Former Connecticut mayor used city credit card for tens of thousands of personal expenses, report finds
A former Connecticut mayor suspended her bid for governor on Thursday in the wake ofan investigative report that revealedthousands of dollars of personal expenses she accrued on a city-issued credit card while in office.
The report showedErin Stewart, who served as New Britain’s mayor from 2013 to 2025,spent over $207,000 on the credit card over roughly a decade. Purchases included makeup, clothes, gifts for her children, and expenses at a private social club in Hartford, according to the report from a law group hired by the city to conduct the investigation.
“I take the allegations that have been made against me very seriously,” Stewart said in a written statement on Thursday announcing an end to her gubernatorial campaign. She added that she takes “accountability for any mistakes, and I intend to make full and complete restitution to the City of New Britain.”
Questions about Stewart’s spending habits arose earlier this week, although the Republican had previously declined to address allegations of misconduct before the party’s nomination convention this weekend. In her statement, Stewart backed Connecticut state Senator Ryan Fazio to be the GOP’s nominee.
“It is my intention not only to suspend my campaign but also to step back from public life as I do what is necessary to address these questions and make things right,” read the statement.
A spokesperson for Stewart could not be immediately reached for comment.
In Thursday’s report, investigators with Crumbie Law Group focused on purchases Stewart made to Amazon, Costco, Instacart, and the private Hartford Club, along with other vendors. Those purchases, which totaled $123,018, were found to have “no supporting documentation associated with them,” a violation of city policy and “counter to common sense public accounting principles”
“The findings of this investigation point not to isolated lapses in judgment, but to a pattern of behavior that violated public trust and the standards expected of an elected official entrusted with taxpayer funds for nearly a decade,” the report read.
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The report claims that Stewart used a city credit card to not only pay for her membership to the Hartford Club but also host a re-election campaign event in 2017 at the private club. She also spent thousands of dollars on a tropical Peppa Pig-themed birthday party for her daughter in 2022, per the report.
Other purchases detailed in the report include audio equipment, birthday party decorations for Stewart’s husband and younger son, groceries, and maternity and baby-related products.
Investigators said that Stewart’s spending “significantly affected” New Britain’s budget, and may rise to the level of civil or criminal liability.
New Britain Mayor Bobby Sanchez, a Democrat who commissioned the investigation against Stewart, said in a statement Thursday that the report’s findings will be referred to the the Chief State and the United States Attorney’s Office.
“This administration remains committed to restoring integrity, accountability, and public trust in City government,” Sanchez .
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