Ernest E. Newton II (born February 21, 1956) is an American politician in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...

. Newton served for seventeen years in the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. The ...

, serving in the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each ...

from 1988 to 2003 and in the

Connecticut State Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sena ...

from 2003 to 2006. He pleaded guilty to federal felony

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

charges in September 2005 and served several years in

federal prison A federal prison is operated under the jurisdiction of a federal government as opposed to a state or provincial body. Federal prisons are used for people who violated federal law (U.S., Mexico), people considered dangerous (Brazil), or those sen ...

. Newton was released in February 2010 and in 2012 unsuccessfully attempted a political comeback, losing in the

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

in a race for his old state Senate seat. He pleaded guilty to three

campaign finance Campaign financealso called election finance, political donations, or political financerefers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Donors and recipients include individuals, corpor ...

violations in 2019, relating to his 2012 legislative campaign.

Career

Newton, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, specifically part of the

Democratic Party of Connecticut The Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee (CT Dems) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Connecticut. Its chair is Roberto L. Alves. It is the dominant party in the state. Connecticut Democrats control both chambers ...

, was a member of the Bridgeport City Council in the 1980s.Brian Lockhart
Ernie Newton returning to City Council
, ''Connecticut Post'' (November 8, 2017). He served in the

from 1988 to 2003 and in the

from 2003 to 2006.David Owens
Ex-Senator Ernie Newton Wants Public Defender For Fraud Retrial
''Hartford Courant'' (October 15, 2015). Newton represented an area of Bridgeport that was one of poorest districts in Connecticut,John Christoffersen
Ex-convict Newton seeks old Conn. Senate seat
Associated Press (May 26, 2012). and was "a powerful figure from the city's East Side for more than two decades."Staff reports
Ex-Sen. Newton released from prison; enters halfway house
'' News-Times'' (February 18, 2010). Newton has admitted to receiving treatment for a

crack cocaine Crack cocaine, commonly known simply as crack, and also known as rock, is a free base form of the stimulant cocaine that can be Smoking, smoked. Crack offers a short, intense Euphoria (emotion), high to smokers. The ''Manual of Adolescent Sub ...

habit in 1995 while in the state Senate.

2005 federal felony convictions for corruption

During his seventeen years in the state Legislature, Newton "was known for high-flown rhetoric, at one point describing himself as 'the

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

of my people' and 'God's faithful servant.'" Newton is also known for his flamboyant clothing, wearing colorful tailored suits with matching shoes. Newton pleaded guilty in federal court on September 20, 2005, to charges of

bribery Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or Offer and acceptance, acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official ...

mail fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical (e.g., the U.S. Postal Service) or electronic (e.g., a phone, a telegram, a fax, or the Internet) mail system to defraud another, and are U.S. fede ...

and evasion of

federal income tax The United States federal government and most state governments impose an income tax. They are determined by applying a tax rate, which may increase as income increases, to taxable income, which is the total income less allowable deductio ...

. Newton admitted to taking a $5,000 bribe secure $100,000 in State Bond Commission grant funds for Progressive Training Associates Inc., a vocational training program, and to misappropriating $40,682 in campaign funds for his own expenses. The executive director of the Progressive Training Associates, Warren Keith Godbolt, who gave the bribe, was also convicted of bribery in 2005. Godbolt cooperated with investigators in their investigation of Newton and was sentenced to probation. In February 2006, Newton was sentenced to five years in federal prison.Christopher Keating
U.S. Judge Sentences Newton To Five Years
''Hartford Courant'' (February 3, 2006). In imposing the sentence, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Alan H. Nevas criticized Newton's "Moses" remark, saying "I don't think there's any reference in the Bible ... that as God led his people for 40 years in the desert that he ever took money from them." In February 2010, he was released from the federal prison camp in Lewisburg,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and moved to a

halfway house A halfway house is a type of prison or institute intended to teach (or reteach) the necessary skills for people to re-integrate into society and better support and care for themselves. Halfway houses are typically either state sponsored for those ...

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Waterbury had a population of 114,403 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. The city is southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury i ...

