Corrupt US school construction chief Konstantinos Diamantis flees to Greece by boat and plane to dodge a decade in prison
From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.
Konstantinos "Kosta" Diamantis, 70, made his way to Florida three weeks ago, used a hired boat to reach Nassau, and then caught connecting flights through London to Greece — all after being convicted on nearly two dozen corruption charges. As the former Connecticut school construction chief, he had directed more than $8 million in contracts toward companies that funnelled bribes back to him, and Thursday's federal sentencing hearing in Bridgeport was fast approaching. At 6:33pm Wednesday, his defence attorney Norm Pattis took a call from Greece in which Diamantis confirmed he had left the country and had no intention of coming back. Connecticut authorities have since moved to cancel his pension.
Prosecutors fear Diamantis, who holds a Greek passport, may be able to exploit the complexities of the US-Greece extradition treaty to avoid being returned.
He forwarded his lawyer a rambling 10-page memo alleging that his conviction was the product of a conspiracy between Governor Ned Lamont and federal prosecutors to 'weaponize' the Department of Justice against him.
Pattis told the court: 'I can't say that I was stunned — but I was surprised by the decision.'