LAWRENCE, MASS. (WHDH) - 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 reelected in 2025.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, DePeña fraudulently obtained over $1.5 million in COVID small-business loans and used the proceeds “to fund his campaign account, pay personal taxes, and pay off over $880,000 in high-interest, hard-money mortgages that encumbered various properties he owned in Lawrence”.
He is expected in federal court in Boston later Friday.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)