Unsuccessful political comeback attempts in 2012, 2014 and 2024

In January 2012, after his release from prison, he announced that he would be seeking to return as the state Senator for the 23rd Senate district, his old seat. In May 2012, Newton received an endorsement from the Democratic Town Committee under Chairman Mario Testa to run for Senate. In the three-way August 2012 Democratic primary in August 2012, however, Newton lost to state Representative Andres Ayala, Jr., who received the endorsement of Mayor Bill Finch. Ayala also defeated incumbent senator Edwin A. Gomes. Ayala received 2,129 votes, Newton 1,739 votes, and Gomes 1,138 votes. In 2014, Newton again unsuccessfully sought to make a political comeback, running for the 124th state House district. In March 2014, Newton again won the Democratic town committee nomination. However, Newton's opponent Andre F. Baker, Jr.—an undertaker, former Bridgeport city councilman, and board of education member—forced a Democratic primary by petition, and in the August 2014 primary election defeated Newton.Bill Leukhardt
Ernie Newton Loses Bid to Return to Bridgeport House Seat; Andre Baker Wins Nomination
''Hartford Courant'' (August 13, 2014).Brian Lockhart & Bill Cummings
Baker wrecks Newton's comeback plans
''Connecticut Post'' (August 13, 2014). Baker received the key support of Mayor Bill Finch. Baker received 697 votes to Newton's 430. In

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, Newton launched a primary bid against incumbent Democratic Senator of the 23rd district Herron Gaston, but lost the primary 71.61% to 28.39%.

Campaign finance conviction

Newton was arrested in January 2013 on state

fraud charges. On January 16, 2015, Newton was convicted of three charges of "illegal practices in campaign financing" and acquitted on a charge of

witness tampering Witness tampering is the act of attempting to improperly influence, alter or prevent the testimony of witnesses within criminal or civil proceedings. Witness tampering and reprisals against witnesses in organized crime cases have been a difficulty ...

. The jury deadlocked on two other counts of illegal practices in campaign financing and two counts of first-degree

larceny Larceny is a crime involving the unlawful taking or theft of the personal property of another person or business. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of Eng ...

, and a

mistrial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, ...

was declared on those four charges.Brian Lockhart
Bridgeport Councilman Newton avoids jail time
''CT Post'' (August 22, 2019). On May 13, 2015, Newton was sentenced to three sentences of six months in jail, to run concurrently with each other, on the state charges. The state judge found that Newton received no personal financial benefit from the crime, and that the offense was a result of "his campaign's sloppiness and failure to keep track of how much it had raised"—a

mitigating factor In criminal law, a mitigating factor, also known as an extenuating circumstance, is any information or evidence presented to the court regarding the defendant or the circumstances of the crime that might result in reduced charges or a lesser sente ...

.David Owens
Former State Sen. Ernie Newton Sentenced to Six Months in Jail
''Hartford Courant'' (March 13, 2016). The state judge freed Newton pending appeal and determined that if Newton was sent to prison for violating the terms of his federal probation (by committing the state campaign-finance offense), his six-month state sentence would run concurrently with his federal probation-violation sentence. Newton appeared in federal court in Hartford the next day. In October 2018, the

Connecticut Supreme Court The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit i ...

overturned Newton's convictions for campaign finance violations, determining in a unanimous ruling that the

jury instructions Jury instructions, also known as charges or directions, are a set of legal guidelines given by a judge to a jury in a court of law. They are an important procedural step in a trial by jury, and as such are a cornerstone of criminal process in many ...

improperly omitted an intent element of the offense; the Supreme Court returned the case to the lower court for a new trial. In August 2019, Newton pleaded guilty to the same three felony campaign-finance charges of which he was convicted in 2015; he received a

suspended sentence A suspended sentence is a sentence on conviction for a criminal offence, the serving of which the court orders to be deferred in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation. If the defendant does not break the law during that ...

of 18 months. As part of the plea agreement, Newton acknowledged a "knowing and willful" violation of the law; speaking to the media afterward, he said that he accepted responsibility for whatever occurred within his campaign, but maintained he personally did nothing wrong.

2017 election to City Council

In 2017, Newton mounted a political comeback when he was elected to the City Council again from his East End district. He defeated Councilman James Holloway in the September primary election and then won the general election.

Personal life

Newton is married; he and his wife Pamela have children.Michael P. Mayko
Newton free and ready to roll
''Stamford Advocate'' (August 13, 2010).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Ernie 1956 births Living people Politicians from Bridgeport, Connecticut Politicians from Fairfax County, Virginia Winston-Salem State University alumni Connecticut city council members Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Democratic Party Connecticut state senators Connecticut politicians convicted of crimes Politicians convicted of mail and wire fraud American people convicted of campaign finance violations African-American state legislators in Connecticut 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American politicians 20th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly 21st-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly