After Fleeing to Greece, Kosta Diamantis Sues Connecticut to Restore Pension Payments

Former Connecticut official Konstantinos "Kosta" Diamantis, who fled to Greece before his federal sentencing, is now suing state officials after the state stopped his pension payments.

The federal lawsuit names Connecticut Comptroller Sean Scanlon and Attorney General William Tong. Diamantis claims the state interrupted more than $70,000 in annual pension benefits without providing proper notice or an opportunity to be heard.

The lawsuit creates a new legal question in a public corruption case that has already attracted statewide attention: Did Connecticut have the authority to immediately stop Diamantis' pension payments, or was the state required to obtain a court order first?

Scanlon announced that his office discontinued the direct deposit of Diamantis' monthly pension after confirming that the former official failed to appear for sentencing and had left the United States.

"No one who has been convicted of defrauding the taxpayers and is now fleeing justice should continue receiving a pension," Scanlon said.

Diamantis reportedly receives approximately $6,287 per month from the state retirement system.

However, suspending the direct deposit is not necessarily the same as permanently revoking the pension.

Connecticut law establishes a judicial process for reducing or revoking the pension of a state or municipal official convicted of a crime connected to public office. The attorney general must bring the matter before a state court, where a judge determines whether the pension should be reduced or eliminated.

The judge may consider factors including the seriousness of the crime, the financial loss suffered by the government and the extent to which the conduct violated the public trust.

Diamantis is not asking the federal court to overturn the jury's verdict or immediately decide whether he should ultimately keep his pension.

Instead, his lawsuit argues that state officials violated his constitutional right to due process by stopping the payments before completing the legal procedure required under Connecticut law.

His attorney contends that a jury verdict alone does not automatically result in the permanent loss of a public pension and that Diamantis must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard.

The lawsuit does not erase the underlying convictions. A federal jury found Diamantis guilty in October 2025 on 21 counts, including bribery, extortion, conspiracy and making false statements to federal investigators.

The charges involved his work overseeing school construction projects funded by Connecticut taxpayers.

Tong said his office intends to take legal action concerning the pension.

"Kosta Diamantis abused the public trust and will be held accountable," Tong said in an official statement. "His disappearance this morning is a shameful insult to every person in Connecticut and will not deter our efforts to fully protect the state's interest and taxpayer dollars."

Tong said state law requires his office to pursue the reduction or revocation of pensions belonging to officials convicted of corruption related offenses. His office was reviewing the available legal options.

The ultimate decision about whether Diamantis permanently loses all or part of his pension may still need to be made by a judge.

Diamantis failed to appear for his scheduled sentencing after traveling to Greece. A federal warrant was issued for violating the conditions of his release, and federal authorities are attempting to locate him.

His sentencing has been rescheduled for September 30 and could potentially proceed without him.

Federal prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of approximately 12 years and seven months. Diamantis continues to maintain his innocence and has criticized the prosecution against him.

He also faces a separate federal prosecution involving allegations connected to an attempt to interfere with a Medicaid fraud investigation. He has not been convicted in that separate case and remains presumed innocent of those charges.

The pension lawsuit presents two separate issues.

The first is whether a public official convicted of corruption should continue receiving taxpayer funded retirement benefits after fleeing before sentencing.

The second is whether state officials must still follow every legally required procedure before stopping those benefits.

A court will now be asked to determine whether Connecticut acted within its authority when it interrupted Diamantis' pension payments.