Politics, Elections and Government

Former Missouri House Speaker Diehl headed to prison for pandemic loan fraud

St. Louis Public Radio | By Jason Rosenbaum

Published March 10, 2026 at 9:32 AM CDT

Former House Speaker John Diehl was sentenced to 21 months in prison for pandemic loan fraud. He served in the Missouri House from 2009 through 2015.

John Diehl served in the Missouri House from 2009 through 2015. He resigned in 2015 after being caught sending sexually explicit texts to an intern.

A federal judge sentenced former Missouri House Speaker John Diehl to 21 months in prison Monday for using pandemic loan money for personal expenses.

U.S. District Judge Sarah Pitlyk also fined Diehl $50,000. He pleaded guilty last year to one count of wire fraud for misusing a portion of roughly $400,000 in COVID-19-era business loans. He has since paid restitution.

Diehl admitted to using some of those funds for personal expenses, including country club dues, college tuition and car and mortgage payments.

Sentencing documents from the federal government stated that Diehl used some of the COVID-19 loans to pay off "a civil settlement related to his time as Speaker of the House."

Diehl served in the Missouri House from 2009 through 2015. He resigned in 2015 after being caught sending sexually explicit texts to an intern.