Connecticut's attorney general has opened an investigation into former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart over her handling of a charitable fund, and she faces separate scrutiny over the use of a taxpayer-funded credit card, News 12 reported. The inquiries center on her time leading the central Connecticut city.
Attorney General William Tong, together with the state's consumer protection commissioner, opened the investigation into Stewart's handling of charitable assets tied to the Mayor's Trophy Charitable Fund. The program was founded by her father and continued during her years in office as mayor.
At the center of the inquiry are two bank accounts that share the same name. One is administered by the Community Foundation of New Britain, which manages donor-advised funds, while the other is a checking account over which the foundation has no control.
Investigators are trying to determine whether Stewart controlled that checking account, where the money in it came from, and how it was spent. Subpoenas were issued to Stewart and to M&T Bank, and a letter of inquiry was sent to the community foundation as part of the case.
The subpoena also commands Stewart to answer questions under oath at a deposition, signalling that the investigation will go well beyond a review of documents alone as authorities seek to trace how the charitable money was managed.
Separately, state police are investigating whether Stewart used a city-issued credit card for personal expenses during her tenure as mayor. Stewart has not yet responded to requests for comment on either of the investigations now underway.
The scrutiny follows a turbulent stretch in her political career. Amid questions over the city credit card and an attempt to claim a pension benefit that did not exist, Stewart ended her campaign for governor on May 14, a day before a Republican state convention at which she had been favoured to win the party's endorsement.