By The American Tribune | Created at 2026-10-02 10:17:59 | Updated at 2026-10-02 12:34:29
2 hours ago
A former Connecticut Democratic lawmaker who fled to Greece before his corruption sentencing has received seven years in federal prison, and state officials are now going after his pension. Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis was sentenced in his absence on Wednesday, September 30th, following his conviction on 21 criminal counts. His case involved bribes from contractors working on taxpayer-funded school construction projects. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong subsequently filed an action seeking to revoke his state retirement benefits.
The sentencing took place in federal court in Bridgeport before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill. Diamantis, 70, previously represented Bristol in Connecticut’s House of Representatives for 14 years before losing a Democratic primary in 2006. He later oversaw school construction grants during Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s administration. Under Governor Ned Lamont, he also became deputy secretary of the Office of Policy and Management.
The corruption case concerned payments from contractors seeking work on school projects. Prosecutors said Diamantis pushed municipalities to hire favored companies while demanding payments from the contractors themselves. Company officials testified that they paid him cash bribes. The jury convicted him of conspiracy, bribery, extortion and making false statements to investigators.
As NBC Connecticut reported, Tong announced the pension lawsuit after the sentence was imposed. “Kosta Diamantis was convicted of demanding bribes from contractors and lying to federal investigators,” Tong said. He described the misconduct as “arrogant and brazen” and said Connecticut was asking a court to find that Diamantis had forfeited his right to a taxpayer-funded pension. CT Insider put his annual pension at roughly $75,000.
The pension action proceeds under a Connecticut statute enacted in 2008 requiring the attorney general to seek reduction or revocation of retirement benefits for officials convicted of certain crimes connected to public office. A judge determines the outcome after considering factors including the seriousness of the offense and money lost. Tong said previous cases have produced full revocations, partial reductions and decisions leaving pensions intact.
According to the Connecticut Mirror’s report, prosecutors said Diamantis drove to Florida, took a boat to the Bahamas and flew to London before apparently continuing to Greece. He had surrendered his American passport but traveled using a Greek passport. His attorney, Norm Pattis, informed the court that Diamantis was in Greece when he missed his original September 17th sentencing. Prosecutors later arranged a return trip, but he failed to appear at Athens airport despite buying a ticket.
Despite his conviction and sentence, Diamantis remains outside the United States and hasn’t begun serving his prison term. His Greek citizenship presents a substantial obstacle to bringing him back. Greece has an extradition treaty with America, but Greek law generally prohibits extradition of people who were Greek citizens when their offenses occurred. Those protections could leave him outside American custody indefinitely if he remains in Greece and authorities can’t secure his return.
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As WSHU reported, Diamantis is seeking a pardon from President Donald Trump and continues to maintain his innocence. Pattis read his client’s statement during the hearing, including his allegation that Lamont’s administration retaliated against him for criticizing it. “While I acknowledge the procedural finality of today’s hearing, I maintain my absolute innocence,” Diamantis wrote. Lamont’s administration has denied his allegations.
Underhill rejected Diamantis’ explanation, saying, “Those claims in my view fall flat.” He added, “Nobody conspired to have him commit these crimes.” Nevertheless, the judge imposed a term below the recommended range of 121-151 months, citing Diamantis’ age. WSHU reported that he also declined to increase the sentence because of the escape.
Watch the local news report on Diamantis’ sentencing here:
The sentence includes three years of supervised release after imprisonment, with restitution to be determined through further proceedings. Diamantis also faces another federal trial scheduled for December. NBC Connecticut reported that prosecutors said “all options are on the table” concerning that case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Novick said the government would do everything in its power to force Diamantis’ return.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.
