Shivangi Sinha
In May 2016, Angela Diaz, who was married to Ian Diaz, contacted the police, claiming she was being harassed and threatened. She reported receiving disturbing emails from her husband’s ex, Michelle Hadley, and said she feared for her safety. Based on the evidence at the time, police arrested Hadley. However, it was later uncovered that Angela and Ian Diaz had orchestrated the entire scheme. NBC’s ‘Dateline: Diabolical’ explores the case in detail and how the truth ultimately came to light.
Ian and Angela Diaz’s Allegations Against Michelle Hadley Resulted in Her Arrest
Ian R. Diaz, a native of Brea, California, worked hard to become a US Deputy Marshal. In June 2015, after dating Michelle Hadley for about two years, he purchased a condo in Anaheim, California, with her. At the time, the latter had a stable marketing job. The couple appeared to be planning a future together, with hopes of settling down and building a shared life. However, their relationship began to unravel soon after moving into the condo. Michelle had contributed the down payment, which later became a point of contention between them, and they broke up. By November 2015, they had reached a settlement regarding the ownership and financial responsibilities tied to the condo.
As part of the settlement, Ian was given six months to refinance the condo under his name alone. If he failed to do so, the property would need to be sold, and any profits would be split between him and Michelle. Life moved quickly for Ian after the breakup. By January 2016, he had married Angela Connell, a woman he had met through a dating site. The newlyweds began living together in the very same condo. However, things took a bizarre and troubling turn in May 2016. Angela claimed she had begun receiving disturbing, threatening emails that she believed were from Michelle. The messages were strange, often written with religious or satanic overtones, and soon Ian himself reported receiving similar communications. The couple sought restraining orders against Michelle and framed her as a dangerous and obsessive ex.
But the situation escalated even further when Angela contacted the police and alleged that multiple men had been arriving at her home, expecting to engage in violent sexual fantasies. According to her, these men had responded to ads posted on Craigslist by someone impersonating her. The situation escalated in June 2016 when the couple alleged that one of these men had actually attempted to assault Angela. She also claimed that she was three months pregnant at the time. Based on these alarming reports and email evidence, Michelle was arrested and spent months in jail. However, as authorities delved deeper into the case, analyzing computer records and IP addresses, they found out that it was Angela and Ian who had orchestrated the entire scheme.
Angela Diaz Has Served Her Sentence, While Ian Diaz is in Prison Today
Ian and Angela Diaz had been impersonating Michelle Hadley for months. They sent themselves threatening emails, created fake Craigslist ads, and repeatedly contacted the police to report her. According to investigators, the motive behind this elaborate setup stemmed from unresolved resentment over the condo dispute and Ian’s lingering anger toward Michelle. The investigation uncovered far more than just this scheme. Authorities learned that Angela had a disturbing history of deception. She had faked her pregnancy and lied about having cervical cancer, impersonated a lawyer, forged doctor’s notes, and even posed as two of Ian’s ex-girlfriends in emails.
In January 2017, she was arrested and hit with a staggering list of charges, including kidnapping, forgery, perjury, grand theft, false imprisonment, and multiple counts of falsely reporting crimes to police officers. In October, Angela pleaded guilty to all charges and received a five-year prison sentence for her role in the elaborate and malicious scheme against Michelle. While she served her time quietly and has kept a low profile since her release, authorities had long suspected that her then-husband, Ian Diaz, was also involved. After collecting substantial evidence, federal prosecutors charged Ian in May 2021 with cyberstalking, conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, and perjury.
In March 2023, he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, cyberstalking, perjury, and obstruction of a federal matter. Three months later, in June 2023, Ian was sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison and 3 years of supervised release. He is currently in custody under the California Department of Corrections, though details about his specific location or any parole possibilities are not publicly disclosed. Angela and Ian divorced shortly after her arrest, and neither has spoken publicly about the case since. Ian has also been removed from his role as a US Deputy Marshal, and his law enforcement career has ended.
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