The man who stole a 2015 Maserati from a dealership in La Jolla last April has pleaded guilty to auto theft and faces up to four years in prison. Marcus Lee Allen, 30, will be sentenced July 27 by San Diego Superior Court Judge Charles Gill. Allen was arrested in May about a week after the vehicle was discovered in downtown San Diego and was impounded by police. The car, a Ghibli model (like the one pictured), retails for just under $70,000. Court records say Allen may receive a “split sentence” of serving two or three years in a local jail but that a remaining year would be served under a sheriff’s supervision. Allen posted $50,000 bond on May 28 and remains free. Allen has five prior convictions for auto theft, and his guilty plea notes he was previously convicted of stealing a car in 2009. The car was taken April 30 from Maserati of San Diego at 7477 Girard Ave. when Allen said he was looking at cars and identified himself as JT. He said his brother was supposed to join him and that he talked to someone on a cell phone. Allen continued to look at cars for half an hour, then took the keys on a receptionist’s desk when no one was around and drove off, according to court records. Someone who knew Allen as JT noticed the new Maserati and remembered news reports about the vehicle. That person notified police, who impounded the car on May 12. The vehicle was not far from Allen’s downtown residence. — Neal Putnam