Ex-Connecticut official flees to Greece before sentencing for corruption
[September 18, 2026]
By DAVE COLLINS
A former senior budget official for Connecticut's Democratic governor is
now a fugitive in Greece after fleeing the U.S. by boat and plane ahead
of his sentencing for corruption, his lawyer and prosecutors told a
federal judge on Thursday.
Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis, 70, also sent his attorney a 10-page
email accusing Gov. Ned Lamont of weaponizing the justice system against
him, denying wrongdoing and saying his life, reputation and family
relationships were ruined by the prosecution. He could have faced more
than 10 years in prison at his sentencing Thursday in federal court in
Bridgeport.
Diamantis, who was also a former Democratic state representative, was
convicted by a federal jury last year of extorting private contractors
for thousands of dollars in bribes from 2018 to 2021, in exchange for
helping the companies keep and obtain work on multimillion-dollar school
construction contracts. He told reporters at the time that he was afraid
to go to prison.
The prospects of returning Diamantis — who holds both American and Greek
citizenship — to the U.S. are unclear. Greek courts have upheld the
claim that extradition of Greek nationals is forbidden.
Diamantis flew to England after traveling to the Bahamas by boat,
officials say
Authorities and Diamantis' lawyer, Norman Pattis, did not say when
Diamantis left the U.S.
Federal prosecutors said he traveled by boat from Florida to the
Bahamas, then boarded a plane to London. They said that although
Diamantis had surrendered his U.S. passport, he obtained a Greek
passport. Pattis said he was told by Diamantis during a phone call
Wednesday night that he was in Greece and would not be attending the
sentencing.
U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill set a new sentencing date for Sept.
30 that would go forward with or without Diamantis in attendance.
Connecticut officials were quick Thursday to condemn Diamantis for
fleeing the country and took steps to stop his state pension payments.
“Kosta Diamantis betrayed the public’s trust and needs to be held
accountable for his actions,” the governor said in a statement. “His
repeated efforts to skirt justice are shameful. I hope he is apprehended
and made to face the music as soon as possible.”
State Attorney General William Tong, also a Democrat, added in a
statement, “His disappearance this morning is a shameful insult to every
person in Connecticut and will not deter our efforts to fully protect
the state’s interest and taxpayer dollars.”
Prosecutors sought a decade-long prison sentence
Prosecutors asked the judge to send Diamantis to prison for 10 to 12
years, while Pattis argued in court documents for a sentence that
included no prison time but strict conditions of release.
After the court hearing, the defense attorney told reporters that he was
surprised that Diamantis fled the country.
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Former Connecticut deputy budget director Konstantinos "Kosta"
Diamantis, left, accompanied by his lawyer Vincent Provenzano,
right, walks out of federal court on May 16, 2024, in Hartford,
Conn. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant via AP, File)
“I think that Mr. Diamantis was facing a tough day here today and
would have gotten at least four or five years, perhaps 10 to 12,” he
said. “So as a lawyer, I cannot support his decision to take the law
into his own hands. But as a fellow human being, I understand why he
did what he did.”
Diamantis maintained his innocence since his arrest
Pattis provided copies of the email Diamantis sent to him to media
outlets.
“The injustice that has occurred to me and my family by political
weaponization is beyond rational belief,” Diamantis wrote in the
email. “I have lost everything that took me an entire lifetime to
earn and more. It is devastating to lose your home, your children's
home, your car, your job, the ability to get a job, your law
license, your honor, your dignity and pride.”
He said he hopes President Donald Trump and the U.S. attorney’s
office in Washington would take a look at his case. Diamantis
claimed Lamont used “the power of his office and his powerful
friendship with President Biden to create an insular system of
justice” aimed at protecting the governor's own wrongdoing.
Diamantis has another pending criminal case in federal court, where
he's accused of taking bribes to quash a state audit of an eye
doctor accused of Medicaid fraud.
Witnesses said they gave Diamantis envelopes of cash
In the school construction grants case, Diamantis was convicted of
using his position as director of the state’s Office of School
Construction Grants and Review to demand and ultimately receive
thousands of dollars in bribes from contractors to steer building
contracts their way, from 2018 to 2021.
He was accused of threatening to terminate those contracts if he
wasn’t paid.
During the trial, witnesses testified about handing Diamantis
envelopes of cash at various locations, including a men’s room at an
upscale restaurant, a doughnut shop and his home. Some payments were
referred to in messages as “birthday cards,” “pars” and “birdies.”
Diamantis, who testified in his own defense, admitted that he
received the money but insisted it was legitimate consulting income.
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