Former Connecticut budget official Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis filed suit Friday seeking restoration of his state pension, opening a new legal fight one day after he failed to appear for federal sentencing and surfaced in Greece. The complaint says state officials stopped his payments without notice or a hearing, according to CT Insider’s review of the filing.
The immediate dispute is procedural, not a retrial of the criminal case. Diamantis’ lawyer acknowledged in the complaint that Connecticut may pursue a reduction or revocation because the conviction arose from public service, but argued Comptroller Sean Scanlon and Attorney General William Tong acted before providing required due process. The suit asks a judge to order continuation of direct-deposit payments. CT Insider reported the benefit is about $6,400 a month, or roughly $76,000 annually.
Connecticut law does not make forfeiture automatic. Under Section 1-110a of the General Statutes, the attorney general may bring a civil action after a public official or employee is convicted of qualifying corruption-related conduct. A Superior Court judge then decides whether to revoke or reduce the retirement benefit after considering factors including the severity of the crime, the employee’s role, the degree of public trust and the financial needs of innocent family members. That structure makes the notice-and-hearing question central to the new case.
Diamantis, who formerly served as deputy secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and directed the state’s school-construction grant program, was convicted by a federal jury in October 2025 on 21 counts including bribery, extortion, conspiracy and false statements. The case concerned payments from contractors working on publicly financed school projects. The Associated Press reported that prosecutors sought a sentence of 10 to 12 years and that U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill reset sentencing for September 30, with or without Diamantis present.
His flight also remains a separate federal enforcement matter. Prosecutors said he traveled from Florida by boat to the Bahamas, then flew through London using a Greek passport. Diamantis holds American and Greek citizenship, complicating any return, while federal authorities have begun a manhunt. His lawyer told the Connecticut Mirror that Diamantis had said from Greece he would not attend the original sentencing.
The practical next step is now in Connecticut Superior Court: a judge must decide whether payments should resume while the state follows the pension-forfeiture process. Tong’s office has said it is reviewing legal options, while Scanlon has said direct deposit was discontinued. The lawsuit does not erase the conviction or the pending sentencing; it tests how quickly Connecticut can interrupt a benefit before obtaining the court order contemplated by its anti-corruption pension law. Its resolution could also clarify the process state agencies must follow in future public-corruption cases involving retirement benefits already being paid.
