Former US Marshal found guilty of accusing his ex-girlfriend of sexual assault

A former Deputy U.S. Marshal de Brea was found guilty Thursday of accusing his ex-girlfriend of sexual assault, ostensibly to take control of an apartment they bought together in Anaheim, the Department of Justice said. Justice.

Michelle Hadley spent nearly three months in jail because of the scheme Ian R. Diaz, 44, set up with his then-wife Angela Diaz, prosecutors said. They impersonated Hadley online and sent harassing and threatening messages to each other, according to the indictment.

Ian Diaz was found guilty of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, cyberstalking, perjury and obstruction of justice. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Angela Diaz has not been federally charged, but she was sentenced to five years in state prison after pleading guilty in October 2017 to 10 felony counts and 22 misdemeanor counts, including kidnapping , false imprisonment and falsely reporting a crime to a peace officer, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

“The egregious actions and lies of (Ian) Diaz to law enforcement have robbed a woman of her liberty and freedom,” said Harry Lidsky, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of the Bureau of Cyber ​​Investigations Office. Inspector General. “This kind of harassment, harassment and obstruction is unconscionable, and yesterday the jury held Diaz accountable for his crimes.”

According to the indictment, Diaz and his ex-girlfriend, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, purchased the condo in June 2015, but the couple separated two months later. Hadley moved out but Diaz stayed and started dating Angela in January 2016. A month later, they were married, according to court documents.

Diaz and Hadley fell out over the condo, and in May 2016 he began conspiring with his wife to “interfere with Jane Doe’s interest in the property,” according to prosecutors. Using fake emails and user accounts for websites like Craigslist, Diaz and his wife impersonated the victim and sent each other messages with links to photographs of aborted fetuses and bodies. beheaded, according to the indictment.

“Some of the messages contained express or implied threats to harm,” prosecutors Angela Diaz wrote in the indictment.

The married couple also placed personal ads on Craigslist in an effort to entice people to come to the condo to indulge in a “rape fantasy” with Ian Diaz’s wife. They staged the encounter to make it look like Hadley had hired someone to sexually assault Diaz’s wife.

The incidents were reported to the police and Hadley was arrested, charged and jailed for 88 days.

Hadley was exonerated by Orange County prosecutors and all charges against her were dismissed. If the case had gone to trial, she faced life in prison if found guilty.

“It was a huge nightmare for me – probably the most traumatic experience of my life,” Hadley told reporters in 2017 after the charges against her were dropped.

In the fall of 2016, Diaz told law enforcement officials that he believed his wife was solely responsible for framing Hadley and had attempted to cover up her involvement in the scheme. He deleted personal email accounts and changed his cell phone number, prosecutors said.

Diaz and Angela have since divorced.

Diaz, who was charged in May 2021, is expected to be sentenced on June 30.