Massachusetts mayor charged with wire fraud in $1.5M COVID relief scheme

The mayor of a Boston suburb is facing federal wire fraud and money laundering charges for allegedly using more than $1.5 million in pandemic-era small business loans to pad his campaign account, pay personal taxes, and settle high-interest real estate debts. Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena, 61, was arrested Friday morning following an investigation into his alleged misuse of Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) — a program administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) under the CARE