United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

BRIDGEPORT STATE SENATOR PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL BRIBERY, MAIL FRAUD AND INCOME TAX CHARGES

Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ERNEST E. NEWTON II, age 49, a former State Senator residing in Bridgeport, has waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a three-count Information charging him with accepting a bribe in relation to a federal program, mail fraud relating to his misuse of campaign funds, and tax evasion. Senior United States District Judge Alan H. Nevas accepted NEWTON’s plea of guilty yesterday, September 20, in Bridgeport federal court.

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, NEWTON admitted that he solicited and accepted payments from Warren Godbolt, the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Progressive Training Associates, Inc., of 965 Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport, a non-profit organization providing vocational training and other services to lower-income people in the City of Bridgeport and the surrounding area. NEWTON, who was not a consultant to Godbolt or Progressive Training in 2004, admitted that he accepted a $5000 bribe in order to secure $100,000 in State of Connecticut Bond Commission financing for Progressive Training.

Newton also admitted that from January 2004 to January 2005, he fraudulently used monies from his 2004 Campaign Committee established to promote his re-election to the State Senate. Newton admitted that he diverted monies contributed to the 2004 Campaign Committee to pay for personal expenses having no direct connection with his campaign for re-election; caused to be issued checks drawn on a banking account maintained in the name of the 2004 Campaign Committee and made payable to individuals as payment for services allegedly provided to the 2004 Campaign Committee when, in fact, those individuals provided no services to the campaign; caused to be fraudulently endorsed and fraudulently endorsed checks drawn on a banking account maintained in the name of the 2004 Campaign Committee and made payable to individuals as payment for services allegedly provided to the campaign and received the monies obtained from the negotiation of those checks; caused to be issued checks drawn on a banking account maintained in the name of the 2004 Campaign Committee and made payable to various individuals as payment for services allegedly provided to the campaign, and then instructed and caused to be instructed those individuals to negotiate the checks and provide the monies to NEWTON or to another individual; caused to be issued checks drawn on a banking account maintained in the name of the 2004 Campaign Committee and made payable to individuals as payment for services allegedly provided to the campaign and then instructed and caused to be instructed the individuals to endorse the checks and to provide the endorsed check to NEWTON so that he could negotiate the check; discussed with another individual how to disguise the diversion of monies to NEWTON and others by issuing checks in the names of various individuals and/or by describing falsely the purposes of the checks; caused to be issued checks made payable to “cash” bearing false descriptions of the purpose of the check and would receive the monies obtained from the negotiation of those checks; caused to be created written reports containing false information concerning the expenditure of contributions by the 2004 Campaign Committee and forwarded the fraudulent reports, via the United States Mails, to the Secretary of State of the State of Connecticut. Based on the information available to the Government, over the last five years, NEWTON fraudulently used $40,682 in funds from his various campaign committees.

Finally, NEWTON admitted that he evaded approximately $4,169 in personal income taxes for the 2001 tax year by failing to report to the Internal Revenue Service approximately $13,342. Based on the information available to the Government, during the tax years 2000 through 2003, NEWTON failed to report to the IRS approximately $41,950 in fraudulently obtained funds.

Judge Nevas has scheduled NEWTON’s sentencing for December 19, 2005. The bribery offense carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000. The mail fraud offense carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000. The tax evasion offense carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and a fine of up to $100,000.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James J. Finnerty.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov