Ex-Missouri house speaker sentenced 21 months for misusing Covid relief funds

submitted 4 months ago by

edited 4 months ago

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/10/covid-fraud-missouri-house-speaker-john-diehl

John Diehl admitted using federal pandemic loans for country club dues, cars and other personal expenses

A former Missouri state house speaker was sentenced Monday to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud for misusing federal Covid-19 relief funds for his personal benefit, including the payments of his country club dues and three cars.

John Diehl, the former Republican house speaker, received about $380,000 in federal loans for his law firm between 2020 and 2022 through a program intended to help cover operating expenses for businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

But Diehl admitted in a September plea agreement that he instead used the money for personal expenses such as country club dues, swimming pool maintenance, his home mortgage and vehicle payments for a Tesla, Audi and Jeep. Prosecutors said he used more than half the money to fund his law firm’s defined benefit plan, of which he was the only participant – and also paid off a civil settlement related to his time as state house speaker.

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skwerlgyrl

She/Her/Hers 4 months ago

The only thing that surprises me is where he admitted any wrongdoing.

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