March 10th, 2026 Local News
Jefferson City, Mo. (KFMO) - A former Missouri House Speaker has been sentenced to federal prison after admitting he misused hundreds of thousands of dollars in pandemic relief funds for personal expenses.
Fifty-four-year-old John Diehl was sentenced Monday to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud. Federal prosecutors said Diehl received roughly $380,000 in federal COVID-19 relief loans for his law firm between 2020 and 2022 through programs designed to help businesses pay operating expenses during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to court documents, Diehl admitted in a September plea agreement that he used the funds for personal expenses instead of legitimate business costs.
Prosecutors said those expenses included country club dues, swimming pool maintenance, his home mortgage, and vehicle payments for a Tesla, Audi, and Jeep. Authorities also said Diehl used more than half of the money to fund his law firm’s defined benefit plan, a retirement plan in which he was the only participant.
In addition, some of the money was used to pay off a civil settlement related to his time as Missouri House Speaker.
Diehl had asked the federal court to spare him from prison, arguing he had already repaid the full amount of the pandemic relief funds to the Small Business Administration. However, the U.S. Attorney’s Office recommended a prison sentence ranging from 21 to 27 months.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith wrote in a court filing that Diehl had “every privilege and opportunity” through his education and public office and “knew better than to engage in the charged fraud scheme.”
Along with the 21-month prison sentence, the court also ordered Diehl to pay a $50,000 fine.
Diehl previously resigned as Missouri House Speaker in 2015 after a report by The Kansas City Star revealed he had exchanged sexually suggestive text messages with a college student who was serving as a Capitol intern. At the time, Diehl acknowledged making what he called a “serious error in judgment.”
In 2023, the Missouri Ethics Commission also fined Diehl roughly $47,000 for campaign finance violations, including allegations he used nearly $6,800 in campaign funds for personal expenses.