Former Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney and head of the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) Richard Colangelo has agreed to pay $7,000 to settle an ethics complaint.
The complaint alleges that in 2020, Colangelo hired the then-Deputy Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) Kosta Diamantis’ daughter to be an executive assistant in the DCJ so that Diamantis would campaign for Colangelo and several senior DCJ attorneys to get raises, according to a press release from the Office of State Ethics (OSE).
Around March 2020, Colangelo requested salary increase for himself and several senior DCJ attorneys, and that request needed approval by the OPM and the Department of Administrative Services (DAS). Weeks later, Colangelo and Diamantis met on May 27 to discuss the pay increases which had just been rejected by the OPM earlier that month. At that meeting, the OSE investigation—which is outlined in the settlement agreement—found that the two discussed potentially hiring “Individual One,” who has been identified by press as Diamantis’ daughter, Anastasia, for a job at the DCJ.
One week later, on June 3, 2020 Colangelo and Diamantis exchanged a series of emails about a job opening: Colangelo sent Diamantis information about two job descriptions, and Diamantis forwarded the email to Anastasia with the message “thoughts?”, according to the settlement agreement document.
On June 9, 2020 Anastasia sent Colangelo her resume. She was interviewed on two days later and offered the job of Executive Assistant at the interview, investigators found. No other candidates were interviewed for that position.
In 2020, a DCJ Executive Assistant made $127,000 a year, according to the Connecticut Office of the State Comptroller’s Open Payroll.
Around the time Anastasia was offered the job, Diamantis began a “sustained advocacy campaign” at OPM for the raises that Colangelo requested, according to information outlined in the settlement agreement. This “campaign” included attempting to influence OPM actions through the Secretary of OPM, and helping Colangelo get in touch with personnel from OPM and DAS, both of which need to sign off on any increases.
Colangelo retired from his position in 2022 just days before the Criminal Justice Commission was set to vote on opening a formal case against him over these allegations.
The OSE believes there is “probable cause to believe that (Colangelo) violated the Code of Ethics for Public Officials,” but the case has not been adjudicated and Colangelo has not admitted wrongdoing.
“Insofar as the State’s Position in this Settlement Agreement and the accompanying Complaint characterize the events portrayed in those documents to suggest violation of the Code of Ethics, the Respondent Richard Colangelo rejects those characterizations,” the settlement agreement states. “To the contrary, Respondent denies any wrongdoing in connection with the matters discussed in those documents… Respondent is entering into this Settlement Agreement solely to avoid the expense of continued litigation.”
The OSE and Colangelo settled the agreement at the end of July 2025.
Senators Rob Sampson (R-Wolcott) and Stephen Harding (R-Brookfield) issued a statement on the settlement on Aug. 4.
“We commend the Office of State Ethics for reaching this resolution,” the statement said. “Senate Republicans have repeatedly noted how shocking it is that Gov. Lamont and Democrats have remained largely silent as state government ethics goes sideways. Their inaction and failure to speak out forcefully only emboldens those who believe they can bend rules and norms for personal or political gain.”
The statement also indicates that the allowable civil penalty fine limit may need to be increased in the future “in order to give our state ethics law more teeth.”
“The message from state government must be clear: misconduct will not be tolerated,” the statement said.
Currently, the maximum penalty that the OSE can level for a civil violation is $10,000.
“This penalty is actually higher than similar resolved cases,” according to OSE Director of Communications Sarah Clark.
Before the settlement can take into effect, it needs to be approved by the Citizen’s Ethics Advisory Board. Their next meeting is on Aug. 21.
