Facing 10 years in prison, ex-budget official flees U.S. by boat and plane

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.

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.

Diamantis was found guilty in October 2025 on 21 counts of bribery and extortion, CBS affiliate WFSB-TV reported. He could have faced more than 10 years in prison at his sentencing Thursday in federal court in 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. He told reporters at the time that he was afraid to go to prison.

The prospects of returning Diamantis — who holds both American and Greek citizenship — to the U.S. are unclear. Greek courts have upheld the claim that extradition of Greek nationals is forbidden.

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. They said that although Diamantis had surrendered his U.S. passport, he obtained a Greek 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.

A new sentencing hearing has been set for Sept. 30, WFSB-TV reports. While Diamantis may not be there, federal prosecutors said a judge will determine what comes next.

Connecticut officials were quick Thursday to condemn Diamantis for fleeing the country and took steps to stop his state pension payments.

"Kosta Diamantis betrayed the public's trust and needs to be held accountable for his actions," the governor said in a statement. "His repeated efforts to skirt justice are shameful. I hope he is apprehended and made to face the music as soon as possible."

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 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.

"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. "So as a lawyer, I cannot support his decision to take the law into his own hands. But as a fellow human being, I understand why he did what he did."