Kosta Diamantis was scheduled to be sentenced Thursday in federal court in Bridgeport after being convicted last year on 21 counts of bribery, extortion, conspiracy and lying to federal investigators.
Instead, Diamantis fled the country. His attorney told the court that the former high-ranking state official is now in Greece, where he holds dual U.S.-Greek citizenship.
The Justice Department will likely begin the extradition process, said Chris Mattei, a Connecticut attorney and former chief of the U.S. Attorney's Office for Connecticut's Financial Fraud and Public Corruption unit. "The United States has an extradition treaty with Greece directly and also with all members of the EU," Mattei said.
Greece could complicate extradition
Mattei says Greece has historically been reluctant to extradite its own citizens. That could make it considerably more difficult for U.S. authorities to bring Diamantis back to Connecticut.
"The United States is going to encounter some difficulties there," Mattei said. "The United States is going to have to make a compelling case as to why its interests in incarcerating Mr. Diamantis for the crimes he committed here ... are so significant that they [Greece] should extradite him."
Mattei says the Justice Department is likely to put significant pressure on Greece to return Diamantis to the U.S.
Mattei says diplomatic and political considerations between the two countries could also play a role, making the outcome difficult to predict.
How did he get out?
Diamantis had been set to be sentenced after being convicted by a federal jury last year for extorting bribes from construction companies when he served as director of the state’s school construction program.
Prosecutors had previously raised concerns about Diamantis' Greek citizenship and passport. He had surrendered his U.S. passport, but Diamantis had earlier acknowledged that he also had a Greek passport.
That passport apparently was never required to be surrendered. Mattei says Diamantis also was not placed under home confinement or subjected to real-time tracking.
"What appears to have happened is that Mr. Diamantis obtained his Greek passport, used that to travel, and because the government did not have real-time tracking on his whereabouts, he was able to keep a step ahead of the government," Mattei said.
Mattei says despite attorney Norm Pattis’ assertion that Diamantis is currently in Greece, authorities would likely try to determine if that is actually the case. If he is still traveling and has not reached Greece, it could be easier for the government to have him arrested in another European Union country where he does not have citizenship.
Sentencing could be delayed
Mattei does not expect U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill to sentence Diamantis in absentia.
Instead, he says, the criminal case could remain open until Diamantis is taken into custody and brought back to the United States. His flight could also become an aggravating factor when he is eventually sentenced.
"I don't see that happening for quite some time because this is a fairly brazen violation of the court's orders," Mattei said.
Mattei says the government has considerable resources and experience pursuing defendants who flee overseas, but extradition cases can take a long time.
"It's always a lengthy and complicated process," he said. "It's a lot of legal and political wrangling."
