A Democrat with a documented conviction for child molestation has quietly entered the 2026 mayoral race in Providence.
According to reporting by the Providence Journal, the upcoming Providence mayoral contest currently includes incumbent Mayor Brett Smiley, state Rep. David Morales, and a third, lesser-known challenger: Michael English.
What voters are only now learning is that English is not merely an outsider candidate, he is a convicted child molester who served multiple prison sentences stemming from sexual crimes involving a 13-year-old girl.
English, now 54, acknowledged in a campaign announcement that he had been incarcerated, vaguely referring to “immature decisions” that derailed his life.
What he did not initially disclose is that those “decisions” resulted in four felony counts, including first-degree and second-degree child molestation, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
DEMOCRAT & CONVICTED CHILD MOLESTER RUNNING FOR MAYOR IN RI
Michael English, a Democrat and a CONVICTED child molester, is currently running for mayor in Providence, Rhode Island.
In 1998, English pleaded no contest to sexually molesting a 13-year-old girl. He served ONLY 15… pic.twitter.com/bQ97QD1oDi
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 21, 2025
According to the Providence Journal, then 26-year-old English engaged in sexual acts with a minor between January and March of 1997, meeting the girl at various locations across northern Rhode Island, including the Lincoln Mall. In 1998, he pleaded no contest to the charges.
Despite prosecutors recommending a 40-year sentence, a Superior Court judge handed English a 20-year sentence with more than 90 percent suspended, meaning he served just 15 months before being released early for “good behavior.”
If that were not disturbing enough, English later violated a court-ordered no-contact order involving the same victim. In 2009, the victim reported that English drove to her home and attempted to initiate contact.
He was found guilty and sentenced to five more years, ultimately serving nearly two additional years behind bars before being placed under house arrest.
Yet today, English is not listed on the Rhode Island Sex Offender Registry, thanks to a court ruling that limited his registration requirement to ten years, which expired in 2007.
Perhaps most troubling is how English’s criminal file was effectively hidden from public view. While his conviction was never expunged or sealed, court policy rendered the entire case “confidential” because it predated July 20, 1998.
More from the Providence Journal:
English said that if people think his criminal history should be a disqualifying factor in running for public office, “They’d be wrong, legally. They also should calculate what did I do from then.”
He listed his efforts completing a General Educational Development course while in prison, receiving a paralegal certification, later pursuing ministry studies and eventually graduating with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international business. English also described raising two children and having grown up since he was released.
According to his campaign website, English received a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate of arts in ministry from United Graduate College and Seminary from 2004 to 2008. His website says he then received a bachelor of arts in international business from Ashford University in 2017, and then a master of business administration from the same school in 2019.
“If I haven’t showed how to go from nothing to something again, then no one will,” he said.
However, English’s main talking point was dissatisfaction with Mayor Smiley and the idea that Smiley or Morales would win the race next year. He said he knows a lot more about Rhode Island, as someone born and raised in the state.
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