Inside Connecticut’s New Medicaid Corruption Scandal
On a chilly Friday in Bridgeport federal court, former Connecticut deputy budget chief Konstantinos Diamantis, 68, and ex-Democratic legislator Christopher Ziogas, 73, pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from an audacious corruption scheme involving Medicaid audits, secretive cash exchanges, and an unsettling mix of personal and political intrigue.
The accusations center around Family Eye Care, a Bristol practice owned by Dr. Helen Zervas, who is also Ziogas’ fiancée. Zervas herself pleaded guilty earlier this year to participating in a conspiracy to halt a Medicaid audit investigating her billing practices, effectively confirming what prosecutors had suspected for months.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Francis detailed the charges in court, alleging Ziogas served as the middleman, funneling three payments totaling $95,000 from Zervas to Diamantis. The first payment of $20,000 notably occurred precisely on March 4, 2020, coinciding exactly with the cancellation of Zervas’ Medicaid audit by Connecticut’s Department of Social Services (DSS). Two additional payments—one for $10,000 soon after, and a final installment of $65,000—completed the financial arrangement by May of that year.
Federal prosecutors have emphasized the significance of explicit text messages between Diamantis and Zervas, laying bare the transactional nature of their arrangement. In one message, Diamantis brazenly told Zervas: “Chris asked me what would make me happy for a number,” and then pointedly suggested, “you put a value on what it was worth to you not to be criminally charged with Medicaid fraud.” These messages, according to prosecutors, clearly illustrate the quid-pro-quo dynamic central to the corruption charges.
Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti, a seasoned jurist known for overseeing complex federal cases, set bail at $500,000 each and prohibited both defendants from speaking to key witnesses—including their romantic partners. Diamantis’ attorney Norm Pattis, renowned for his combative defense strategies, quickly dismissed the charges as “ridiculous,” promising a vigorous battle ahead.
Governor Ned Lamont’s office declined immediate comment on the unfolding scandal. However, in a 2024 address, Lamont himself underscored his stance on integrity in public office: “Public officials must always remember we serve the people, not ourselves.”
The indictment suggests additional high-ranking state officials were allegedly pressured by Diamantis, notably including Deidre Gifford, the former DSS Commissioner, now leading Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy.
For Diamantis, this marks his second encounter with federal allegations in less than a year. In May 2024, federal prosecutors accused him of extorting bribes from contractors during his tenure overseeing the state’s school construction programs, casting a long shadow over his extensive public career.
Investigative suspicions peaked when Diamantis and Ziogas personally delivered a nearly $600,000 Medicaid reimbursement check to state authorities, leading to the abrupt cancellation of a critical audit. The check represented repayment for procedures billed by Zervas that had never been performed.
The trio—Diamantis, Ziogas, and Zervas—share decades-long connections rooted deeply in Bristol’s community and political scenes, even traveling together to Greece as part of city delegations in the 1990s.
As this scandal continues to unfold, it not only exposes potential corruption but highlights the fragile intersection of political power, personal relationships, and financial impropriety at Connecticut’s highest governmental levels.
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