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9 FEBRUARY 2026 WE ARE FILING A COMPLAINT IN U.S. FEDERAL COURT NEW HAVEN AGAINST WILLIAM TONG, AND PATRICK GRIFFIN – THE CT CHIEF STATE’S ATTY, AND CT POLICE INSPECTOR DAVID POSADAS FOR VIOLATING OUR CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER 18 U.S.C. SECTION 242 AND 42 U.S.C. SECTION1983 CITING TONG, GRIFFIN, AND POSADAS FOR VIOLATIONS, BREACHES, AND HARM BY THE AFORESAID(s) “DEPRIVATION OF CIVIL RIGHTS, CRIMINAL AND CIVIL” IN CONNECTION WITH THE WITHHOLDING OF MANDATORY ENVIRONMENTAL DISCLOSURES BY REAL ESTATE FIRM CBRE, IN CONNECTION WITH THE ENVIRONMENTALLY STIPULATED PROPERTY KNOWN AS “POINT STRATFORD” A FORMER SIKORSKY INDUSTRIAL PLANT. THE COMPLAINT WILL STATE TONG, GRIFFIN, AND POSADA ACTED 1) CONSPIRATORILY TO VIOLATE THE COMPLAINANT’S CIVIL RIGHTS, AND FURTHER THAT TONG, GRIFFIN, AND POSADAS ACTED CONSPIRATORILY 2) TO UNLAWFULLY MAKE CONNECTICUT INTO AN “ENVIRONMENTAL SECRECY JURISDICTION” IMPROPERLY IN FURTHERANCE OF THE COMMERCIAL INTERESTS OF REAL ESTATE FIRM CBRE AND OF THE INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS A LABOR UNION KNOWN TO EXERT POLITICAL SWAY OVER THE STRATFORD JURISDICTION. COMPLAINANT PLEADS FOR THE LAWFUL PROTECTION OF CT REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE STATUTES, AND E.P.A. SUPERFUND COMMUNITY RIGHT-TO-KNOW LAWS MAKING THE DEMANDED ENVIRONMENTAL DISCLOSURES MANDATORY, AND CRIMINALIZING CBRE’S REFUSAL TO MAKE SAID DISCLOSURES. POLICE INSPECTOR POSADAS IS A FORMER UNION OFFICIAL, OR POTENTIALLY A CURRENT UNION OFFICIAL, WHO WAS REQUESTED TO RECUSE HIMSELF FROM THE INVESTIGATION AND WITH THE SUPPORT OF TONG AND GRIFFIN, POSADAS REFUSED TO RECUSE HIMSELF AND INSTEAD POSADAS IMPROPERLY “CLOSED” THE INVESTIGATION, IMPROPERLY BENEFITTING REAL ESTATE FIRM CBRE AND THE INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS. ANY PERSON WISHING TO SEE THE EXHIBITS THUS FAR, INCLUDING THE OFFICIAL LETTER FROM THE AFORESAID(s) REFUSING TO INVESTIGATE – ANY PERSON MAY EMAIL 4714026@optonline.net OR FAX 2035570208 AND THEY WILL BE EMAILED TO YOU FREE OF CHARGE. BECAUSE TONG IS PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ATTORNEYS GENERAL, AND HE IS AMONG THE PARTIES TO-BE-CHARGED IN OUR COMPLAINT UNDER 18 U.S.C. SECTION 242 AND 42 U.S.C. SECTION 1983, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ATTORNEYS GENERAL HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE PENDENCY OF THE COMPLAINT AGAINST TONG.
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PATRICK GRIFFIN, ESQ: a truly vile attorney. allows corporations to engage in absolutely egregious and criminal environmental misconduct in Connecticut. a truly vile attorney. a ruiner of Connecticut. There are not that many crimes that are more hideous than intentional large-scale corporate environmental violations, and Griffin looks the other way. a real scumbag. a real scumbag. Atty. Griffin “looks the other way” for giant real estate companies, such as bulge bracket real estate company CBRE who likes to break the environmental laws, in serious and extreme ways, but they like to do it quietly, under the cover of darkness, so to speak. Which is where Atty. Griffin comes in – he helps them to do that, here in Connecticut: “The State of Corruption”. Bravo – Atty. Griffin. Did you take a course on “Public Corruption” at law school, or did you learn it on-the-job here in “Connecticut: The State of Corruption” ? You certainly do a nice job keeping things “nice and quiet” for those Fortune 500 real estate companies who come to Connecticut, in part, because they know here in Connecticut, with the appropriate dollops of grease expertly applied to government, they can do whatever they want in violation of major Federal and State environmental laws. You are a disgrace to the practice of law. You and your pal William Tong, both of you. both of you are “Experts” in “looking the other way” for giant companies who love Connecticut because, maybe it should be announced in public – ALL ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS IN CONNECTICUT ARE HEREBY ANNOUNCED BY ATTORNEYS PATRICK GRIFFIN AND WILLIAM TONG – TO BE SUSPENDED FOR WEALTHY POLLUTERS WHO ARE “WILLING TO GREASE”. You are a disgrace to the State of Connecticut. Both of you. You are a disgrace to the State of Connecticut.