Florida man accused of stealing 63 golf carts from 7 states in spree across Midwest

A man accused of stealing at least 63 golf carts across seven Midwestern states has been sentenced to two years in federal prison, according to court documents.

Investigators say Nathan Rodney Nelson, who was residing in Apollo Beach, Florida, stole at least $283,500 in golf carts over the course of three years, court documents say. Nelson used the alias Mason Weber to rent self-storage units in multiple states to store the stolen carts and to sell them, court documents say.

Investigators with the FBI determined that Nelson would steal carts in pairs, usually at night, and drive them to adjacent locations where getaway vehicles would be waiting, according to a criminal complaint.

Seminole County sheriff’s deputies arrested Nelson on June 11, 2021, while he tried to steal golf carts from a golf cart store in Donalsonville, Georgia, the complaint says.

Nelson’s defense attorney Lorelle Moeckel declined to comment to McClatchy News, but she wrote in a sentencing memo submitted to the court that Nathan had been struggling financially while trying to sustain his home inspection business.

“He was lured by the idea of quick and easy cash and made a very poor choice, which he deeply regrets,” she wrote.

Nelson is sentenced to two years in prison with credit for time served, according to court documents.

He was also sentenced to three years or supervision upon release and ordered to pay nearly $14,000 in restitution, court documents say.