A former Speaker of the Missouri House is now a convicted felon.

John Diehl, 60, of Town and Country pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. He admitted to defrauding the Small Business Administration’s CARES Act out of $379,000 in pandemic funds that were intended to go to his law firm, where he’s the sole employee.

He instead spent the money on luxury cars, country club fees, college tuition for a family member, credit cards, mortgage payments, and more.

Diehl is set to be sentenced December 19. He could go to federal prison for as much as 20 years and pay fines of up to $250,000.

Diehl was first elected to the Missouri House in November of 2008 and was re-elected in 2010, 2012, and 2014. During his third two-year term, he was elevated

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