John J. Diehl Jr., a Republican who once held one of Missouri’s most powerful political offices, now faces federal prison after a judge handed down a 21-month sentence for wire fraud.
U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Diehl, 60, on Monday, March 9, and also imposed a $50,000 fine.
Diehl waived formal indictment in September 2025 and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Diehl, a St. Louis-area attorney, admitted to defrauding the U.S. Small Business Administration out of $379,900 through an Economic Injury Disaster Loan and a later loan modification obtained through false representations.
Diehl applied for the initial Economic Injury Disaster Loan on March 30, 2020, on behalf of his law firm, the Diehl Law Group.
The loan program was designed to help struggling small businesses during the pandemic.
Less than a month after applying, a $1,000 advance was deposited into the Diehl Law Group bank account.
He later made a $1,320.15 payment to a country club for personal dues and charges, reported First Alert 4.
On June 9, 2020, the remainder of the first loan — $93,900 — was deposited into the law firm’s bank account.
Diehl transferred some of that money into his personal bank accounts.
In March 2022, Diehl requested a loan modification and claimed the funds would be used “to alleviate economic injury caused by disaster.”
Additional loan payments totaling $285,000 were then wired into the Diehl Law Group bank account, of which Diehl transferred $150,000 into his retirement plan.
The Missouri Independent reported that prosecutors say Diehl used the money to make payments on a Tesla, an Audi, and a Jeep, along with pool maintenance, country club dues, mortgage bills, and college tuition for a family member.
Approximately $200,000 of the fraudulently obtained funds was directed into his law firm’s defined benefit plan, in which Diehl was the sole participant.
Prosecutors also allege Diehl used some of the funds to pay off “a civil settlement related to his time as Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives,” though the sentencing memorandum does not specify the nature of that settlement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith stated during court proceedings that “This defendant’s law practice didn’t suffer at all during the COVID-19 pandemic,” and that Diehl “saw a way to make some easy and cheap money.”
“Through his education and public office,” Goldsmith wrote in a court filing, “(Diehl) had every privilege and opportunity, and to put it bluntly, he knew better than to engage in the charged fraud scheme.”
Prosecutors argued that Diehl’s repayment of the funds should not be treated as an “extraordinary” basis for leniency, noting he is a “man of great and substantial means.”
USA Today highlighted that Chris Crocker, special agent in charge of the FBI’s St. Louis Division, stated: “Although he legitimately obtained pandemic relief loans for his law practice, Diehl diverted those funds for personal use rather than the purposes Congress intended. Relief programs like these were created to help small businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic — not to line someone’s pockets.”
Diehl served in the Missouri House from 2009 through 2015 and resigned as speaker after being caught sending sexually explicit texts to an intern, the Kansas City Star previously reported.
Diehl acknowledged in a written statement at the time that he had made a “serious error in judgment” and said: “I take full responsibility for my actions and am truly sorry to those I let down.”
Following his resignation, Diehl operated the Diehl Law Group as a private attorney.
In 2023, the Missouri Ethics Commission fined Diehl $47,000 for allegedly misusing campaign funds.
Diehl will be allowed to report to prison at a later date.
