08/18/2026
from FBI - Boston: Massachusetts Mayor Charged with Pandemic Loan Fraud and Money Laundering
The Mayor of Lawrence, Mass. was arrested and charged Friday with fraudulently obtaining over $1.5 million in COVID small-business loans and using 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. Brian Depena, 61, is charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
Read more about the investigation by the and our law enforcement partners: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/massachusetts-mayor-charged-pandemic-loan-fraud-and-money-laundering