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A former top official in connecticut Governor Ned Lamont’s budget office was convicted Wednesday of taking thousands of dollars in bribes from private contractors as they oversaw large amounts of state money for school construction projects.
Constantinos “Costa” Diamantis, 69, also a former democratic The state representative and an attorney were indicted by a federal jury in Bridgeport on more than 20 charges, including extortion, bribery, conspiracy and false statements. Sentencing is scheduled for January 14.
“It was a clean sweep, I was just hoping it would go the other way,” Diamantis told reporters after leaving the courtroom.
His lawyer, Norman Pattis, said he planned to appeal the conviction, calling it “disappointing”. He said Diamantis could face a “devastating sentence” of 10 years or more.
Diamantis, who denied the charges and remains free on bond, was accused of using his position as director of the state’s School Construction Grants and Review Office to solicit and ultimately receive thousands of dollars in bribes from contractors from 2018 to 2021 in exchange for helping companies obtain and retain contracts for work on multimillion-dollar, state-funded school construction projects.
He was also accused of threatening to terminate those contracts if payment was not made.
During the trial, witnesses testified about handing over envelopes of cash to Diamantis at various locations, including a man’s room in an upscale downtown area. hartford At the restaurant, the donut shop and at Diamantis’ Farmington home. Some of the payments were referred to in the messages as “birthday cards,” “pars” and “birdies.”
Diamantis, who testified in his own defense, acknowledged that he received the money but insisted that it was legitimate consulting income to help a masonry company expand its business. He said he had researched the state’s ethics rules and believed the payments were legal, adding that he had no say over which companies received contracts.
He also denied allegations that he used his power to obtain payment and a job for his daughter at an “increased salary” from the owner of a construction management company. Antonietta Roy, who owns Construction Advocacy Professionals and has previously pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy, testified that she “didn’t want to get on his bad side.”
Prosecutors highlighted emails and texts in which Diamantis was pressuring his former brother-in-law, masonry company vice president John Duffy, for cash, writing, “I’ve done my work, I need action,” and warning that he was close to missing mortgage payments. Duffy forwarded the message to company president Salvatore Monarca, saying that Diamantis was “like a vulture”. Both men have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe a former official.
At the beginning of the trial, Pattis tried unsuccessfully to subpoena Lamont, arguing that his testimony would show that Diamantis’s urgency was caused by pressure from the Governor to complete the projects on time. The judge ruled Lamont’s testimony irrelevant to the charges.
Lamont has distanced himself from the scandal, saying that he did not hire Diamantis and that he removed him from his positions in 2021 after “allegations of ethical irregularities came to light.” Democrats ordered an independent review of the school construction grant program, which led to several changes.
Speaking to WTNH-TV on Tuesday, Diamantis said he was afraid of going to jail.
He said, “Do I deserve it? I don’t. And I’m hoping the jury will come to that.”
A second federal corruption case is pending against Diamantis. In that case, he pleaded not guilty to charges that, in exchange for bribes, he helped pressure state officials in 2020 into canceling an audit of an eye doctor that later exposed Medicare and Medicaid Danger.
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Associated Press writer Dave Collins contributed to this report.