The trial of a former Connecticut schools construction official accused of demanding bribes from contractors is set to resume for its second day on Tuesday, after jurors heard testimony Monday from a former masonry executive who admitted to meeting the official at various places for payoffs.
The former official, Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis, is facing 22 federal felony counts. If convicted, he could face decades behind bars.
During the opening day of trial Monday, the jury heard testimony from John Duffy, a former executive of Acranom Masonry Inc. of Middlefield, and reviewed text messages between Diamantis and Duffy.
Duffy testified to being pressed on one side by Diamantis and his demands for money in exchange for a lucrative contract, and on the other by Salvatore Monarca, the owner of Acranom, who Duffy said was reluctant to hand over the bribe until the contract was sealed. Duffy, a former brother-in-law to Diamantis, said the company’ bid for one project included a budgeted $70,000 payoff to Diamantis.
A flurry of text messages Diamantis exchanged with Duffy and Monarca indicated that Diamantis admitted to being in “desperate” need for money, missing mortgage payments and claiming to have only a few hundred dollars in the bank at a time when one of his daughters, a niece of Duffy’s, was getting married.
Diamantis, a former seven-term Democratic state representative from Bristol and under secretary in the state Office of Policy and Management, is accused of soliciting the bribes while he headed school construction from 2018 until 2021.
Diamantis also is accused of being involved in a bribery conspiracy with a second company, Construction Advocacy Professionals LLC, and its owner Antonietta Roy.
Duffy, Monarca and Roy all previously have pleaded guilty to related federal charges in the case and are expected to testify. Roy is expected to testify Tuesday.
The trial is expected to last two weeks. Judge Stefan Underhill announced Monday that one juror of the 16 members had been dismissed because she was unable to arrange child care. That leaves three alternates in the jury, who will be named later.
During his opening statement Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Francis said the evidence would show Diamantis solicited bribes and threatened to terminate contracts unless he was paid, calling the scheme “bribes in exchange for influence.”
Federal prosecutors also charged Diamantis earlier this year with bribery, extortion and lying to investigators related to a canceled state audit of a Bristol optometrist accused of health care fraud. That case is set to go to trial next year.
This story includes previous reporting by staff writers Ken Dixon and Ethan Fry.
This article originally published at Corruption trial of former CT schools construction chief Kosta Diamantis enters second day.
