Diehl, 30, an Irvine resident, admitted in his plea agreement that he falsely represented himself as a banker who made hard money loans and that he fraudulently collected deposits for lines of credit on behalf of investors seeking financing for construction and development projects in Mexico.
Diehl is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 28. He faces a maximum 20 years in federal prison for each of three counts of wire fraud and 10 years for money laundering.
Police investigating the death of former boxing champion Arturo Gatti are working on the assumption his wife strangled him with her purse strap while he drunkenly slept. The woman's lawyer, however, insists she is innocent and was too "fragile" to kill a boxer.
Lead investigator Moises Teixeira told the Associated Press nothing is being ruled out but he is certain the woman acted by herself.
Gatti's 23-year-old Brazilian wife, Amanda Rodrigues, told investigators she awoke Saturday about 6 a.m. to find her husband's body in the apartment they rented in Porto de Galinhas, a seaside resort in northeastern Pernambuco state.
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ETC.
Chicago Cubs might file for bankruptcy
The corporate owner of the Chicago Cubs is considering having the baseball team file for bankruptcy protection as a legal step to hasten its long-awaited sale, according to two people with knowledge of the process.
Tribune Co., which also owns the Los Angeles Times and itself filed for bankruptcy protection in December, intends for the Cubs' own stay in Chapter 11 to be as short as a day or two.
If pursued, the filing would be done to give the team's next owners as "clean" a title to the Cubs as possible -- to protect them from possible future claims by Tribune creditors.
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason told sports website jocklife.com he's retiring from the NFL.
Mason played eight seasons with the Tennessee Titans and four years with the Ravens. Last season he became the 31st player in NFL history to reach 10,000 yards receiving in his career.
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PASSINGS
Former Pac-10 leader Hallock, 91
Former Pacific 10 Conference commissioner Wiles Hallock, who oversaw the league's expansion from eight to 10 teams, died at his home Monday. He was 91.
The Pac-10 announced Hallock's death in a news release. No cause of death was given. Story, Section A.
