CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A New York man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to a wire fraud scheme that involved purchasing two new trucks from Charleston car dealerships with stolen identities.
Julio Hisael Almonte, 31, admitted to working with a co-conspirator to purchase a Ford F-150 Raptor and a Toyota Tacoma using fraudulent identification cards and the identities of other people. Federal officials noted the trucks’ combined value was more than $100,000.
Court documents identified the dealerships as Todd Judy Ford and Bert Wolfe Toyota.
West Virginia State Police arrested Almonte on June 30, 2018 in Braxton County as he attempted to drive the Ford F-150 back to the New York area.
Almonte pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and a count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His sentencing date is scheduled for July 20, and he faces a maximum of 60 years in prison.