Diamantis Rejects Plea, Trial Looms in Bribery Case

0:00It's April 20th, from your city to your ears. This is Hartford News today, powered by AI, Constantinos Diamantes. The 69-year-old former state deputy budget director just turned down a plea deal in his second bribery case and chose. To go to trial, instead, last year, a jury nailed him on 21 counts of bribery, extortion, and lying to feds over steering school construction contracts for more than $75,000 in kickbacks. Now he's basing similar charges in this new mess. Earlier this week, at a change of plea hearing before Judge Defan Underhill, the Amantes' lawyer, Norm Patis, met with prosecutors in the judge-in. Chambers then announced they pushed for trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Novick said it looks like that's the path forward, with no details on the rejected deal. His lawyer kept his short-outside court and top officials from Governor Ned Lamont's team, like former policy chief Melissa McCall and social services. Commissioner Deirdre Gifford might have

1:02to testify. The scheme allegedly involved the Amantes Pressuring State Auditors to drop a 2020 probe into Bristol, I. Dr. Helen's Services Medicaid. Billing overpayments. Zervis and ex-state rep Christopher Ziogas, Diamantes' old Bristol buddy, already pled guilty to paying him nearly $100,000 in. Prives to kill that audit. They're set as key witnesses, and Diamantes stays free on a $500,000 bond, while sentencing on the first case weights. Trial dates get set soon, but expect delays past late April, as this corruption saga in state government keeps unfolding with more testimony ahead.