Mario Merriweather, a repeat offender with a criminal record spanning three decades, has been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for robbing a Burger King restaurant in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. The incident occurred on October 26, 2023, when Merriweather entered the restaurant located just south of the Tennessee-Georgia state line and displayed what appeared to be a pistol. He ordered an employee to empty the register and forced all staff members into a walk-in freezer.
One employee managed to prevent the freezer from locking by using his foot while another called 911. An armed employee chased Merriweather outside. When Merriweather pointed what seemed to be a firearm at him, the employee fired two shots but missed. Merriweather fled but collapsed near his vehicle, where officers found him lying in the road next to an air pistol and recovered a Burger King bag filled with cash.
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg stated, “Undeterred by multiple stints in state prison, Merriweather repeatedly terrorized victims who were simply trying to go about their jobs. His most recent attack on a Burger King restaurant has resulted in a significant sentence that demonstrates that criminals who try to ‘have it their way’ by robbing citizens in this District will be held accountable and removed from the community.”
Mitchell Jackson, Special Supervisory Resident Agent of FBI Georgia’s Cartersville office said, “No one should ever be terrorized physically or emotionally, like the victims in these violent armed robberies were. The FBI is proud to work with our local law enforcement partners in helping to convict these repeat offenders at the federal level, where they face stiffer penalties and no opportunity for parole.”
Merriweather’s criminal history includes convictions for robbing both Wendy’s and Burger King restaurants in 2001, two individuals in 2005, and two banks in 2013.
He was convicted on August 14, 2025 after pleading guilty to interference with interstate commerce by robbery. U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II sentenced him to serve eleven years followed by three years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Calvin A. Leipold III.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia serves as the principal federal law enforcement agency for millions of residents across north Georgia including Atlanta suburbs and bordering states such as Alabama and the Carolinas (https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga). It coordinates cases with national dimensions and prioritizes prosecution of threats like terrorism while representing federal interests in civil matters (https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga). Theodore S. Hertzberg holds the position of United States Attorney for this district (https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga).
For further information contact USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.
