Michael English, a Democrat and a convicted child molester, is running for mayor in Providence, Rhode Island. The 54-year-old was charged with molesting a 13-year-old girl in 1998, pleading no contest to sexual acts with the victim between January and March 1997. He received a 20-year sentence, with 18 and a half years suspended, and was incarcerated from September 1998 until his release in February 2000. Thirty-eight days were taken off his sentence for “good time,” which is when a sentence is reduced for good behavior.
A decade after his release, English violated a no-contact order and drove to the victim’s house to try to meet her again. He was found guilty of violating the no contact order and sentenced to five years, with incarceration at the ACI from December 2009 to September 2011. After serving 19 months in prison, he was under house arrest for two months, with “good time” applied to the remainder of his sentence.
Despite his criminal history, English claims his sick, perverted acts are a thing of the past. He argues it would be unfair and illegal to disqualify him from the mayoral race for something as petty as child molestation, asserting that his criminal history should not be a disqualifying factor in running for public office. “They’d be wrong, legally,” he said, referring to those who think his history should disqualify him.
According to his campaign website, English received a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate of arts in ministry from United Graduate College and Seminary from 2004 to 2008. He also obtained a bachelor of arts in international business from Ashford University in 2017 and a master of business administration from the same school in 2019. English described raising two children and having grown up since he was released, stating, “If I haven’t showed how to go from nothing to something again, then no one will.”
The case was never expunged but was removed from public view under a court statute designed to protect the identities of child victims. The state Attorney General’s Office alleged that English engaged in sexual acts with the victim between January and March 1997, with the girl meeting him at various locations in Cumberland, North Smithfield, and Lincoln, including at the Lincoln Mall. English claimed he was unaware of the girl’s age at the time.
The Providence Journal spoke to English about his case and the implications of someone with his history running for public office. His campaign promises to focus on his achievements, like how he got a GE in prison and went to Seminary school, but critics argue that his criminal past disqualifies him from holding elected office.