An Arizona mechanic admitted in court Tuesday that he defrauded at least nine victims out of more than $1 million, even continuing his scam after being charged.

Andres “Manny” Lopez, 36, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud. Prosecutors say Lopez ran All Performance Tuning and Diesel Repair LLC in Arizona. Using the company as a front, he accepted money for car-related services with no intention of following through. Instead, he used the payments for personal expenses and left customers high and dry…even after the FBI got involved.

From November 2019 through July 2023, the mechanic ran his fraudulent scheme, taking advance payments for vehicle mods and performance parts that were never delivered. 

He also damaged several customer cars and even loaned them out without the owners’ consent or knowledge. Some customers paid Lopez to find and purchase vehicles for them, but he took the money and lied about buying the cars. When asked about delays, he fed them a long list of excuses, KTTN News said.

One Missouri victim wired Lopez $45,000 for a Toyota RAV4 meant for his mom. Lopez falsely claimed to have bought the car but never delivered it. To cover his tracks, he made up elaborate stories, blaming product recalls for the delays. He even went so far as to impersonate a Florida Toyota dealership’s general manager in text messages to the client’s mother.

Despite being indicted in October 2023, Lopez didn’t stop. The mechanic admitted to defrauding yet another victim out of nearly $568,000 after being charged. Lopez is set to be sentenced on May 9.