Mayor faces Covid-loan fraud claims as stolen Picasso resurfaces

Lawrence, Massachusetts, Mayor Brian DePeña was arrested on 14 August 2026 and charged in federal court with wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors allege that he obtained more than $1.5 million in Covid-era Small Business Administration disaster loans for Tenares Tire Services, his tyre and automotive business, then diverted funds to purposes not permitted by the programme. The alleged uses include personal tax liabilities, payments on high-interest mortgages secured against properties he owned, and $90,000 transferred to his 2021 mayoral campaign. DePeña made an initial court appearance in Boston and was released subject to conditions. The charges are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Separately, Milwaukee police recovered a 1949 Picasso etching and aquatint, Torero, which had been stolen from DeLind Fine Art Appraisals in February 2018. A community member brought the print to a police district station; an authenticator subsequently confirmed it was the missing work. The limited-edition print, one of 30 copies and previously valued at roughly $35,000 to $50,000, had been missing for more than eight years. Police said they were working to identify its rightful owner and did not disclose how the person who returned it had acquired it. The mayoral case and the artwork recovery are unrelated events brought together in the headline.