JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A Texas man pled guilty to wire fraud in connection to the purchase of a truck from a Jackson automobile dealership.

According to court documents, Mario Martinez Smiley, of Fort Worth, fraudulently obtained a 2023 Ford Shelby F-150 from a dealership by representing himself to be another individual and using someone else’s credit card number to make a $5,000 down payment on the truck. The truck was valued at $130,850.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Smiley was recruited by an individual in Texas to pick up vehicles in exchange for $1,000 each. He induced a salesperson from the dealership to meet him in Ruston, Louisiana, where he took possession of the truck after posing for a photograph with it.

Smiley was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 4, 2025. He guilty to wire fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 27, 2025. Smiley faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

The United States Secret Service and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office are investigating the case through their partnership in the Cyber Fraud Task Force.