HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A former top official in Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget office allegedly extorted private contractors into paying him thousands of dollars in bribes as he oversaw large blocks of state money for school construction projects, federal authorities said Thursday.

Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis, a former state representative and a lawyer, appeared in federal court in Hartford in the afternoon after being arrested at this home in the morning. He pleaded not guilty to 22 charges, including extortion, bribery, conspiracy and false statement charges, and was released on $500,000 bail. Diamantis has previously denied any wrongdoing.

U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery and officials with the FBI and IRS allege Diamantis used his position as director of the state’s Office of School Construction Grants and Review to demand and ultimately receive thousands of dollars in bribes from contractors from 2018 to 2021. It was in exchange for helping the companies obtain and maintain contracts for work on multimillion-dollar, state-funded school construction projects, officials said.