US Marshal convicted of faking series of sexual assaults on his wife by posing as his ex-girlfriend

A deputy US sheriff has been convicted of using fake internet accounts to orchestrate a “rape fantasy” of his then-wife and blaming his ex-girlfriend.

Ian Diaz, 44, conspired to frame Michelle Hadley, 36, for stalking his new wife, Angela Diaz, 38, and posted fake Craigslist ads inviting men to rape his wife, pretending they were his ex.

He and Angela created a fake online identity for Hadley in 2016 and used it to send themselves “harassing and threatening messages.”

They also invited men to sexually assault Angela, posting ‘rape fantasies’ ads using the fake account in Hadley’s name and telling cops she was attacking them both.

Hadley was jailed for 88 days until officers discovered their mistake and sued both Diaz and the Anaheim Police Department.

Angela was jailed for five years in state prison for the ‘diabolical scheme’ in 2017, after pleading guilty to 10 felonies and 22 misdemeanors.

She was charged with kidnapping, illegal imprisonment, and falsely reporting a crime to a peace officer, among others.

Her then-husband, Diaz, has now been convicted of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, cyberstalking, perjury, and obstruction of a federal matter.

The couple sent each other fake threatening emails pretending to be Hadley and making her appear “bent on punishing her after their relationship dissolved.”

One said: ‘You deserve nothing more than a life of lonely torture, I have ways of hurting you. There is no place where you are safe anymore.

Another wrote: ‘You may be beautiful, you may be who he married, but you are still a sinner and must be punished. I’ll make sure you’re reminded of your place, by force.

Hadley was arrested, and later exonerated, of the myriad of sex crimes she was accused of, but still spent nearly three months in prison.

The couple used Craigslist to try to get people to come to the condo and engage in a “rape fantasy” with Angela.

Authorities say they hoped to stage a non-consensual sexual assault against Angela with the other party believing the sexual encounter would be consensual.

Both Ángela and Díaz contacted the police to say that they had been attacked by men in their home.

Police were told Hadley needed to be “in handcuffs and in a padded room.”

Diaz told local police that he “investigates threats made to federal judges and prosecutors as part of his job as deputy United States marshal and has ‘never seen anything like this.’

He texted another Craigslist user hoping they would come to the condo, in an attempt to show Hadley should be arrested.

Hadley was arrested at her home after a date where Angela called 911 to report that she had been sexually assaulted and that it was her ex-fiancé’s fault.

Diaz’s setup with Hadley was revealed after police discovered that one of the IP addresses used to send the emails was linked to Diaz’s Anaheim condo.

It was later discovered that Angela had used a VPN and third-party proxy servers to send the emails to herself while hiding her IP address.

Speaking before Diaz was charged, Hadley said in the lawsuit that police and the press wrongly portrayed the case in sexist terms, describing it as a “catfight” between Hadley and Angela Diaz, who were in the middle of a “love triangle.” ‘.

She said, “The crazy ex, the crazy new wife, all those crazy girls who get excited.”

‘There is absolutely no question in my head as to who did this. There never has been.

The lawsuit goes into explicit detail about the alleged abuse that Hadley says Diaz subjected her to during their tumultuous relationship.

She met him in 2013, shortly after Hadley divorced her high school sweetheart after just four years of marriage.

Just a few months after they first met on a dating site, Diaz and Hadley moved in together, with Diaz exhibiting controlling behavior early in the relationship.

He pressured her to dress sexier by wearing crop tops and acrylic nails, according to the lawsuit.

Hadley also alleges that Diaz pressured her to quit her job for a marketing position that paid $20,000 less.

She says the job was at Diaz’s “favorite place”: Disneyland Resort, where Diaz once worked.

Hadley believes Diaz pressured her to work there so her former colleagues could keep an eye on her.

She says that she agreed to his demands because she wanted to make him happy. She was afraid that if she didn’t, he would leave her.

Diaz was charged after the Justice Department launched its own investigation, and state police said there was initially insufficient evidence to charge him.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said: “Ian Diaz abused his position as Deputy US Marshal for 88 days.

“As this indictment demonstrates, the Criminal Division is committed to preserving the public’s trust in law enforcement by holding accountable any officer who violates their oath and victimizes the community they are sworn to serve.”

Special Agent in Charge Harry A. Lidsky of the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General’s Office of Cyber ​​Investigations (DOJ-OIG) added: “Díaz’s egregious actions and lies to law enforcement dispossessed a woman of his freedom.

‘This type of bullying, bullying and obstruction is unconscionable, and yesterday, the jury held Diaz accountable for his crimes. I would like to thank the jury for their time, attention and careful consideration of the facts of this case.’

He was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, one count of cyberstalking, one count of perjury, and one count of obstruction of federal proceeding.

Diaz is scheduled to be sentenced on June 30 and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.