Former CT Official Arrested, Facing Federal Charges: Feds

CONNECTICUT — A former Democratic state representative and official who worked for Governor Ned Lamont's office has been arrested and is facing federal charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Konstantinos "Kosta" Diamantis was placed on paid leave from the Office of Policy Management, for which he worked as deputy secretary, in Oct. 2021 and retired the same day, WTNH reported.

WFSB reported in early 2022 that Diamantis was "at the center of" a federal investigation over school construction contracts.

A federal grand jury in New Haven returned a 22-count indictment charging Diamantis, 67, of Farmington, with extortion, bribery, conspiracy, and false statement offenses related to his conduct as director of Connecticut’s Office of School Constructions Grants and Review (“OSCGR”), the state agency responsible for the grant administration of all Connecticut public school construction projects seeking state funding, federal authorities announced in a news release.

The indictment was returned Wednesday, and Diamantis was arrested on Thursday. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford, pleaded not guilty to the charges, and was released on a $500,000 bond.

In addition, three related cases were unsealed Thursday. On May 13, 2024, Salvatore Monarca, 53, of Durham, the president and director of Acranom Masonry, Inc. (“Acranom”), a masonry contractor located in Middlefield, and John F. Duffy, 63, of Westerly, Rhode Island, vice president of Acranom, each pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe Diamantis to obtain masonry contracts on school construction projects, federal authorities said in a news release.

On May 14, 2024, Antonieta Roy, 41, of Plainfield, the owner of Construction Advocacy Professionals, LLC (“CAP”), pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe Diamantis to obtain business as a construction administrator on school construction projects, federal authorities said in a news release.

The indictment alleges that Diamantis demanded and received bribes from Acranom, Monarca, and Duffy in connection with multi-million dollar school construction projects Diamantis supervised as director of OSCGR, federal authorities said in a news release.

In exchange for those bribes, and promises to pay bribes, Diamantis used his official position to assist Acranom to obtain and maintain contracts to perform masonry work for state-funded school construction project, officials said.

Diamantis helped Acranom resolve a dispute on phase two of Hartford’s Weaver High School renovation project around 2018; obtain the contract for masonry work on phase four of the same project; and, in and around 2019, obtain the masonry contract for the emergency rebuild of the Birch Grove Primary School in Tolland, officials said in a news release.

In numerous electronic messages recounted in the indictment, Diamantis, Duffy, and Monarca discussed their plan to pay Diamantis in exchange for his official action on behalf of Acranom, federal officials said.

Diamantis also demanded payment in exchange for his actions, and threatened to remove Acranom as mason on the Weaver and Birch Grove projects if he was not paid, according to a news release. The indictment also alleges incidents where cash was provided by Acranom to Diamantis, officials said.

The indictment further alleges that Diamantis demanded and received bribes from Roy in her capacity as the owner of CAP, officials said.

"In exchange for those bribes, Diamantis used his official position to assist CAP in obtaining contracts to provide construction administrator and related services on state school construction projects, including a 2019 contract on the Birch Grove project in Tolland, a 2019 contract to assist New Britain in obtaining state reimbursement for school construction projects, and a 2019 contract related to the renovation project at Hartford’s Bulkeley High School," federal authorities said in a statement. "Roy paid Diamantis via cash and check, and hired Diamantis’s daughter at an inflated salary."

The indictment also alleges that on three different occasions in 2023, Diamantis made multiple false statements to FBI agents investigating this matter, officials said.

The indictment charges Diamantis with two counts of extortion and two counts of conspiracy to commit extortion, offenses that carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count; two counts of bribery, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years of each count; two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years on each count; and 14 counts of making false statements, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years on each count.

Gov. Ned Lamont's office issued a prepared statement late Thursday, here it is in its entirety:

Julia Bergman, director of media relations and chief spokesperson for Governor Ned Lamont, today released the following statement:

“Governor Lamont appreciates the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal agencies involved in this case. The governor has been clear that he has zero tolerance for malfeasance and corruption in government. The governor took action in 2021 to remove Mr. Diamantis from his governmental positions when allegations of ethical improprieties surfaced and directed an independent review of the school construction program. Since then, several reforms have been made to the program to ensure accountability and restore public trust. The State of Connecticut and its citizens are the victims where there is public corruption, and the governor will continue to support the full scope of resources and investigative tools available to federal authorities in rooting out corruption.”

Additional background:

• In October 2021, Governor Lamont ordered the dismissal of Mr. Diamantis from his job as deputy secretary at the Office of Policy and Management (an appointed position) and placed him on leave from his job overseeing school construction (a civil service position). Mr. Diamantis subsequently resigned from the job on the school construction program.
• In October 2021, Governor Lamont ordered that oversight of the state’s school construction program be returned to the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) from the Office of Policy and Management. In the weeks and months following this transfer, staff at DAS were then directed to conduct a thorough review to ensure that all grants are being administered appropriately. Staff training was provided to ensure that all appropriate policies and procedures are being followed. DAS also updated its policies relating to the hazmat contract and issued guidance to municipalities regarding best practices on using state contracts. Regular audits of the school construction grants are now conducted by a unit outside of the Office of Grants Administration.
• In December 2021, Governor Lamont ordered an independent investigation to be conducted regarding the hiring of Mr. Diamantis’s daughter by the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney. The independent investigation was conducted by the law firm of Day Pitney LLP and led by former U.S. Attorney Stanley A. Twardy, Jr.
• In February 2022, Day Pitney LLP provided Governor Lamont with its final report of the independent investigation.
• In January 2023, DAS released the final report of an independent review of the school construction grants program that was conducted by Marcum LLP. The review analyzed more than 111 school construction projects in Connecticut between 2018 and 2021.