Former Missouri, Tennessee House Speakers Face Fraud, Partial Acquittals

John Diehl, the former Missouri House Speaker, pleaded guilty to wire fraud for defrauding the government out of approximately $376,000 in Small Business Administration loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Diehl, who resigned from his speaker position over a sexting scandal involving a college intern, has also faced fines for misuse of campaign funds. Meanwhile, former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his aide Cade Cothren were partially acquitted of three federal corruption charges, including bribery and federal program fraud, due to insufficient evidence linking them as agents of the state government. However, Casada and Cothren still face numerous other charges, including conspiracy, honest services wire fraud, and money laundering, with sentencing pending and potential prison terms up to 20 years. This partial acquittal represents a setback for federal anticorruption efforts, which have been weakened under President Trump's Justice Department leadership. The cases highlight ongoing legal battles involving prominent state legislators accused of corruption and fraud.