Prosecutors and Defense Seek Leniency for Antonietta Roy in Bribery Case
Federal prosecutors and defense attorneys are jointly urging leniency for Antonietta Roy, the founder of Construction Advocacy Professionals who pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bribery after cooperating in the corruption case against Konstantinos Diamantis, courant.com reported.
Prosecutors and Defense Advocate for Reduced Sentence
Under federal advisory guidelines, Roy faces a prison sentence of 24 to 30 months. However, both the U.S. Attorney’s office and defense attorney Craig Raabe filed sentencing memos advocating for a significantly reduced penalty. Raabe asked U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill to impose a non-custodial sentence consisting of community service. Federal prosecutors David Novick and Jonathan Francis did not explicitly recommend probation, but noted in their filing that Roy “may face safety concerns if incarcerated” due to her widely known cooperation with the government.
Prosecutors acknowledged that documentary evidence regarding Diamantis’ extortion attempts against Roy and her firm was limited. Without her cooperation, interviews, and documents, securing convictions on the counts related to Construction Advocacy Professionals would have been difficult. Roy was the first defendant to cooperate in the investigation.
Origins of the Firm and Extortion Scheme
Roy began her career as a secretary in 2003 and advanced to project manager at the Capital Region Education Council, where she met Diamantis. At the time, Diamantis held a senior position in the state budget office and oversaw a $10 billion grant portfolio for public school construction. Before leaving her job to form her own firm in 2017, Roy consulted Diamantis, who encouraged her and promised support.
Beginning in 2019, Diamantis solicited and received bribes, telling Roy that her firm would be cut out of school work if she refused. Diamantis arranged for Construction Advocacy Professionals to work on Hartford’s Bulkeley High School project even though the firm was not the low bidder and the city had already hired another construction manager. Overall, Roy paid Diamantis $26,457.92, with much of the money directed to one of his daughters.
Following her first school contract, Roy asked Diamantis for staff recommendations. He recommended two women, including his inexperienced daughter Anastasia, to help pay off her student loans. Roy hired her because she believed keeping Diamantis satisfied was necessary to secure ongoing work.
Defense Claims Diamantis Manipulated Roy
Defense filings characterize Roy as a hard-working daughter of Italian immigrants whose criminal actions stemmed from manipulation and intimidation by Diamantis rather than an independent scheme. Text messages between Diamantis and his daughter referenced expectations of percentage bonuses, with Diamantis texting that he expected a percentage bonus and his daughter replying that Roy had addressed it.
Prosecutors questioned the reliability of those text messages. In their sentencing memo, prosecutors wrote that it remains unclear and ultimately unknowable whether Diamantis’ statements were literal truth, self-aggrandizing puffery intended to impress his daughter, or assumptions about what Roy understood.
Upcoming Court Schedule
Roy is scheduled to be sentenced next week by U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill. Meanwhile, Konstantinos Diamantis fled to Greece in September to avoid his own sentencing following his conviction on nearly two dozen extortion, bribery, and false statement charges.