Independent Report Alleges Erin Stewart Gave Herself Massive Improper Payouts, Pensions and Tuition Perks

A bombshell independent investigation report released today details allegations of a sweeping, multi-year pattern of fiscal misconduct, unauthorized compensation, and potential fraud by and under the administration of former Mayor Erin Stewart (R). The report, compiled by the Crumbie Law Group, alleges that Stewart systematically bypassed city protocols to secure hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars in improper separation payouts, unearned pension allocations, and educational reimbursements for herself and her appointed staff.

The findings prompted an immediate response from current Mayor Bobby Sanchez (D), who called the report’s contents “deeply disturbing”.

“What began as a routine review of City operations has uncovered yet another pattern of conduct that represents a serious abuse of public trust and a disregard for the rules that exist to protect taxpayers,” Sanchez stated in a press release. “The questions now extend beyond what happened, to who knew about it, who approved it, and who helped make it possible.”

The Big Payday: Alleged Improper Separation Payouts

The report places Stewart’s coordinated exit strategy at the center of the investigation, alleging that she sought to extract a massive cash windfall from municipal funds upon leaving office.

The Payout Numbers: Demands vs. Disbursements

The Initial Request: According to investigators, Stewart submitted a spreadsheet demanding $205,479.25 in separation pay. The report states her calculations relied on billing the city for 240 vacation days, 78 personal days, 126 holidays, and 192 sick days spanning her entire 12-year tenure.
Disputed Time Off: Investigators said that Stewart claimed she had never taken a single day off over twelve years, a claim the report says blatantly ignores her documented maternity and surgical leaves. The Crumbie Law Group also found she billed the city for holidays like Christmas, claiming them as “working days” to essentially demand double payment.
The Funds Signed Off On: The investigation concluded that by angrily pressuring a city department head—who reportedly signed authorization forms out of fear for her job—Stewart secured two large tranches of money:
- $93,008.18 paid out on July 16, 2025, for 89 vacation days and 126 holidays, which investigators say was improperly charged to the city’s Medical Self Insurance Fund.
- $57,941.41 approved for unused personal and sick time, scheduled in 20 weekly installments of $2,897.07. Stewart reportedly received $28,970.70 of this amount before Mayor Sanchez formally halted the remaining payments on February 4, 2026, pending the investigation.

According to the report’s analysis of city policies and the Local 1186 collective bargaining agreement, Stewart’s maximum allowable payout should have been capped at $14,275.80.

Payouts to Appointed Staff

The Crumbie Law Group findings state that Stewart extended these practices to her appointed staff, authorizing vacation payouts that investigators say directly defied the city’s “use or lose” policy.

Justin Dorsey (Former Chief of Staff): Reportedly received $34,758.95 for 107 accumulated vacation days, despite the report concluding his legal cap was $9,420.65.
Rachel Zaniewski (Former Communications Director): Reportedly received $10,696.14 for 36 unused vacation days.
Brock Weber (Former Deputy Chief of Staff): Reportedly received $10,692.23 for 34.75 carryover days.
Desiree Rivera (Former Assistant): Reportedly received $4,119.23 for 17 unused vacation days.

Questioned Pension Allocations

The report also details allegations that Stewart attempted to establish municipal pensions for herself and an ally, utilizing a “partial” retirement framework that investigators say does not exist in the City Charter.

The Charter strictly requires 20 years of service to qualify for an elected official pension. The investigative report highlights a December 3, 2020, email exchange in which Associate City Attorney Mary Pokorski explicitly advised Stewart that she did not qualify for a pension with her 10 years of service, advising her she would need “10 more years”. Stewart reportedly replied to the legal advice by stating, “Ughhhhhhh thankslol.”

Investigators assert that despite this clear legal advisement, Stewart submitted a formal request on October 31, 2025, claiming entitlement to a partial pension of 35% of her salary based on 14 years of mixed service. The report includes a worksheet generated at Stewart’s request to lock in a monthly payout of $3,280.52 to begin when she reached age 55.

The report indicates Stewart used this same disputed framework in June 2024 to execute a Memorandum of Understanding granting a 40% prorated pension to former Revenue Collector Cheryl Blogoslawski, even though Blogoslawski had only served 16 of the required 20 years.

Allegations of Improper Educational Reimbursements

Beyond the exit packages, the independent review alleges that Stewart utilized municipal funds to cover her educational expenses during her time in office.

Investigators reported that in May 2021, Stewart executed a unique Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), signed by select officials, to shift financial cost of her Master’s Degree in Public Administration at the University of New Haven onto New Britain taxpayers.

The Tuition Bill: The report found that Stewart received $31,561.54 in city reimbursements over 2021–2022 to cover her graduate tuition.
The Funding Source: Investigators allege that city records were altered to facilitate the payments. The report states that the description of a dedicated municipal fund titled “PILO/RET”—originally budgeted strictly for medical benefit opt-out incentives—was changed to read “Payment-In-Lieu of Medical Payments as well as Educational Reimbursements“. The investigation found no evidence of any other elected official receiving educational funding from this account.
The Amazon P-Card Charges: The investigation further alleges that on top of the $31,561.54 in tuition, Stewart used her city-issued credit card (P-Card) to purchase her graduate school textbooks without reimbursing the city. The report lists specific textbooks billed to taxpayers, including Public Budgeting Systems ($157.34), Public Administration: An Introduction ($80.32), Intermediate Statistics Using SPSS ($74.43), and Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics ($53.09).

Investigatory Conclusions

Calling Stewart’s actions, “a profound breach of public trust,” the Crumbie Law Group said that, “The frequent and repetitive nature of the misconduct exhibited by Ms. Stewart is inexplicable for a public official and should be referred to the proper state and federal law enforcement authorities for further review as her actions may constitute fraud, larceny, embezzlement, false statements, and official misconduct.”

The Crumbie Law Group also concluded that, “As with Ms. Stewart’s abuse of her city-issued P-Card, taken together, these actions are not isolated indiscretions; rather, they reflect a consistent approach to public funds that treat municipal resources as available for personal or political advantage rather than for legitimate public purposes.”

Mayor Sanchez stated, “These findings will be referred to the appropriate authorities… The taxpayers of New Britain deserve answers, they deserve restitution where appropriate, and they deserve confidence that no individual, regardless of position or title, is above the law.”

According to the report, Stewart ignored requests to be interviewed by investigators.

This latest report adds to the unfolding Stewart scandals including allegations about misuse of a city credit card for personal expenses and an investigation in to the Stewart “Mayor’s Trophy Charitable Fund.”

Editor’s note: the cover photo by Dr Frank Gerratana from last year.