A former senior Connecticut budget official has fled the United States for Greece days before he was due to be sentenced for corruption, according to US prosecutors and his lawyer.<\/h3>\n
Konstantinos \u201cKosta\u201d Diamantis, 70, a former Democratic state representative and senior official under Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, left the US before his scheduled sentencing in federal court in Bridgeport on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors told the court that Diamantis travelled by boat from Florida to the Bahamas before flying to London and then travelling to Greece.<\/p>\n
Diamantis, who holds both US and Greek citizenship, reportedly surrendered his US passport before obtaining a Greek passport.<\/p>\n His lawyer, Norman Pattis, said Diamantis contacted him by phone on Wednesday night and told him he was in Greece and would not attend the sentencing.<\/p>\n Diamantis was convicted by a federal jury last year of extorting thousands of dollars in bribes from private contractors between 2018 and 2021.<\/p>\n The case centred on his former position as director of Connecticut\u2019s Office of School Construction Grants and Review.<\/p>\n Prosecutors accused him of demanding payments from contractors in exchange for helping them obtain and retain multimillion dollar school construction contracts.<\/p>\n Witnesses during the trial testified that they gave Diamantis envelopes containing cash at several locations, including a restaurant bathroom, a doughnut shop and his home.<\/p>\n Some of the alleged payments were referred to in messages using terms including \u201cbirthday cards,\u201d \u201cpars\u201d and \u201cbirdies.\u201d<\/p>\n Diamantis admitted receiving money but maintained that it was legitimate consulting income.<\/p>\n Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of between 10 and 12 years.<\/p>\n Pattis had argued for a sentence without prison time but with strict conditions of release.<\/p>\n Following the hearing, US District Judge Stefan Underhill set a new sentencing date for September 30. The hearing is expected to proceed whether or not Diamantis is present.<\/p>\n In a 10 page email sent to his lawyer, Diamantis denied wrongdoing and accused Governor Lamont of using the justice system against him.<\/p>\n He claimed the prosecution had destroyed his reputation, career, finances and family relationships.<\/p>\n Diamantis also alleged that Lamont used political influence to pursue the case against him. Those allegations have not been established in court.<\/p>\n Lamont condemned Diamantis\u2019 decision to leave the country.<\/p>\n \u201cKosta Diamantis betrayed the public\u2019s trust and needs to be held accountable for his actions,\u201d the governor said.<\/p>\n Connecticut Attorney General William Tong also criticised Diamantis\u2019 disappearance and said it would not stop efforts to protect the state and taxpayers.<\/p>\n Diamantis is also facing a separate federal criminal case in which he is accused of accepting bribes to stop a state audit of an eye doctor accused of Medicaid fraud.<\/p>\n His decision to flee to Greece could now complicate efforts by US authorities to secure his return for sentencing.<\/p>\n Read More Greek Passport Now Available in Gov.gr Wallet<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/greekcitytimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Konstantinos-Kosta-Diamantis-70-1.webp)
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\nDiamantis accuses governor of political persecution<\/h3>\n