Gary M. Diggs, 61, is a Tier 3 registered sex offender wanted by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office in connection with a 2017 rape case in Fairburn, Georgia, and a subsequent failure to appear at his own trial. According to Fulton County prosecutors, Diggs met a then-19-year-old woman from Louisiana through the dating website Plenty of Fish, using a photograph that was not his own and describing himself as the owner of two Atlanta-area mansions. Prosecutors said the encounter turned violent and the woman was raped. Diggs was indicted on charges of rape, false imprisonment, and aggravated battery; because he was already a registered sex offender at the time, stemming from a 1995 California rape conviction, he was also charged with violating Georgia's Sex Offender Registry requirements. Diggs represented himself at trial in Fulton County Superior Court before Senior Judge David Emerson. As the prosecution neared the close of its case in June 2026, Diggs did not appear for a scheduled court date and has not been located since. The trial proceeded in his absence, and he was convicted in absentia on all counts; as a recidivist offender he was sentenced to life without parole plus 60 years, plus 20 days for contempt of court. Separately, in November 2022, while the Fairburn case remained pending, Diggs was arrested in Gibson, Louisiana, on one count of indecent behavior with a juvenile investigated by the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office; the disposition was not confirmed for this summary.
The Fulton County Sheriff's Office is the lead agency searching for Diggs, who is the subject of an active failure-to-appear warrant, case number 26-002596FTA, in addition to his underlying convictions. The agency classifies him as a Tier 3, high-risk, violent sex offender and lists Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, and Arkansas as states associated with his known movements; he remains at large. He has reportedly used the names Gary Howard, "Red" Howard, Kerry Diggs, and Gary S. Diggs. He is described as a Black male, approximately 6 feet tall, weighing between 147 and 190 pounds, with black, closely shaved or bald hair and brown eyes, a tattoo reading "GARY" on his left forearm, and a scar under his left eye. In late June 2026, after his conviction, Diggs filed a handwritten, self-represented motion from an undisclosed location seeking a mistrial and a new trial; a ruling on that motion has not been publicly reported. Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to his arrest. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fulton County Sheriff's Office or Crime Stoppers Atlanta at (404) 577-8477; tips may be submitted anonymously.
