The Department of Justice on Friday said that a deputy U.S. Marshal has been convicted in a disturbing “rape fantasy” scheme that resulted in his former fiancée’s false imprisonment for 88 days.
Ian R. Diaz, a 44-year-old resident of Brea, California, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, cyberstalking, perjury, and obstruction of a federal matter.
Diaz and his new wife Angela Connell conspired to frame his ex-fiancée Michelle Hadley for stalking after their breakup over a condo in Anaheim.
Hadley had provided the down payment for the condo, and the two had acquired a mortgage. After the couple broke up, Hadley moved out, but Diaz stayed behind.
Hadley and Diaz continued to argue over the condo’s finances. In May 2016, Diaz and his wife falsely reported that Hadley was sending men to rape his new wife and sending threatening emails, resulting in Hadley’s arrest and imprisonment for 88 days.
All charges against Hadley were eventually dropped, and she was exonerated.
According to the DOJ: Diaz, 44, of Brea, California, and his then-wife, an unindicted co-conspirator (CC-1), posed as a person with whom Diaz was formerly in a relationship (Jane Doe). In that guise, they sent themselves harassing and threatening electronic communications that contained apparent threats to harm CC-1; solicited and lured men found through Craigslist “personal” advertisements to engage in so-called “rape fantasies” in an attempt to stage a purported sexual assault on CC-1 orchestrated by Jane Doe; and staged one or more hoax sexual assaults and attempted sexual assaults on Diaz’s former wife. Diaz and CC-1 then reported this conduct to local law enforcement, falsely claiming that Jane Doe posed a genuine and serious threat to Diaz and CC-1. Their actions caused local law enforcement to arrest, charge, and detain Jane Doe in jail for nearly three months for conduct for which Diaz and CC-1 framed her.
Angela Diaz was charged and sentenced to five years in prison for her role in the scheme. Diaz, who was indicted in 2021, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 30 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
