Ex-U.S Marshall Frames Ex-Girlfriend in “Rape Fantasy” Style Plot | Michelle Hadley, Ian Diaz, Angela Diaz

Michelle Hadley and Ian Diaz met in late 2013 through a dating site. At the time, Michelle was 26 years old, and Ian was a 35-year-old U.S. Marshal. Despite some early warning signs of Diaz’ controlling nature, Michelle overlooked them, trying to please Ian. Over time, Ian pressured Michelle to change her appearance and even influenced her career decisions. He convinced her to take a significant pay cut by switching jobs to work at Disneyland Resort. There were also incidents of alleged physical intimidation and emotional manipulation, contributing to the toxic nature of their relationship before it eventually ended.

In June 2015, the couple purchased a condo together in Anaheim, California. Michelle provided a down payment of $14,400, and they secured a mortgage for the remaining $459,745. But the relationship quickly soured, and Michelle moved out in September. The breakup didn’t sever the financial ties between them, however, as both remained responsible for the mortgage on the condo, starting a year-long dispute over ownership and payments.

In January 2016, Ian met Angela Connell on a dating site, and they married a month later in February. The couple moved into the condo that Michelle had partly paid for, without her knowledge of Ian’s new marriage. Angela was pregnant at the time, and Ian kept arguing with Michelle over the payments.

In May 2016, Ian and Angela hatched a plan to get back at Michelle. They began making fake email accounts using Michelle’s name. From these accounts, they sent themselves threatening messages, making it look like Michelle was harassing them. The couple used VPNs to try to hide their tracks. They then reported these threats to local law enforcement as if Michelle was behind them. Angela told the Anaheim police that Michelle had sent threatening emails  to them and then the couple filed restraining orders against her.

But the plan didn’t stop there. By June 2016, Ian and Angela escalated their conspiracy by posting ads on Craigslist, soliciting “rape fantasies.” These ads, posed as if Michelle had written them, directed strangers to come to the Diaz home to assault Angela. On June 13, 2016, Angela and Ian called police to let them know about these posts, saying that Michelle was responsible for hiring the men.

Ian told officers that Hadley

“needs to be in f — — — cuffs and in a padded room.”

He added that, as a U.S. Marshal, he had investigated threats made to federal judges and prosecutors but had “never seen anything like this.”

“At what point does this girl get arrested for sending this shit and hiring guys off Craigslist to rape [Angela].”

On June 24, 2016, Angela called the Anaheim police again, saying that she had been attacked by a stranger responding to one of these Craigslist ads.

Michelle was arrested and charged with making the threats. Michelle faced serious charges, including attempted forcible rape and stalking, with the possibility of life imprisonment if convicted. The court set her bail at $1 million, which stopped her from being able to bond out.

While Michelle was in jail, the investigation into Ian and Angela started. This was because their story was unraveling due to discrepancies in their story. For instance, despite Angela’s claim that she was attacked by a stranger responding to the Craigslist ad, security footage failed to show any proof of this. Investigators also found inconsistencies in the evidence, like in the emails and threatening messages allegedly sent by Michelle.

As the investigation progressed, police were able to trace the threatening emails and Craigslist posts back to the Diaz home. This discovery raised significant doubts about the couple’s narrative, revealing that Ian and Angela Diaz had fabricated the entire scheme to frame Michelle. By using fake email accounts and masking their IP addresses, the Diazes made it seem as though Michelle was harassing them. 

Then, in the fall of 2016, Ian told investigators that he believed his Angela was the one solely responsible for framing Michelle. This piqued investigator’s interest and they found that Ian had attempted to conceal his involvement in the scheme. He had deleted personal email accounts and changed his phone number to avoid detection. These actions, along with mounting evidence, led to the unraveling of the entire plot and Michelle’s exoneration.

On October 7, 2016, Michelle was released from jail after spending 88 days in there. Unfortunately her incarceration had an impact on her life. It made her to lose her job and also damaged her reputation. 

On January 9, 2017, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office fully exonerated Michelle, dismissing all charges against her. District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said that Michelle was an “innocent victim of a diabolical scheme.” Michelle’s attorney, Michael Guisti, said, “We survive, but we don’t necessarily heal.”

On January 9, 2017, Angela was arrested  – the same day Michelle was fully exonerated. Angela faced 10 felony counts. In October 2017, Angela pleaded guilty to these charges and was sentenced to five years in prison.

Ian, however, had not yet been arrested. Meanwhile, in late 2018, Michelle filed a lawsuit against the city of Anaheim and four of its police officers, alleging that they rushed to charge her based on “clearly doctored” emails.

The lawsuit said,

“At its heart, this is a case about the ‘blue wall of silence’ — law enforcement officers and officials enabling fellow officers to violate civilians’ rights.

The Anaheim Police Department and its officers abdicated their duties to adhere to investigative norms, instead conspiring to do the bidding of a corrupt federal marshal. … They appear to have willingly become Ian Diaz’s weapon in his tortious campaign to ruin the life of his ex-girlfriend, plaintiff Michelle Hadley.”

In April 2021 Michelle accepted a settlement from the city of Anaheim, but the amount was not disclosed. The lawyer who handled Michelle’s federal lawsuit, Carrie Goldberg said, 

“Last year through our civil case, Michelle got financial justice from Anaheim. Today, she gets justice against Ian Diaz, the mastermind,” Goldberg said. “May this be a warning to offenders everywhere who dare to weaponize the criminal justice or legal systems: you will not get away with it.”

In May 2021, Ian was arrested on federal charges of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, perjury, and obstruction of justice. Ian was then placed on administrative leave from his job.

However, prosecutors and law enforcement didn’t say why it had taken five years to charge Ian.

In early March 2023, Ian’s trial started, and on March 23, 2023, a federal jury convicted Ian on all counts after less than two days of deliberation. He faced a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

“Ian Diaz abused his position as a deputy U.S. Marshal to execute an intricate cyberstalking scheme that framed an innocent person for sexual assault, leading to her unjust imprisonment for 88 days.”

On June 30, Ian now 44, was sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison for his crimes.

“As this prosecution demonstrates, the Criminal Division is committed to preserving the public’s confidence in law enforcement by holding accountable any official who violates their oath of office and victimizes the community they are sworn to serve.”

Incidentally, Ian’s conviction came on the same day Michelle gave birth to her first child.

Michelle described the last few years as “very difficult and emotional” due to a number of factors, “not least of which was this case.” Inspite of everything that happened to her, she has still managed to move on and give back.

She has started her own business and has  also helped to raise money for a domestic violence shelter.

“I am so grateful to the [Justice Department Office of Inspector General] for the work they put into this case and to the jury for a conviction that has brought so much peace to my family and restored some of the faith we lost in the justice system as a result of Diaz’s crimes against me. My life has been filled by strange, often symbolic, and sometimes beautiful coincidences like this. My daughter represents my rainbow after a very long storm, and my heart has never felt so full.

I hope my story becomes a beacon of hope for other domestic violence survivors. I want them to know they are not alone,” Michelle said. “There are so many wonderful people in this world who care and will fight alongside them.”

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Question: Do you think Ian’s sentence was fair?

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