Overview
- After roughly an hour of discussion Monday, the panel in Bridgeport resumed deliberations Tuesday with a verdict still pending.
- Diamantis faces 21 counts, including bribery, extortion under color of official right, conspiracy, and numerous false-statement charges tied to school construction projects.
- Prosecutors cited texts, emails, and a voicemail and called witnesses to argue he demanded payments, threatened contractors, and leveraged influence on projects, including a hire for his daughter.
- The defense argued there was no quid pro quo, describing the money as referral or legal fees and casting Diamantis as a reformer who cut costs and angered industry players.
- Testifying in his own defense, Diamantis admitted receiving payments from Acranom Masonry and acknowledged his daughter’s hiring by Construction Advocacy Professionals while denying any use of his office to benefit them.