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A central figure in Netflix's "A Toxic Love Story" told a federal judge Ian Diaz was still "a good man, with an even greater heart" after his conviction ... and revealed she had been barred from contacting him for nearly two years ... TMZ has learned.

In an April 2023 letter obtained by TMZ, Leslie Carlson said bond restrictions cut her off from Ian, his son and his immediate family, calling the separation "devastatingly difficult." The letter was filed with his sentencing materials.

Leslie said she had known Ian for 23 years and considered him one of her closest friends and confidants.

Ian Diaz's wife begged a federal judge to show him mercy before he was sentenced to more than a decade behind bars ... warning his imprisonment would tear apart their family and devastate their young son ... TMZ has learned.

In an April 2023 letter obtained by TMZ, Amy asked the court for leniency and revealed she and Ian shared a 5-year-old son. The letter was filed with Ian's sentencing materials.

Amy described Ian as a hands-on father who picked their son up from school almost every day, helped with his homework, played games with him and was teaching him chess.

Ian Diaz may be locked out of Netflix in prison ... but he's heard all about "A Toxic Love Story" ... and TMZ has learned he thinks the doc got him all wrong.

Sources connected to Ian tell TMZ ... he doesn't have access to the electronics needed to watch it, though people have filled him in, and he's disappointed but hardly shocked the film didn't take his side.

Ian maintains he had nothing to do with the emails used to frame his ex-fiancée, Michelle Hadley ... and believes his then-wife, Angela Diaz, acted alone. Sources note Angela pleaded guilty and never implicated him.

Chix On Netflix got real this week 'cuz we scored a sexy star on the beach -- can you score the star strikin' this fierce pose?!

She's a duo with one of soccer's biggest players -- her Netflix reality show ran for three seasons. When she's not posing for her millions of followers, she's a doting mother to her pack!

Angela Diaz from Netflix's "A Toxic Love Story" has seemingly turned a new leaf since she framed Michelle Hadley for cyberstalking ... we've learned she now works at an abortion support organization.

Angela -- who now uses her maiden name Connell -- goes by Angi C. and is the Director of Peer Counseling Services for Exhale Pro-Voice, an organization that provides support services for people who have had abortions.

Her bio even mentions she'd spent time in prison before pursing a Master's degree in psychology and justice studies and "deepening her commitment to transformative justice."

Ian Diaz from Netflix's "A Toxic Love Story" is making moves to try and get out of prison ... and he's throwing his former lawyer under the bus in the process.

TMZ obtained a petition Ian filed, in which he argues his 10-year prison sentence should be vacated due to ineffective counsel at his trial. 

Ian claims his former attorney failed to file appropriate paperwork to challenge the government's claims, failed to gather evidence, accept evidence provided to them, and various other things. 

Michelle Hadley spent 88 days in jail for a twisted stalking plot she had nothing to do with ... and now we know how much money was shelled out to her over the massive screw-up.

Here's the deal ... Michelle is the focus of a new Netflix documentary, "A Toxic Love Story," about a 2016 cyberstalking case out of Anaheim ... where she was tossed into the clink after her ex-boyfriend, Ian Diaz, and his fiancée, Angela Connell, framed her for outlandish crimes ... such as trying to arrange for Angela to get raped via a Craigslist ad.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Michelle settled with Anaheim police for $1.8 million back in 2021 ... after she sued the city for what the doc shows was sloppy, rushed police work -- all because Ian used his influence as a U.S. Marshal at the time.

This week's Chix On Netflix features a redheaded actress who traded high school hallways for high-stakes drama. Can you guess who she is based on these clues???

She starred on one of TV's biggest teen dramas alongside Camila Mendes ... and now she's making another Netflix splash in the thriller "The Hunting Wives."

Just because Chrishell Stause isn't showing her show-stopping looks on "Selling Sunset" any longer doesn't mean we're not blasting you with her hot shots for her 45th birthday!

We're sold! Are you?! Check out the gallery!

Rei Ami is still reeling from "KPop Demon Hunters" taking over the world in 2025 ... but fans won't have to wait for a sequel to get more of Zoey -- in human form, that is.

TMZ caught up with 1/3 of the singing voices of HUNTR/X outside "TODAY" on Friday ... and got her thoughts on the hit animated movie being as popular as ever a year after it was released.

Rei was close to tears as she reflected on the flick's success ... and told us she's "so proud, so eternally grateful for the fans and the community we built" in the process.

Blake Robertson -- a contestant on season 4 of 'The Ultimatum' -- was arrested after being accused of an assault involving his girlfriend, Hayley Hendrich, TMZ has learned.

Blake was arrested in October 2025 -- after filming for the Netflix reality show wrapped -- at a business in Nacogdoches, Texas for allegedly putting his hands on Hayley, with whom he appeared on the show.

However, the reality star's attorney, Sean Hightower, tells us ... "Blake's case was rightfully dismissed by the prosecutor almost immediately, and all records were expunged."

It's been 10 years since the "Stranger Things" kids first captured our hearts ... and now look at them ... they're all grown up! Can you even believe it?!?

It feels like just yesterday that Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, and Millie Bobby Brown first graced our screens as the lovable children of Hawkins, Indiana.

Like, look at Finn Wolfhard! He was just a baby playing "Dungeons and Dragons" and communicating with his friends through chunky, 80s-style walkie-talkies.

This week's Chix On Netflix is a real estate maven and a reality TV veteran. Can you guess who she is based on these clues:

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" was her first stop, but she made her Netflix debut on "Buying Beverly Hills" alongside her stepdad, Mauricio.

She recently announced her pregnancy!

Alix Earle says fans are finally going to hear her side of the Alex Cooper drama ... because the influencer is opening up about their messy fallout on her upcoming Netflix reality series.

Earle tells TIME she wasn't comfortable discussing her former Unwell Network boss when filming "Earle Meets World" first began. "That was one of the things in the beginning they wanted me to talk about, and I really wasn't comfortable sharing."

But she says the situation soon became unavoidable. "Everything unfolded the way it did while we were filming," Earle says. "There was a serious struggle behind the scenes of emotions, and my family showed up for me."

Tom Sandoval and Victoria Lee Robinson were close to ending their tumultuous relationship after he returned from filming a new reality show ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Tom spent three weeks in April filming a Netflix survival competition in Panama hosted by Alan Ritchson. Contestants had no access to their phones, making it the longest Tom and Victoria had gone without speaking since they started dating.

We're told after Tom returned home, the couple had an honest conversation about their future. According to our sources, Victoria said the time apart made her realize they should break up. Tom, on the other hand, realized he loved Victoria even more and wanted to fight for the relationship.