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 pandemic relief cash under the assumption that it would be used to prop up his small business.
‘I know I’m bothering you a lot, but I have no other option. Only you can give me what I need,’ he allegedly texted.
Instead, DePeña allegedly used that cash to pay off his IRS and campaign debts and to make high-interest payments on other properties he owned, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.
“This was emergency financial assistance meant to be a safety net for struggling businesses, not Mr. Depena’s [sic] own personal ATM,” said FBI Special Agent Ted Docks.
The mayor applied for the low-interest loans for a car and tire shop he owned named Tenares Tire Services Inc. After receiving more than $1.5 million, he allegedly misused $883,000 of it to pay off high-interest loans related to properties separate from the tire shop.
The press release included several text messages allegedly made by the mayor seeking help from his accountant and financial adviser to obtain the loans.
“Brother, call me, I’m in trouble. I don’t want to pressure you, but I don’t have time to wait for this loan. I’m in your hands,” DePeña allegedly wrote, translated from Spanish.
“I know I’m bothering you a lot, but I have no other option. Only you can give me what I need,” he allegedly wrote in another text.
The mayor was arrested on charges of wire fraud and money laundering, the press release said.
“Mayor DePeña was elected to be a leader for the City of Lawrence. He was looked up to and trusted by his constituents, but he betrayed that trust through his alleged corruption and lies,” read a statement from United States Attorney Leah Foley. “Today’s arrest is just another example of our determination to root out fraud by anyone, even public officials and holding elected officials accountable.”
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DePeña did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
DePeña was first elected as mayor in 2021 and was re-elected to a second term in 2025. Prior to that he had been a member of the Lawrence City Council from 2016 until 2021.
The Benefit and Voter Fraud Team was established in Massachusetts as part of the efforts to support “the administration’s war on fraud and … the work of the vice president’s Anti-Fraud Task Force and the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division,” according to an announcement from Foley’s office in March.
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