Lawrence mayor arrested over pandemic relief fund fraud allegations
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
Brian DePeña, the Democratic mayor of Lawrence, a city in northern Massachusetts, has been arrested and arraigned on charges relating to the alleged misuse of $1.5 million (£1.18 million) in COVID-19 small-business relief loans. The case drew widespread attention online after his lawyer told reporters outside court that the mayor does not speak English, prompting a wave of incredulous reactions on social media.
The story gained further traction after footage, captured by broadcaster WBZ, showed DePeña's attorney rear-ending a parked vehicle shortly after the arraignment. Full details of the specific fraud allegations have not been made public, but the case centres on the alleged misappropriation of pandemic-era small-business loan funds during DePeña's tenure as mayor.
- Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña arrested over alleged $1.5m COVID loan fraud
- Lawyer's claim he doesn't speak English sparked online backlash
- Lawyer also filmed rear-ending a parked car after the arraignment
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Lawrence is a city of roughly 90,000 people in northern Massachusetts, with a large Latino population, and Brian DePeña is its Democratic mayor. During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments set up loan schemes to help small businesses survive lockdowns and lost trade, and it is money from one of these pandemic relief programmes that is now at the centre of the allegations against him.
DePeña has been arrested and formally charged in connection with the alleged misuse of around $1.5 million in these small-business relief funds, though the precise details of the fraud allegations have not yet been made public. As a sitting mayor facing criminal charges, the case raises questions about the running of the city and how pandemic-era financial support was overseen and distributed.
The story has also attracted attention beyond the core allegations, after comments made by DePeña's lawyer outside court, and an incident involving the lawyer's car, both circulated widely online. These add-on details are separate from the underlying fraud case, which centres on how public relief money was allegedly handled during DePeña's time in office.
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Originally published by Fox News as “Blue state mayor arrested for fraud sparks uproar for not speaking English in viral clip: ‘How is this real’”.