Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña was arrested Friday morning and charged with fraudulently obtaining more than $1 million in small-business loans during the COVID pandemic and...
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Lawrence mayor charged with money laundering, his lawyer crashes into parked car after arraignment
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Massachusetts mayor charged in $1.5M COVID loan fraud
Federal charges of pandemic loan fraud and money laundering are the most serious scandal facing the mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts, but Brian DePeña has been no stranger to turmoil during his time in office.
Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña was arrested Friday morning and charged with fraudulently obtaining more than $1 million in small-business loans during the COVID pandemic and...
Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña was arrested Friday morning and charged with federal wire fraud and money laundering offenses. DePeña, 61, was elected in 2021 and...
Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña was arrested Friday morning and charged with federal wire fraud and money laundering offenses. DePeña, 61, was elected in 2021 and...
Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña is accused of spending about $1.5 million in COVID-19 small business relief funds on campaign expenses and personal debts, authorities said.
The mayor is being accused of misusing COVID small-business loans to fund his campaign account, pay personal taxes and hard-money mortgages that encumbered various properties he owned in Lawrence.
Brian DePena allegedly funneled over $1.5 million in EIDL loan funds into his campaign account, personal taxes, and real estate debts, federal charges say.
Mayor Brian DePeña’s arrest Friday on federal fraud and money laundering charges marked yet another entry in Lawrence's long history of political scandals and corruption.
The mayor of a Massachusetts city was arrested on Friday morning after prosecutors say he illegally funneled federal money into his political campaign as well as toward his personal tax debt. Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña, a 61-year-old Democrat, allegedly received more than $1 million worth of pandem…
Brian DePeña, the Mayor of Lawrence, was arrested and charged on Aug. 14, 2026, in connection with the alleged fraud that authorities said amounted to over $1.5 million of Covid-19 relief money that was used for personal purposes.
