Former U.S. Marshal Found Guilty Of Trying To Frame Ex-Fiancé For Hiring Men To Sexually Assault His Wife

 A former U.S. marshal was convicted last week of trying to frame his ex-fiancé for hiring men to sexually assault the marshal’s wife.

A federal jury convicted Ian R. Diaz, 44, of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, cyberstalking, perjury, and obstruction of a federal matter, the Department of Justice said in a press release. Though not named by the DOJ, Buzzfeed News revealed that Diaz and his then-wife, Angela, claimed in 2016 that Ian’s ex-fiancé Michelle Hadley had posted ads on Craigslist saying Angela wanted to hire men to live out her “rape fantasies.” The Diazes falsely reported that Hadley’s ads led to Angela getting sexually assaulted.

Hadley was arrested in June 2016 and spent 88 days in jail after she couldn’t afford the $1 million bail that was set for her. After spending nearly three months in jail, investigators finally determined she had been falsely accused. The charges against her were dropped on January 9, 2017 – the same day authorities charged Angela Diaz for the crimes against Hadley. Angela pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison.

She and Ian divorced sometime after Angela was charged.

Ian and Hadley had broken up in August 2015 and were locked in a bitter argument about a condo they had purchased together, Buzzfeed reported.

In February 2016, Ian married Angela, and three months later, the couple began conspiring to “interfere” with Hadley’s stake in the property. The couple decided to frame Hadley for the crimes they alleged, using fake emails, VPNs, and encrypted messages to carry out their plot.

Between June and July 2016, the couple made multiple false reports to police claiming Angela had been sexually assaulted due to ads they claimed Hadley posted on Craigslist.

Ian, then a U.S. marshal, was able to convince police in Anaheim, California, that Hadley was a threat, leaning on his experience to tell them that he had investigated threats against federal judges and prosecutors but had “never seen anything like this.”

“Ian Diaz abused his position as a deputy U.S. Marshal to execute an intricate cyberstalking scheme that framed an innocent person for sexual assault, leading to her unjust imprisonment for 88 days,” Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. said in a statement released by the DOJ. “As this prosecution demonstrates, the Criminal Division is committed to preserving the public’s confidence in law enforcement by holding accountable any official who violates their oath of office and victimizes the community they are sworn to serve.”

Diaz is scheduled for sentencing on June 30 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.