A deputy U.S. Marshal was indicted this week for allegedly conspiring with his then-wife to frame an innocent ex-girlfriend as a rape predator and having her jailed for months.
Ian Diaz, 43 from Brea, California, was indicted on charges includingconspiracy to commit cyberstalking, cyberstalking, and perjury, the Department of Justice said in a Friday news release.
Ian, Wife Created Fake Profiles of Ex-GF to Send Threatening Emails
According to prosecutors, Ian and his former wife Angela Diaz, who has not been indicted but is named as a co-conspirator, created a fake online persona in the name of Ian's ex-girlfriend Michelle Hadley in 2016and used it to send themselves"harassing and threatening" messages, including "express or implied threats to harm" Angela.
"You deserve nothing but a life of lonely torture," read one such email, detailed in a BuzzFeed article in which Hadley shared her story. "I have ways to hurt you. There is no place you will be safe anymore."
"You might be beautiful, you might be the one he married but you are still a sinner and must be punished," read another. "I will make sure you are reminded of your place, by force."
The indictment alleges the couple tried to conceal their scheme using fake email accounts, virtual private networks and communicating with each other on encrypted messaging apps.
The Diaz's Posted a Craigslist Ad to Stage Sexual Assault on Angela
The Diaz's used one of Hadley's many fake profiles to post ads on Craigslist seeking a "rape fantasy" partner for Angela. They posted personal ads inviting interested parties to come to the condo and engage in the sexual fantasy with Angela in an attempt to "stage a non-consensual sexual assault on [Angela] with the other party believing that the sexual encounter would be consensual."
The same day, Ian communicated with at least one potential participant before calling the police. The indictment states that the couple told the cops they were scared for their safety, insisting that Hadley was behind the harassment.
"At what point does this girl get arrested for sending this shit and hiring guys off Craigslist to rape [Angela Diaz]," Ian told police in an interview. The following day, Ian texted another Craigslist user in an attempt to lure him to the condo to further prove that Hadley needs to be behind bars.
The Diazes also allegedly "staged one or more hoax sexual assaults and hoax attempted sexual assaults," including one false alarm in which Angela called 911 to report that she had been sexually assaulted in her garage by one of the men and even she had red marks on her neck and breast to make the false assault look real, eventually leading to Hadley's arrest. Hadley was charged, and held in jail for nearly three months.
Hadley and Ian were Involved in a Property Dispute
According to prosecutors, Hadley and Ian were involved in a property dispute over a condo in Anaheim when they were dating in June 2015 and that's when the Diaz's plotted to "harass and intimidate her." Hadley was facing life imprisonment for the dozen sex crime felonies she was accused of committing but was later exonerated of the crimes.
When the conspiracy to frame Hadley began to unravel in late 2016, Diaz threw his then-wife under the bus, stating she was "solely responsible for framing [Hadley]," the indictment says. Angela, 32, was arrested in 2016 and sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges.
Two years after Angela's arrest, Hadley filed a suit against the city of Anaheim, the Anaheim Police Department, and the Diazes, alleging officers initially ignored a mountain of evidence that showed the couple was framing her (The city settled the suit for an undisclosed amount last month.)
Ian was arrested on Thursday and if convicted as charged, he faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison for each count.
