Woman is sentenced to 5 years in prison for framing husband’s ex-fiancee in Craigslist rape fantasy plot

A woman has been sentenced to five years in state prison in what prosecutors called a “diabolical scheme” to frame her husband’s ex-fiancee in a Craigslist rape fantasy plot.

Angela Maria Diaz, 32, pleaded guilty Tuesday to 10 felony and 22 misdemeanor charges, including kidnapping, false imprisonment and falsely reporting a crime to a peace officer, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

The case stretches back to June 2016, when Diaz made false claims to Anaheim police against Michelle Hadley that could have sent the ex-fiancee to prison for life. Hadley was exonerated later of any wrongdoing, but did spend about 90 days in jail because of Diaz’s bogus reports.

Diaz alleged that Hadley had sent her emails threatening to have her raped, officials said. The emails contained links to photographs of aborted fetuses and decapitated bodies.

But really, prosecutors said, Diaz routed the emails to herself using eight accounts, virtual private networks and third-party proxy servers.

Diaz responded to “rape fantasy” advertisements on Craigslist, and even posted one of her own. She told men who responded that she wanted them to rape her, even if she resisted or screamed, prosecutors said. Investigators stopped at least two men near Diaz’s condo, who admitted responding to the Craigslist ad.

Diaz then went to police and accused Hadley of impersonating her in the ad. She falsely told police that she had nothing to do with the solicitations online and that Hadley was stalking her.

Hadley was arrested twice during the summer of 2016 and spent nearly three months in jail. After she was cleared of wrongdoing, she told reporters that the experience was “such a nightmare for me.”

“She’s trying to put it past her,” Hadley’s attorney, Michael Guisti, said Wednesday, adding that his client has moved out of state and has a pending civil case against Anaheim. “It has damaged her reputation and she’s having to rebuild her life.”

Charges against her were dismissed after investigators discovered that the Craigslist ad and the harassing emails had been sent from Diaz’s condo and her father’s home, prosecutors said.

In January, Diaz was arrested in Phoenix, where she lived. She and her husband, who she met on a dating website a few months after he and Hadley broke up, are separated.

Police also discovered that Diaz faked cervical cancer, pretended to be an attorney, forged doctor’s notes and faked a pregnancy, prosecutors said.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek