A federal judge sentenced Kosta Diamantis to seven years in prison for extorting bribes from contractors on state-funded school projects.

Diamantis, 70, was not in the courtroom. He fled to Greece roughly two weeks before the Wednesday, Sept. 30, sentencing and remains a fugitive.

U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill imposed the 84-month sentence in absentia at U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, according to the CT Mirror. The sentence is followed by three years of supervised release, according to Connecticut Public.

Diamantis was convicted on 21 counts of conspiracy, bribery, extortion and lying to federal investigators. The crimes occurred between 2018 and 2021, when he directed Connecticut's Office of School Construction Grants and Review.

That office oversees roughly half a billion dollars in school construction projects statewide each year, according to Greenwich Time. Greenwich relies on the same program. The state is reimbursing 20% of the town's costs to rebuild Central Middle School, according to state legislators, and the Old Greenwich School renovation is expected to receive state reimbursement for about 20% of eligible costs, plus an added pre-K rate.

Shorter than prosecutors sought

Prosecutors had asked for 121 to 151 months, roughly 10 to 12.5 years. Underhill went well below that range, citing Diamantis's age.

"As bad as his crimes were, he does not deserve to be in prison for the rest of his life," Underhill said, according to the CT Mirror.

The judge said the evidence of Diamantis demanding and obtaining bribes was overwhelming, much of it captured in the defendant's own text messages. Underhill said the jury rejected Diamantis's testimony that the cash payments were legitimate fees.

Fled through Florida, Bahamas and London

Diamantis failed to appear at a scheduled Sept. 17 sentencing. His attorney, Norm Pattis, told the court that Diamantis had called him the evening before and said he was in Greece.

Federal prosecutors said Diamantis drove from Connecticut to Florida, took a boat to the Bahamas and then flew to London before reaching Greece. He holds dual U.S.-Greek citizenship. Greece generally prohibits extradition of its own citizens under its penal code, according to the CT Mirror.

A federal official waited at the Athens airport on Tuesday, Sept. 29, to escort Diamantis onto a flight to New York. Diamantis had told his lawyer and an FBI agent by phone that he would consider returning. He did not show.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Novick called Diamantis "an unrepentant disgrace" and said the government will do everything in its power to force his return.

The Fugitive Disentitlement Doctrine, which Pattis noted in a court filing, could block any federal appeal of Diamantis's conviction while he remains a fugitive.

Pension and property at stake

Attorney General William Tong filed a civil action on Sept. 30 to revoke Diamantis's state pension, according to Greenwich Time. Diamantis has collected roughly $75,000 a year in pension earnings, according to the state's Open Pension website, as reported by Greenwich Time. He has received more than $340,000 since he was fired from his state job in October 2021.

State Comptroller Sean Scanlon had already stopped direct deposit of Diamantis's monthly pension payment on Sept. 17, the day he failed to appear for sentencing, Greenwich Free Press reported.

Underhill stayed enforcement of a forfeiture order on Diamantis's Farmington home until Friday, Oct. 2, giving his family time to retrieve personal effects. The home carries $450,000 in mortgage and home equity debt. Title will transfer to the U.S. government.

Pardon bid, second trial still pending

Diamantis has been seeking a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump while in Greece. A White House official told Connecticut Public that the administration was not tracking Diamantis's pardon application and had never heard of him.

Pattis read a statement from Diamantis to the court maintaining his innocence and calling the charges "a targeted effort of political entities." Pattis made clear the statement was his client's, not his own.

Diamantis also faces a separate, pending federal trial on public corruption charges related to a nixed state probe into an optometry office.

Gov. Ned Lamont said he was shocked federal officials let Diamantis escape to Greece, and State Sen. Ryan Fazio, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, said the governor bears broad responsibility for what happens under his watch, according to the CT Mirror. Diamantis was first appointed to the school construction role by former Gov. Dannel Malloy and also served as deputy budget director under Lamont, who fired him in 2021 amid the federal investigation.

Restitution owed to Hartford, New Britain, Tolland and the state of Connecticut will be calculated in further proceedings. No date has been set.