A Democrat convicted child molester who sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl and later violated a no-contact order with the same child is now running for mayor of Providence, Rhode Island.
The horrific criminal history of Michael English, 54, was revealed just days after he announced his 2026 mayoral campaign.
According to reporting from The Providence Journal, English committed multiple sexual acts with the underage girl in 1997 when he was 26 years old.
The Providence Journal reports:
English – who is 54 years old – briefly mentioned in a letter announcing his campaign that he had previously been incarcerated:
“I made immature decisions that led to my arrest and a period of incarceration coupled with I dropped out of Hope High School in 1990 and, simply put, I failed to live up to my potential.”
The immature decisions seemingly refer to the then-26-year-old English’s relationship with a 13-year-old girl.
The Democrat pleaded no contest in 1998 to first-degree child molestation, sexual assault, second-degree child molestation, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Despite prosecutors pushing for serious prison time, he was sentenced to 20 years, with all but 18 months suspended, and he served only 15 months thanks to good-behavior credits.
“Although the Attorney General’s Office recommended a 40-year sentence, with seven years to serve, Superior Court Judge Ronald Gagnon issued English a 20-year sentence, with 18 and ½ years suspended, also ordering English to register as a sex offender,” the Providence Journal reports. “A suspended sentence reduces prison time if the convicted individual fulfills certain requirements. In this case, the judge suspended more than 90% of English’s sentence.”
In 2009, the same victim reported that English drove to her home and tried to contact her again. He was convicted of violating the no-contact order and served another 19 months behind bars. He claimed that he just happened to be living across the street from her.
Shockingly, English is not on Rhode Island’s public sex offender registry because his conviction predated stricter laws, and a court ruled he only had to register locally for 10 years.
Hellbound and Down 