Former Connecticut budget official arrested, pleads not guilty to bribery and extortion charges

HARTFORD, Conn. — A former top official in Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget office allegedly extorted private contractors into paying him thousands of dollars in bribes as he oversaw large blocks of state money for school construction projects, federal authorities said Thursday. U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery and officials with the FBI and IRS allege Diamantis used his position as director of the state’s Office of School Construction Grants and Review to demand and ultimately receive thousands of dollars in bribes from contractors from 2018 to 2021. Lamont’s office issued a statement saying the governor took steps in 2021 to remove Diamantis from his government jobs when “allegations of ethical improprieties surfaced.” Lamont, a Democrat, also ordered an independent review of the school construction grant program and several reforms were made. In March 2022, state officials received a federal grand jury subpoena seeking electronic communications dating to Jan. 1, 2018, involving Diamantis and the “planning, bidding, awarding and implementation” of school construction projects, upgrades at the state pier in New London, and hazardous material abatement projects.