The mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts, Brian DePeña, 61, was arrested Friday, August 14, on federal wire fraud and money laundering charges [1]. Prosecutors allege that he improperly used $1.5 million in COVID relief money [1]. The charges are allegations, and DePeña is presumed innocent.
The government's specific claim concerns loan funds tied to a business called Tenares Tire. Prosecutors say 'DePeña did not intend to use the Tenares Tire EIDL funds solely as working capital to alleviate economic injury caused by the COVID-19 pandemic' [1]. EIDL, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, carried exactly that restriction: the money was meant to keep a business afloat through the pandemic, not to be spent freely.
DePeña is not a caretaker figure. He was elected in November 2021 and re-elected in 2025 [1], which is why this is an accountability story rather than a private matter. When a sitting mayor is charged with diverting relief funds, the office itself is part of the record.
After his arrest he was released with conditions: surrender his passport, avoid witnesses, and get court approval before applying for any loans [1]. His attorney, asked outside the courthouse whether the mayor would resign, said 'No comment' [1]. The reporting does not indicate that DePeña has entered a plea [1].
What is at stake is both the $1.5 million and the principle behind it. Pandemic relief came with limits precisely so it would reach the businesses it was meant for. A case like this is where those limits are enforced or are not, and Lawrence residents are left waiting on both the legal outcome and the question of who runs their city while it plays out.
