electronics. Security footage showed two men removing items from display cases that morning.
Hours later, officials say they received reports of a pair of suspects who matched the Canton suspects involved in a theft at another Walmart in East Ellijay.
Authorities say the two men were eventually linked to 41 felony shoplifting incidents between August 2022 and June 2023. According to investigators, they used the same method in each crime, where they concealed smaller, high-value items inside the box for a large, much cheaper product.
Belser, described as one of the founding members of the Brooklyn-based street gang Lo-Lifes, was eventually arrested during a traffic stop in New York on Dec. 11, 2024. Mayo was arrested by Atlanta police at Atlantic Station on March 27, 2026.
"What initially appeared to be a single shoplifting incident ultimately exposed a larger criminal operation," said Assistant District Attorney Rachel of the Gang and Organized Crime Unit. "These defendants repeatedly used the same calculated scheme across multiple states to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise. The collaboration between law enforcement and retail partners was critical to dismantling this criminal enterprise, and we remain committed to working closely with them to combat organized retail crime."
Belser pleaded guilty to a violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act and organized retail theft. He was sentenced to 25 years with the first 10 in prison and the rest on probation.
Mayo pleaded guilty to two RICO Act violations and organized retail theft and was sentenced to 40 years, with the first 20 to serve in prison.
Both men were also ordered to pay $328,448 in restitution and were barred from the state of Georgia, outside of one county.
