Ian Diaz with Michelle Hadley. (Dateline NBC)
A member of the U.S. Marshals service is at the center of a bizarre criminal case involving his ex-girlfriend and his new wife.
Ian Diaz’s ex-girlfriend, Michelle Hadley, was arrested in July 2016 and accused of threatening to kill his new wife, Angela Connell Diaz, and of setting her up to be sexually assaulted by random men by posting “rape fantasy” ads on Craigslist in her name.
Hadley was held in jail on $1 million bail and faced up to life in prison on several felony charges. But Hadley was released 3 months later and in January 2017, Angela Diaz was taken into custody. Prosecutors said it was Angela, not Hadley, who had been sending the emails and making the Craigslist posts in order to set up Hadley.
“It’s often said that true life is stranger than fiction,” Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said. “And the facts of this case make that statement spot on. When a person who has committed a crime gets arrested and charged, that’s a bad day. But when someone that’s innocent gets arrested and charged with a crime, that’s not just a bad day, that’s a nightmare. This is the tale of a woman who faced such a nightmare.”
The case is being featured tonight on Dateline NBC, with Hadley speaking out about her experience for the first time.
“This is the most shocking form of love rivalry that I’ve ever seen.” #Dateline Friday 10/9c
Tomorrow on @DatelineNBC, you’ll finally get to hear Michelle’s story. The best part? It has a happy ending. #InnocentUntilProvenGuilty
You can Heavy’s previous reporting on Michelle Hadley here and Angela Diaz here.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Ian Has Not Been Named as a Suspect in the Case, but His Wife’s Attorney Has Raised Questions About Who Is Involved in the Case
Michelle Hadley, left, and Angela Connell Diaz. (Instagram/Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
Ian Diaz has not been named as a suspect in the case and police have not said he knew about the emails Angela Diaz was sending to Michelle Hadley.
But Angela Diaz’s attorney, Allison Margolin, told The Daily Beast there could be other suspects in the case. She also said Angela Diaz makes an “easier target” for prosecutors than Ian Diaz would be.
“It’s still unclear who was involved and how many suspects there are. It’s not clear to me why Angela is being singled out and somehow [pegged as] the mastermind of the entire situation,” Margolin told The Daily Beast. “People are innocent until proven guilty. When the government is publicly telling their side of the story, and the defense hasn’t had the opportunity to see all the evidence, I think people should look at that skeptically.”
Ian Diaz could not be reached for comment.
The U.S. Marshals Service also did not comment, and it is not clear what his role with the agency is.
2. Ian & Hadley Dated for About 2 Years & Her Father Says Diaz Was ‘Emotionally Abusive’ Toward Her
And after Michelle Hadley’s arrest, her father, Michael, raised questions about Ian.
In an interview with The Daily Beast just after his daughter was arrested, he accused Ian Diaz, not Angela Diaz, of being behind the plot to frame her.
“The marshal knows her email address,” Michael Hadley told The Daily Beast in July 2016. “They were going to get married. They got the condo and everything else and it all fell apart. This is where it all starts.”
They were long, rambling emails…. even threatening at times #Dateline
He said his daughter met Ian Diaz in 2013 at a Starbucks, and they began dating after he told her she how beautiful she was.”
Michael Hadley told The Daily Beast that Diaz was “emotionally abusive” toward his daughter.
They broke up in September 2015 and were engaged at the time. They planned to marry in February 2016.
3. Ian Diaz & Hadley Had a Dispute Over the Condo They Owned Together After They Broke Up
Both hired lawyers. And it got personal #Dateline
Ian Diaz and Hadley bought a $468,500 condo together in Anaheim not long before their relationship ended. Ian Diaz remained in the condo, and Angela Connell later moved in with him.
Hadley sued Diaz for breach of settlement for not assuming the mortgage. Hadley moved out of the condo after they split up.
During that legal battle, Ian Diaz filed for a protective order against Hadley in September 2015. But it was dismissed three weeks after it was filed.
Diaz submitted several email exchanges he had with Hadley, along with accusations against her from incidents during their relationship, in his request for the protective order, court documents show. But it is now not clear if she wrote those emails, or if they were fabricated by Diaz.
“I work as a U.S. Marshal and after showing my supervisor the threatening emails, he recommended that I seek a domestic violence restraining order,” the deputy said in his September 2015 petition,” Diaz wrote. “(She) has told me that I must comply with her demands or be prepared for God’s vengeance and referred to me as Satan and the Antichrist. Because of her emotional instability, history of fits of rage, and self-medication with alcohol, I fear for my safety.”
In an email included in the request for the protective order, Hadley hinted at her concerns about Diaz, writing she made a mistake by moving in with him “despite my very valid reservations about your character and conduct.”
According to court documents, Hadley told a support group she was scared of Diaz because he is a deputy marshal and owns several guns. She also had him barred from the campus of Chapman University, where she was pursuing her master’s degree in business administration, because she feared for her safety, court documents show.
She also accused her former fiance of once getting her drunk and then having a random man “have sex with her” on video.
“You do not get any woman, let alone the woman you purport to love, drunk and find a random man for her to have sex with while you make a pornographic video of her. That is rape, which is against the law,” Hadley wrote in an email. “Luckily, there are plenty of text messages and a video to prove that you and the man you found coerced me sexually.”
4. He Married Angela Connell a Month After They Met Online & Believed She Was Pregnant With His Twins
Angela Diaz in a photo released by the Orange County District Attorney’s office.
Ian Diaz met Angela Connell online in January 2016. They were married a month later.
Before watching #Diabolical tonight on @DatelineNBC, familiarize yourself with the timeline of the #MichelleHadley case 📆
Police say Angela told her new husband she was pregnant with twins, but they now do not believe she was pregnant. At the time of Michelle Hadley’s arrest, police pointed out in press releases that Hadley was threatening to kill and have a pregnant woman raped.
According to police, Angela Diaz created doctor’s notes and other documents to fabricate her pregnancy. In a previous relationship she faked cervical cancer, according to prosecutors. She is also accused of stealing money from her employer.
5. He Has Filed for Divorce From Angela Diaz
Angela Connell Diaz. (Linkedin)
Ian Diaz has filed for divorce from Angela, according to online court documents.
They are set to have a court hearing in April 2017 to officially end the marriage.
