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Case file

The Record: Michelle Hadley and Ian Diaz

This is the source record accompanying the article. It separates adjudicated outcomes, disputed civil evidence and questions requiring further documents. Updated September 20, 2026.
Decision chronology

  1. Hadley and Ian Diaz purchased a condominium. | D1, civil factual account.

  2. Agreement addressed payment, deed and assumption of mortgage. | D1, civil factual account.

  3. Hadley encountered suspected impersonation and made reports to institutions and providers. | D1, civil factual account and evidence presented by Hadley.

  4. Warrant returns later cited by Hadley connected relevant activity to Diaz's account or associated network address. | D1, pp. 10-11; disputed significance and handling.

  5. First arrest. | D1.

  6. Release at 10:15 a.m.; new threatening email reported at 11:28 a.m. | D1, p. 11. The interval is 73 minutes.

  7. Control messages and review of Hadley's earlier reports to Microsoft. | D1, pp. 11-12; civil evidence.

  8. Second arrest. | D1.

  9. DA investigator Becerra's later work identified weaknesses, according to evidence summarized in the order. | D1, p. 16.

  10. Angela arrested; Hadley formally cleared. | D1, factual chronology.

  11. Significant civil claims survived summary judgment; excessive force, battery and assault claims did not. | D1, judicial ruling.

  12. Civil settlement reported. | D5; terms not independently reviewed.

  13. Jury convicted Ian Diaz on four federal counts. | D2.

  14. Federal sentence imposed. | D3.

  15. Convictions affirmed on appeal. | D4.

Source index
IDSourceWhat it supportsLimits
D1Federal civil order, September 18, 2020Relationship and property chronology; arrest dates; evidence submitted about warrant returns, devices, review, training and policies; defendants' legal positions; disposition of summary judgment motions.Disputed evidence viewed under the summary judgment standard. Not a final civil liability verdict. Page references use printed court page numbers, not a viewer's cover-page count.
D2DOJ verdict announcement, March 24, 2023Four convictions; official account of the frame-up; 88 days of imprisonment; OIG investigation.Government summary of trial evidence, not the complete transcript.
D3OIG sentencing announcement, June 30, 2023121 months in prison and three years of supervised release; immediate remand at sentencing.Does not establish current custody location or every subsequent proceeding.
D4Ninth Circuit memorandum, January 23, 2025Affirmance of all four convictions; disposition of challenges concerning instructions, deposition testimony and deletion of an account.Unpublished memorandum, nonprecedential except as provided by the court's rules.
D5Courthouse News settlement reportReported settlement and Angela Diaz's earlier plea and sentence.Secondary reporting. Full settlement agreement not reviewed.

These are outbound source links. Unchecked does not host or independently authenticate these files.

Findings and boundaries

The criminal scheme and Ian Diaz's convictions are established outcomes. The civil order establishes the existence and legal significance of material factual disputes; it does not establish that every officer knowingly joined the scheme, that the prosecutor committed a crime, or that every factual assertion in Hadley's opposition was ultimately proved.

The article evaluates the decision history using the documents identified here. It does not claim access to the entire police file, all underlying civil exhibits, the complete criminal trial transcript, a new interview with Hadley, or an internal departmental review. No fresh requests for comment were sent for this article.

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