Christopher Ziogas, a former Connecticut State Representative for the 79th Assembly District, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to interference with a state audit of a Medicaid provider and to a separate bank fraud offense.
Court documents show that between January and June 2020, Ziogas participated in a scheme involving Konstantinos Diamantis, a senior official in the Office of Policy and Management (OPM). Diamantis solicited and received payments from Helen Zervas, an optometrist who owned Family Eye Care in Bristol and was also Ziogas’s fiancée. The payments were made in exchange for official actions intended to influence the outcome of a Department of Social Services (DSS) audit into Zervas’s Medicaid billing practices.
In January 2020, DSS notified Zervas and her practice about an upcoming audit. Knowing she had overbilled Medicaid for services not provided or not medically necessary, Zervas sought help from Ziogas to stop the audit. Ziogas then turned to Diamantis for assistance. In return for money from Ziogas and Zervas, Diamantis used his position to pressure state officials to resolve the audit favorably for Zervas.
On March 4, 2020, Ziogas paid $20,000 as a bribe to Diamantis. That same day, Zervas’s attorney sent DSS a settlement offer regarding the audit. The following day, Zervas reimbursed Ziogas with $25,000 from Family Eye Care funds. On March 12, 2020, another $10,000 bribe was paid by Ziogas to Diamantis; he was again reimbursed by Zervas. Following direct and indirect pressure from Diamantis through OPM and DSS officials, the DSS audit was cancelled on May 1, 2020 after accepting Zervas’s settlement proposal.
On May 12 of that year, both Ziogas and Diamantis delivered a $599,810 settlement check from Family Eye Care to DSS. Three days later, Ziogas arranged another payment—$65,000—to Diamantis via Zervas.
During the investigation by federal agents into these events, Ziogas made false statements.
Ziogas also committed bank fraud unrelated to this scheme. As trustee of “Trust-1,” he prepared and negotiated a $5,500 check payable to Diamantis in November 2019.
Ziogas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right (maximum sentence: 20 years), making false statements (maximum: five years), and bank fraud (maximum: 30 years).
He is currently out on a $500,000 bond while awaiting sentencing scheduled for February 18 before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport.
Helen Zervas previously pleaded guilty on related charges and is awaiting sentencing.
Konstantinos Diamantis has been indicted and is awaiting trial set for January 30 in Bridgeport. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office: “The U.S. Attorney’s Office stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan N. Francis and Paul A. Riley are prosecuting the case.
