Diamantis skipped federal sentencing. A no-show is not an extradition.

A missed sentencing date is a bond problem and a warrant problem. It is not an extradition order already executed, and fleeing is not a pardon. On Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis, the former Connecticut official who oversaw school construction grants, failed to appear for federal sentencing before Judge Stefon Underhill in the U.S. District Court in Bridgeport. A jury convicted him last October on 21 counts of bribery, extortion, conspiracy, and lying to federal investigators. He had been free on a $500,000 bond. Defense counsel Norm Pattis told the court Diamantis called Wednesday night and said he was already in Greece. The chair at the defense table was empty.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Francis and David Novick described the itinerary they say they have so far: toward Florida, a boat to the Bahamas, a Bahamas-to-London flight booked about three weeks earlier, then London to Greece on a Greek passport. Diamantis had told the court in March 2025 that he had obtained Greek dual citizenship and a Greek passport. Counsel on both sides told the judge that bringing a Greek citizen back can be difficult and can take years. That is a forecast about process. It is not a finding that Greece has already refused a request, and it is not a court order sending anyone anywhere.

Underhill said he planned to sentence in absentia, reset the date to Sept. 30 to review case law, and will issue a bench warrant and entertain bond revocation. A second related corruption trial is now in limbo. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said his office is reviewing pension-revocation options. Gov. Ned Lamont criticized Diamantis. As of Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, the public record is a conviction, a missed sentencing date, and a forthcoming warrant. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.