St. Louis Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud in $379,900 Pandemic Loan Scheme

Published Nov. 6, 2026. Case status is current as of that date.

Pandemic relief loans were supposed to keep small businesses afloat—not buy Teslas and country-club dues. On Sept. 11, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced that St. Louis lawyer John J. Diehl Jr., 60, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud after admitting he defrauded the U.S. Small Business Administration out of $379,900 through a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) for Diehl Law Group [1].

Status: Pleaded guilty. Sentencing was to follow [1].

How the scheme worked, according to his admissions

According to the plea facts summarized by prosecutors [1]:

1. On March 30, 2020, Diehl applied for an EIDL for Diehl Law Group and certified proceeds would be used solely as working capital for disaster-related economic injury.
2. After loan funds hit the firm account, he used proceeds for unauthorized personal expenses including car payments, credit cards, a home mortgage, tuition, pool maintenance, country-club dues, and cash withdrawals.

The person who pleaded guilty

John J. Diehl Jr., 60, St. Louis, Missouri. Lawyer, Diehl Law Group. Pleaded guilty to wire fraud [1].

Case status (as of Nov. 6, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
John J. Diehl Jr., 60, St. Louis	U.S. District Court, E.D. Mo.	Pleaded guilty Sept. 11, 2025 (announced) to wire fraud; $379,900 EIDL scheme	[1]

Statuses can change, including through sentencing and appeal.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri, “St. Louis Lawyer Admits $379,900 Pandemic Fraud,” Sept. 11, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/st-louis-lawyer-admits-379900-pandemic-fraud