St. Louis attorney John Diehl pleaded guilty to misusing loans provided by the federal government to help businesses get through COVID-19, according to missouriindependent.com.

On March 30, 2020, Diehl applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan and was granted $94,900. Two years later, he requested a modification to this loan and received another $285,000, bringing the total to $379,900, according to justice.gov.

He confessed to using these funds to pay for personal expenses like swimming pool maintenance, home mortgage, vehicle payments for three different cars, country club payments and a civil settlement related to his time as Missouri Speaker of the House for the House of Representatives. He also admitted that $200,000 went to a retirement fund for his law firm in which he would be the only recipient, according to theguardian.com.

While it has not been confirmed what the civil settlement refers to, many suspect it involves the scandal that led to his removal from office. This occurred because Diehl was caught sending inappropriate messages to a 19-year-old intern, according to kansascity.com.

Diehl’s attorneys asked for a non-prison sentence because he repaid the money, but prosecutors argued that repayment should not be used for forgiveness. He was sentenced on March 9, with 21 months in prison, in addition to a $50,000 fine, according to missouriindependent.com.