Former Connecticut deputy budget director and Democratic state representative Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis reportedly fled the United States for Greece before appearing in federal court for sentencing on corruption convictions.
Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis, former deputy budget director under Gov. Ned Lamont, former director of the state’s school-construction grant office, and a former Democrat state representative, skipped Thursday’s federal sentencing in Bridgeport after slipping out of the country on a route prosecutors described as Florida to the Bahamas by boat, then a flight to London, then Greece, CT Insider reported.
Diamantis faced more than a decade in prison. Federal prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill for 10 to 12 years after a jury convicted him last October on 21 counts of extortion, bribery, conspiracy, and lying to the FBI. The new sentencing date is September 30, with or without him in the room.
His own lawyer told the court he is not coming back.
The escape the court was warned about.
Diamantis had been free on a $500,000 bond. Prosecutors had already flagged the obvious flight risk: he obtained Greek citizenship and a Greek passport while the case was pending, and he had repeatedly asked the court for permission to travel to Greece, WFSB reported.
The judge still left him out. Lamont later said he was “shocked” the man was not wearing an ankle bracelet. Too late.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Francis told the court Diamantis drove to Florida, hired a boat to Nassau, then flew to London.
Defense attorney Norman Pattis said his client called Wednesday night, around 6:30 p.m., and announced he was already in Greece and would not appear.
Pattis said the family did not know. Diamantis’ daughter was en route to Bridgeport when she found out.
Greece and the United States have an extradition relationship. Greece, however, generally does not hand over its own nationals. Diamantis is a dual citizen. That is the entire play.
Before he vanished, Diamantis sent Pattis a 10-page email. Pattis shared it with the court and the press, CT Mirror reported.
In it, the convicted Democrat accused Democrat Gov. Ned Lamont and former President Joe Biden of “weaponizing” the Justice Department. He denied wrongdoing.
He said the case wrecked his life, his reputation, and his family. He wrote that he lost his home, his children’s home, his car, his job, his law license, his honor, and his pride.
“The injustice that has occurred to me and my family by political weaponization is beyond rational belief,” Diamantis wrote.
He claimed Lamont used “the power of his office and his powerful friendship with President Biden to create an insular system of justice” meant to protect the governor and his family from scrutiny.
He called the investigation “a politically insulated script written by Lamont, Connecticut DOJ and Connecticut tight knit legal aristocracy.”
He wants President Donald Trump and federal prosecutors in Washington to look at the file. He had already applied for a presidential pardon. Pattis said the email read like it was written for that audience.
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