A Texas resident has admitted guilt to wire fraud related to the fraudulent acquisition of a 2023 Ford Shelby F-150, valued at $130,850, from an automobile dealership in Jackson. Mario Martinez Smiley, 56, from Fort Worth, used another individual's identity and credit card information to make a $5,000 down payment on the vehicle in May 2023.
Court documents reveal that Smiley was enlisted by a person in Texas to collect vehicles for $1,000 each. He persuaded 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 faced indictment by a federal grand jury on February 4, 2025. Having pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges, he is set for sentencing on August 27, 2025. The potential penalty could be up to 20 years imprisonment. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines along with other legal factors.
The announcement came from Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi alongside U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch.
The investigation is being conducted by the United States Secret Service and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office through their Cyber Fraud Task Force collaboration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is handling the prosecution of this case.
