Former Missouri House leader pleads guilty to pandemic loan fraud
Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A former Missouri House speaker who resigned in disgrace a decade ago admitted Thursday to fraudulently getting a COVID-19 pandemic loan.
John J. Diehl Jr., 60, pleaded guilty in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud. Federal prosecutors accused Diehl of using money from a COVID-19 business loan to pay for personal expenses, including cars, a mortgage, country club dues and college tuition.
Diehl is a lawyer with the Diehl Law Group in St. Louis.
He was elected to the Missouri House in 2008 and became speaker in 2015. Diehl resigned from that position after the Kansas City Star published a report detailing sexual text messages exchanged between Diehl and a House intern.
The Missouri Ethics Commission found in 2023 that Diehl held unreported campaign contributions worth up to $52,000 in a personal bank account, violating state ethics rules.