LAWRENCE, MASS. (WHDH) - A Statewide Grand Jury returned 15 indictments against Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña on charges related to the use and distribution of surveillance footage at Lawrence City Hall, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced Thursday.
DePeña, 61, is charged with 14 counts of Distribution of a Wiretapped Communication and one count of Witness Intimidation. He is expected to be arraigned on those charges at a later date.
The AGO said that beginning in 2023, DePeña requested and installed a security system for his office, separate from the security cameras that had previously been installed inside Lawrence City Hall.
In March 2026, a conversation between two employees in a hallway outside of DePeña’s office was secretly audio and video recorded by one of the mayor’s private security cameras, unbeknownst to at least one of the conversation participants. DePeña then distributed copies of the recording to 14 people, the AGO said.
The AGO said security cameras operated by the City of Lawrence do not record audio, and there was no public notice that the mayor’s private surveillance system was recording audio at that time.
In August 2026, the AGO said DePeña also violated the witness intimidation statute involving a witness in the case.
DePeña is also facing separate, federal charges of money laundering. He is accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $1 million in small-business loans during the COVID pandemic and using that money to pay off personal expenses. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
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