Federal prosecutors seek 2-year prison sentence for former Missouri House Speaker John Diehl

By: Jason Hancock

Outlets: Missouri Independent

Published: February 25, 2026

Words: 511

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 1 day ago

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Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to sentence former Missouri House Speaker John Diehl to two years in prison in his federal COVID relief fraud case, arguing his admitted misuse of nearly $380,000 in pandemic aid “should merit a significant punishment.”

In a sentencing memorandum filed Monday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith urged the court to sentence Diehl within the federal guideline range of 21 to 27 months. …

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