JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A former speaker of the Missouri House 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.
Former Republican House Speaker John Diehl received about $380,000 in federal loans for his law firm between 2020 and 2022 through a program aimed at helping cover operating expenses for businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
But Diehl admitted in a plea agreement in September that he instead used the money for personal expenses, including country club dues, pool maintenance, the mortgage on his home, and payments for a Tesla, an Audi and a Jeep. Prosecutors said he used more than half the money to fund his law firm’s defined benefit plan, in which he was the sole participant, and also paid a civil settlement related to his time as speaker of the state House.
Diehl resigned as Speaker of the House in 2015 after the Kansas City Star reported that he exchanged sexually suggestive text messages with a female college student working as a Capitol intern. Diehl then admitted to “committing a serious error in judgment by sending the text messages.”
In 2023, the Missouri Ethics Commission fined Diehl nearly $47,000 for campaign finance violations, including allegations that he used nearly $6,800 in campaign funds to pay for personal expenses.
Diehl had asked the federal court to exempt him from prison, noting that he had already repaid all pandemic relief funds to the Small Business Administration.
The US Attorney’s Office had recommended a prison sentence of between 21 and 27 months. In addition to the prison sentence, the court on Monday ordered Diehl to pay a $50,000 fine.
“By his education and public position, the defendant had every privilege and opportunity and, frankly, knew better than to engage in the charged fraud scheme,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said of Diehl in a lawsuit.
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