Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena Charged with Wire Fraud and Money Laundering in COVID-19 Loan Misuse
Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena was arrested and charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Prosecutors allege that DePena fraudulently obtained a $1.5 million COVID-19 small-business loan for his tire sales business, Tenares Tire Services Inc., in 2020 and 2021. Instead of using the funds for business operations, DePena is accused of diverting over $880,000 to pay off high-interest mortgages on various properties and allocating $90,000 to his mayoral campaign fund ahead of the 2021 election. The Small Business Administration (SBA) had offered these loans to businesses suffering financial losses during the pandemic. DePena, who has served as mayor since 2021 and previously on the Lawrence City Council, made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston and was released under conditions, including surrendering his passport and refraining from seeking new loans without court approval. Ted Docks, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, stated that DePena “cashed i... 
