Jury finds Kosta Diamantis guilty on all 21 counts in federal trial

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WTNH) — A jury has found Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis, Gov. Ned Lamont’s former state deputy budget director, guilty on all 21 counts of bribery, extortion and making false statements in his federal trial.

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• Counts 1 and 2 | Extortion by Wrongful Use of Fear or Under Color of Official Right: Guilty
• Counts 3 and 4 | Bribery: Guilty
• Counts 5 and 6 | Conspiracy to Commit Extortion Under Color of Official Right: Guilty
• Counts 7 and 8 | Conspiracy to Commit Bribery: Guilty
• Counts 9 – 21 | False Statements: Guilty

Diamantis sat silently, with two of his daughters seated behind him as Judge Stefan Underhill calmly read each count just after 11 a.m. Wednesday.

When News 8 political reporter Mike Cerulli asked Norm Pattis, Diamantis’ defense attorney, for his reaction to the verdict, Pattis said, “Ouch.”

Hear his full comments in the video below.

“Mr. Diamantis is facing a catastrophic sentence,” Pattis said. “He’ll be lucky to get out of this with less than 10 to 12 years.”

The two federal prosecutors leading the case, Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan Francis and David Novick, declined comment outside the courthouse. 

Chris Mattei, who is currently in private practice, was formerly the chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Francis currently serves in that role. Mattei was present in court for the verdict and congratulated his former colleagues after the proceeding.

“It was clear that the prosecution team handled this case with the utmost integrity and professionalism,” Mattei said. “Their service is a welcome reminder of what the Department of Justice can be at its best.”

Jury foreperson says Diamantis did not help his case

Exiting the courthouse, Nkong Tankeng, the foreperson for the jury, said she listened closely to the arguments on both sides.

The government presented volumes of text messages and witnesses, which they claimed proved that Diamantis was using his powerful state position to demand bribes from contractors seeking work on projects he was overseeing.

Diamantis stated that the payments he received from those contractors were for outside legal and consulting work.

The jury didn’t buy that explanation.

“From my perspective, there wasn’t enough evidence to support that those were consulting fees, Tankeng said. “He definitely said they were legal fees, but there wasn’t anything to support that stance.”

Beyond the direct evidence, the foreperson said she didn’t find Diamantis himself to be credible and that his decision to testify did not help his case.

“I believe he hurt his case,” Tankeng said. “I do think a person’s character, how they carry themselves, and we could see that throughout, or I could see that throughout his testimony, even just sitting at the defendant’s table. Just how he carried himself and his character just wasn’t credible enough for me.”

Diamantis is scheduled to be sentenced in January 2026.

What’s next for Diamantis

Diamantis was allowed to leave the courtroom on Wednesday.

Defense attorney and former state prosecutor Ryan McGuigan has been observing this case closely and had a blunt statement.

“In federal court, they have a conviction rate of about 98%, so none of these things should really surprise anybody,” McGuigan said.

Underhill has a reputation as a jurist who sometimes departs from the federal sentencing guidelines, ordering prison time that some sources have described to News 8 as lenient. McGuigan said the longtime federal judge might not look so kindly on Diamantis.

“In my experience with Judge Underhill, he has an aversion to people who break the public trust, particularly,” McGuigan said.

Governor, state Republicans weigh in on conviction

Following the verdict, Lamont issued a statement:

“Public service is a public trust. The conviction of Mr. Diamantis is a stark reminder that when that trust is violated, there are consequences. Our state places a great deal of trust in our government and that trust is harmed by rogue, bad actors like this. Safeguarding that trust and taxpayer dollars is of the utmost importance to my administration. After immediately firing Kosta in 2021, I ordered actionable steps be swiftly taken to ensure this can never happen again. After returning school construction oversight back to the Department of Administrative Services, several proactive steps were taken to ensure accountability and restore public trust in the administration of school construction grants. These reforms have significantly reduced risk, improved accountability, and helped rebuild trust. My administration will continue to work to close gaps, improve oversight, and uphold the highest ethical standards across all state operations.”

House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford also released a statement on the trial.

“The conviction of Kosta Diamantis is yet another example of corruption in state government that erodes public trust in those who profess to be public servants. The cost to taxpayers can be quantified; the cost to Connecticut’s collective psyche will compound for years to come. Unfortunately, this is just the latest chapter of someone abusing a position of authority for base personal gain. Given the recent developments and public disclosures of grand jury activity, and ongoing federal investigations, it is surely not likely to be the last.”

Sen. Stephen Harding also released a statement on behalf of the Connecticut Senate Republican Caucus.

“Corruption at the highest level of Connecticut government. Bribery. Extortion. Recklessness. Arrogance. From Diamantis, to the State Pier debacle, to the CSCU Chancellor Cheng scandal to the unvetted nonprofit ‘candy store’ grants: the disrespect for taxpayers’ money is widespread in Connecticut state government. We view it as a creeping culture of corruption. It’s mismanagement. A lack of oversight and accountability. Your money getting wasted again and again. We thank the prosecution team for its work.”