A Texas man has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison after being convicted of wire fraud related to the theft of a vehicle from a Jackson, Mississippi dealership.
According to court records, Mario Martinez Smiley, 57, of Fort Worth, Texas, obtained a 2023 Ford Shelby F-150 valued at $130,850 by pretending to be another person and using someone else’s credit card information for a $5,000 down payment. The incident occurred in May 2023.
Authorities said Smiley was recruited by another individual in Texas who paid him $1,000 per vehicle to pick up cars. Smiley persuaded a dealership salesperson 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 pleaded guilty to wire fraud on May 21, 2025.
“Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis, and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch made the announcement.”
The case is being investigated through the Cyber Fraud Task Force partnership between the United States Secret Service and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.
“Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is prosecuting the case.”
