Ian Diaz, right, and his ex-wife Angela Diaz, left, have been convicted for their roles in a bogus rape plot to entrap another woman. (Office of the Orange County Attorney)
A deputy U.S. marshal was convicted by a federal jury this week of soliciting people from Craigslist to sexually assault his then-wife in an elaborate conspiracy and scheme to frame an ex-girlfriend.
Ian R. Diaz, 44, of Brea, Calif., was convicted of cyberstalking, perjury and obstructing a federal case in federal court in Southern California on Thursday.
As of 2015, Diaz was living in a shared condominium with then-girlfriend Michelle Hadley. Diaz and Hadley eventually separated, but there was a dispute over which property they legally shared.
Diaz and his now ex-wife, Angela Diaz, came up with the idea of luring men from Craigslist into thinking they were part of a doubly delusional “rape fantasy” storyline concocted by Hadley. But the Diaze were actually behind it all. The men would show up and attack Angela Diaz. Then Hadley would take the blame — or at least that’s what the co-conspirators hoped, according to the federal indictment.
“It was one of the purposes of the conspiracy to engage in a cyberstalking campaign to harass and intimidate [Hadley] by charging her with criminal conduct that she did not commit,” the 13-page federal indictment alleges. “It was also a purpose of the conspiracy to interfere with [Hadley’s] interest in the [condo].”
In order to back up the stories, the couple also sent harassing and threatening emails to each other which contained apparent threats to harm the defendant’s now ex-wife.
“When is this girl arrested for sending this shit and hiring guys on Craigslist to rape [Angela]Ian Diaz told law enforcement in June 2016.
Eventually, law enforcement took action and put the U.S. Marshal’s ex-girlfriend in jail for nearly three months. She was finally released in January 2017.
Michelle Hadley has been wrongfully accused of sending men to rape her ex-boyfriend’s wife. She then sued the City of Anaheim and the Anaheim Police Department.
“Diaz and [his then-wife] then reported this conduct to local law enforcement, falsely claiming that Jane Doe posed a real and serious threat to Diaz and [his then-wife]“, notes a press release from the United States Department of Justice on Friday. “Their actions caused local law enforcement to arrest, charge and detain [Hadley] in jail for nearly three months for conduct for which Diaz and [his then-wife] framed it.
Angela Diaz, however, was never charged federally – and is referred to as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the federal charging document. Instead, she was charged with numerous state crimes and sentenced to five years in prison.
“Ian Diaz abused his position as Deputy United States Marshal to execute a complex cyberstalking scheme that accused an innocent person of sexual assault, leading to his unjust imprisonment for 88 days,” Assistant Attorney General Kenneth said. A. Polite, Jr. in the press. release. “[T]The Criminal Division is committed to maintaining public confidence in law enforcement by holding accountable any public official who violates their oath of office and victimizes the community they are sworn to serve.
The accused is currently due to be sentenced on June 30. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Hadley filed a 12-count civil lawsuit against the City of Anaheim, Calif., the Anaheim Police Department and the Diazes. That lawsuit was settled by the city and Hadley in April 2021.
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