A former top official in Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget office was convicted Wednesday of extorting private contractors for thousands of dollars in bribes as he oversaw large sums of state money for school construction projects.

Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis, 69, also a former Democratic state representative and a lawyer, was convicted by a federal jury in Bridgeport of more than 20 charges, including extortion, bribery, conspiracy and false statements. Sentencing is set for Jan. 14.

“It was a clean sweep, I was just hoping it would go the other way,” Diamantis told reporters after leaving the courtroom.

His lawyer, Norman Pattis, said they plan to appeal the convictions, calling them a “disappointment." He said Diamantis could be facing a “catastrophic sentence” of 10 years or m

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