Feds charge man in multi-state golf cart theft investigation with ties to Fargo area

FARGO (KVRR) – A man has been arrested in Georgia in connection with the theft of “numerous” golf carts in several states including the Dakotas and Minnesota.

An FBI affidavit says Nathan Rodney Nelson can be linked to 63 golf cart thefts in seven states since 2017. Nelson is charged with transporting stolen vehicles across state lines.

According to court documents, the investigation began two years ago when the Cass County Sheriff’s Office asked the FBI to help investigate a series of thefts of at least 70 golf carts from golf courses in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Investigators noticed that the golf carts were typically stolen at night and in pairs from Midwestern golf courses. The stolen carts were driven away from clubhouses to an adjacent location, where a getaway vehicle was waiting.  Some of the carts were stolen from the Maple River Golf Course in Mapleton and All Season Motorsports in West Fargo, where an employee noticed that a golf cart which was brought in for service had two different serial numbers.

The FBI says it’s been combing through theft reports from golf courses in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Louisiana. The value of the stolen golf carts exceeds $283,000.

Investigators also say Nelson used the alias “Mason Weber” to rent self-storage units “presumably to store the stolen golf carts” in several states. Nelson has addresses in Mankato and Apollo Beach, Fla.

Nelson was arrested June 11 in Seminole County Georgia. The FBI says he was caught while trying to steal golf carts from a local dealer and was carrying pre-printed serial number labels and burglary tools.