Ex-Missouri house speaker sentenced 21 months for misusing Covid relief funds

<p>John Diehl admitted using federal pandemic loans for country club dues, cars and other personal expenses</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&amp;utm_campaign=BN22326&amp;utm_content=signup&amp;utm_term=standfirst&amp;utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB"><strong>Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox</strong></a></p></li></ul><p>A former <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/missouri">Missouri</a> state house speaker was sentenced Monday to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud for misusing federal Covid-19 relief funds for his personal benefit, including the payments of his country club dues and three cars.</p><p>John Diehl, the former Republican house speaker, received about $380,000 in federal loans for his law firm between 2020 and 2022 through a program intended to help cover operating expenses for businesses affected by the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/coronavirus-outbreak">coronavirus</a> pandemic.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/10/covid-fraud-missouri-house-speaker-john-diehl">Continue reading...</a>

Read the full article at: The Guardian World →