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.
asserted
lawyer → flee → 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.
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life → send → prosecution
Diamantis was found guilty in October 2025 on 21 counts of bribery and extortion, CBS affiliate WFSB-TV reported.
asserted
TV → find → bribery
He could have faced more than 10 years in prison at his sentencing Thursday in federal court in Bridgeport.
uncertain
He → face → Bridgeport
Diamantis, who was also a former Democratic state representative, was convicted by a federal jury 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.
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companies → convict → contracts
He told reporters at the time that he was afraid to go to prison.
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he → tell → prison
The prospects of returning Diamantis — who holds both American and Greek citizenship — to the U.S. are unclear.
uncertain
who → return → U.S.
Greek courts have upheld the claim that extradition of Greek nationals is forbidden.
uncertain
extradition → uphold → nationals
Diamantis allegedly took boat to Bahamas, flew to U.K.
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.
uncertain
he → take → London
They said that although Diamantis had surrendered his U.S. passport, he obtained a Greek passport.
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he → say → 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.
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he → say → sentencing
A new sentencing hearing has been set for Sept. 30, WFSB-TV reports.
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TV → set → Sept.
While Diamantis may not be there, federal prosecutors said a judge will determine what comes next.
uncertain
what → say → ?
Connecticut officials were quick Thursday to condemn Diamantis for fleeing the country and took steps to stop his state pension payments.
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officials → condemn → payments
"Kosta Diamantis betrayed the public's trust and needs to be held accountable for his actions," the governor said in a statement.
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governor → betray → statement
"His repeated efforts to skirt justice are shameful.
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efforts → repeat → justice
I hope he is apprehended and made to face the music as soon as possible."
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he → hope → music
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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Diamantis → add → country
"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.
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he → think → four
"So as a lawyer, I cannot support his decision to take the law into his own hands.
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I → support → hands
But as a fellow human being, I understand why he did what he did.
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he → understand → what
"You've got two choices," Pattis told WFSB-TV on Thursday.
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Pattis → get → Thursday
"Spend the next five years of your senior citizenship or your golden years asking Bubba for permission to stand in line or go to Greece."
Former police Detective Brian Foley told WFSB-TV that he believes federal prosecutors will be successful in their efforts to get Diamantis back to the United States.
"When Uncle Sam gets egg on their face, they dedicate a lot of resources into finding that person," Foley told the station.
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Foley → spend → station
"I guarantee that's already happening and he's on every fugitive list in the U.S. and overseas as well, as we should get a line on him."
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we → guarantee → him
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.
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Diamantis → maintain → email
"I have lost everything that took me an entire lifetime to earn and more.
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that → lose → lifetime
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."
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It → lose → job
He said he hopes President Trump and the U.S. attorney's office in Washington would take a look at his case.
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Trump → say → 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.
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Lamont → claim → 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.
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he → have → 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.
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Diamantis → say → 2021
He was accused of threatening to terminate those contracts if he wasn't paid.
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he → accuse → contracts
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.
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witnesses → testify → restaurant
Some payments were referred to in messages as "birthday cards," "pars" and "birdies."
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payments → refer → cards
Diamantis, who testified in his own defense, admitted that he received the money but insisted it was legitimate consulting income.
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it → testify → money
The Aporia
