(L) Anthony Lamar Belser (R) George Frank Mayo (Credit: Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)
CANTON, Ga. - Two men are heading to prison after carrying out a $362,844 multi-state retail theft operation that targeted Walmart stores across 11 states, including a location in Canton.
What we know:
District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway announced the sentencings after both men pled guilty to organized retail theft and violations of Georgia's RICO Act.
Anthony Lamar Belser, 56, and George Frank Mayo, 52, carried out a systematic shoplifting scheme between August 2022 and June 2023.
Investigators said the pair entered stores, hid small electronics inside larger items like laundry baskets, and then transferred the hidden goods into emptied retail boxes.
They sealed the boxes and paid for the single item at checkout to conceal the stolen merchandise inside.
The criminal operation spanned Georgia, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Investigators linked Belser to the street gang and shoplifting crew known as the Lo-Lifes, identifying him as a founding member.
The backstory:
A theft of nearly $15,000 in electronics from a Walmart on Riverstone Parkway in Canton triggered the multi-agency investigation on Dec. 3, 2022.
Canton Police Department officers reviewed security footage showing two men clearing out display cases at 7:30 a.m.
Hours later, security in East Ellijay spotted the same rental car and suspects during another theft.
Law enforcement officers caught Mayo at the scene, but Belser ran.
Canton police and Walmart Asset Protection used rental car contracts, credit card records, bank transactions and security video to connect the men to 49 additional felony shoplifting incidents.
By the numbers:
Belser pled guilty on April 18, 2025, to racketeering and organized retail theft following his January 2024 arrest in New York.
Superior Court Judge Tony Baker sentenced Belser to 25 years, ordering him to serve the first 10 years in prison.
Law enforcement officers caught Mayo in Atlanta on March 27, 2026, after an Atlantic Station security officer spotted him using a BOLO alert shared by the Georgia Retailers Organized Crime Alliance.
Mayo pled guilty on Sept. 10, 2026, to two counts of RICO violations and organized retail theft, receiving a 40-year sentence with 20 years to serve in prison.
Judge Baker ordered both men to pay $328,448 in restitution and banned them from the State of Georgia, allowing access to only one county.
What we don't know:
Officials have not detailed which single Georgia county the judge chose to permit the defendants to enter following their release from prison.
Authorities have not disclosed how the stolen merchandise was resold or distributed after the thefts occurred.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway, who detailed the investigation, charges, timeline, and court sentencings in an official statement, as well as Assistant District Attorney Rachel Murphy, who provided prosecution details on behalf of the Gang and Organized Crime Unit.