Kosta Diamantis claims it was fees, not bribes that pocketed tens of thousands of surreptitious dollars as the former head of Connecticut’s school construction program, a problematic rationale a jury did not buy. On Wednesday he was convicted on all counts after he took the stand spewing bizarre testimony.
Could Diamantis’ conviction impact the long-delayed federal campaign finance fraud trial of former State Senator Dennis Bradley? He was charged in 2021 with wire fraud for allegedly misrepresenting campaign finance information to obtain public funds during his 2018 election campaign for state office.
The prosecutorial team leading the Diamantis case also charged Bradley. It’s the same team that prosecuted former Police Chief AJ Perez with rigging the Civil Service police test that led to his appointment, subsequent resignation and conviction.
Does Diamantis case provide Bradley pause to mitigate potential prison exposure by copping a plea?
Why such a long delay for trial?
Most of it stems from an evidentiary battle won by the government to introduce additional video evidence related to Bradley’s 2018 campaign announcement at Dolphin’s Cove in the East End.
The government alleges Bradley leveraged his law firm as a campaign front for what was clearly a candidacy announcement for state office, raising campaign money at the event in violation of state law, directing campaign staff to cover his tracks by falsifying donation cards to reflect the fundraising did not take place March 15, 2018 and falsifying campaign finance reports to receive $84,140 of public dollars in aid of his campaign.
The State Elections Enforcement Commission came down hard on Bradley financially, but worse was the feds weighing in.
Bradley’s 2018 campaign treasurer, ex school board member Jessica Martinez, entered a guilty plea to providing false information to a grand jury she says was coached by Bradley who served as her personal attorney. Martinez was sentence with no prison time.
In an interview with OIB in July, Martinez said Bradley “manipulated her to lie before the grand jury. He was my lawyer, I trusted him. He did me wrong.”
Even if Bradley’s trial commences in December, it will likely drag out into 2026.
This shit was so unnecessary in the form of perpetrating and over prosecution by the state. IMO
The cover-up is worse than the crime. He held an announcement party that he paid for, collected contributions at said event. Perhaps unlawful by law terms, but hardly not much of a crime. The real criminality is CEP that finance public elections. It’s nothing more than a slush-fund of cities local political operational game. 🤣
If Bradley wasn’t such a political beast with words, perhaps, we wouldn’t be here, fines speaking. I am sure that was going through the minds when perpetrating such common acts. But Port politics an unpredictable beast. JS
“Does Diamantis case provide Bradley pause to mitigate potential prison exposure by copping a plea?”
“Why such a long delay for trial?”
Dennis Bradley has more to lose–his license to practice. As long as he doesn’t plea quilty or is found quilty, he can continue to practice as an attorney.
Roll the dice at the Trump Pardon Casino is pretty much the only way out short of an acquittal. If I was Beadley, I would have flooded OIB and the Editorial pages of all major newspapers with raw support for Donald J. Trump’s agenda and acknowledge the huge size of his penis.
Joel, your right!
If Bradley tells Trump, he believes Trump is (Hung like a New Jersey Fieldmouse), Bradley will walk tomorrow.