Florida Man Gets Prison Time For Stealing Dozens Of Golf Carts

A Florida man who plead guilty to stealing dozens of golf carts in several states was handed a prison sentence this week, according to WKMG.

Nathan Rodney Nelson, a former Minnesota resident living in Apollo Beach, Florida, was sentenced to two years in federal prison for stealing golf carts dating back to 2017, reporters say. FBI investigators claim he stole 63 golf carts, collectively worth at least $283,500, out of seven states, including the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

The federal agency started investigating Nelson back in July 2019 after the Cass County Sheriff's Office in North Dakota needed help solving a rash of golf cart thefts in the Upper Midwest. Authorities reportedly nabbed the suspect while he was trying to steal some golf carts at a dealership in Donalsonville, Georgia.

"Nelson would typically steal carts in pairs from rural Midwestern golf courses, usually at night," according to the news station. "He sold many of the carts under the alias Mason Weber, at a cost of about $2,500 each, court documents show."

Defense attorney Lorelle Moeckel said her client resorted to taking the golf carts since he was struggling to pay his bills and keep his business open.

Nelson pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen property in December 2021. He also has to serve three years of supervised release and pay back around $14,000 as part of his sentencing.