Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña faces 15 new state indictments after prosecutors accused him of secretly recording two City Hall employees and distributing their conversation. The two-term Democrat is charged with 14 counts of distributing a wiretapped communication and one count of witness intimidation. The case comes while he’s already fighting separate federal fraud and money laundering charges. DePeña remains in office, and his arraignment on the state charges hasn’t yet been scheduled.
A statewide grand jury returned the indictments on Thursday, September 24th, according to Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s office. The charges center on a conversation outside DePeña’s office in March. Investigators say a camera installed by the mayor captured the employees’ voices without at least one of them knowing. Prosecutors allege he later shared copies of the recording with 14 people.
DePeña had installed a private security system for his Lawrence City Hall office, prosecutors said. The city’s existing security cameras recorded video, while the mayor’s system allegedly recorded both video and audio. Campbell’s office said there was no public notice that his cameras picked up sound. One of those cameras allegedly captured the employees speaking in the hallway outside his office.
At least one employee was unaware the conversation was being recorded, Boston.com reported, citing the attorney general’s office. Prosecutors say DePeña knew the exchange had been captured on audio and video when he distributed copies. The 14 distribution counts follow prosecutors’ allegation that he gave copies of the recording to 14 people. The attorney general’s announcement did not identify the two employees by name.
The Boston Globe reported that prosecutors also accuse DePeña of intimidating a witness involved in the case in August. His attorney didn’t immediately respond to the Globe’s request for comment on the new charges. The Lawrence Police Department and Massachusetts State Police assisted in the investigation, according to the attorney general’s office. A date for DePeña’s state court arraignment remains pending.
The new charges add to a separate federal case that began with DePeña’s arrest on August 14th. State prosecutors have focused on what happened inside City Hall, while federal authorities allege he misused pandemic-era loans obtained for his Lawrence business. The cases involve separate accusations and will proceed in separate courts. DePeña has pleaded not guilty in the federal case; the state charges have yet to reach arraignment.
Watch CBS Boston’s report on the new charges here:
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Federal prosecutors allege DePeña fraudulently obtained more than $1.5 million in small-business loans for Tenares Tire Services. According to the Globe, authorities say money meant for the business instead went toward personal debts, while $90,000 was steered to his 2021 mayoral campaign committee. He faces federal wire fraud and money laundering charges stemming from those allegations. His next federal court date is an October 14th status conference.
DePeña, 61, served on the Lawrence City Council before winning the mayor’s office in 2021. He won a second term in the 2025 election and has continued serving while the federal case proceeds. The state indictments now place his alleged conduct at City Hall before another court. Prosecutors say his arraignment on those 15 charges will be scheduled at a later date.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.