Massachusetts mayor charged in $1.5M COVID loan fraud

Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena, 61, was charged with wire fraud and money laundering over $1.5 million in COVID loans for small businesses.

Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena is accused of using the loan to fund his campaign and pay personal taxes

August 14, 2026 4:15 PM ET The Democratic mayor of Lawrence, Mass. has been arrested and faces charges for allegedly fraudulently obtaining more than $1.5 million in pandemic-era small-business loans and misusing the money, the Department of Justice said Friday.Brian DePeña, 61, was charged with one count of wire fraud

Mayor Brian DePena of Lawrence, Massachusetts, was arrested Friday on federal charges that he fraudulently obtained more than $1.5 million in COVID-19 small-business loans and diverted the money to his political campaign and personal debts. DePena, 61, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money lau

Massachusetts mayor accused of using a pandemic loan to fund election campaign and pay his taxes  AP News

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.

A Massachusetts mayor was arrested Friday and charged with fraudulently obtaining a pandemic loan and using the money to fund his election campaign as well as pay off high-interest mortgages on several of his properties and personal taxes.

A Massachusetts mayor has been arrested and charged with fraudulently obtaining pandemic loans

A foreign-born Massachusetts mayor was arrested Friday for stealing COVID relief funds to fund his campaign and pay off personal debt.  The FBI arrested Lawrence Democratic Mayor Brian DePena, 61, for allegedly funneling $1.5 million in COVID funds to fund his campaign, pay taxes, and pay down $880,000 on various prope

Investigators found the mattresses were manufactured in China despite being stamped "Made in Singapore".