August 14, 2026
Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña was arrested by the FBI on Friday morning at his home, three Lawrence city councilors confirmed to NBC10 Boston.
A criminal complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston charges DePeña with wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors say he fraudulently obtained over $1.5 million in COVID small-business loans and used the proceeds to fund his campaign account, pay personal taxes, and pay off over $880,000 in high-interest mortgages that encumbered various properties he owned in Lawrence.
“Mayor DePeña was elected to be a leader for the City of Lawrence. He was looked up to and trusted by his constituents, but he betrayed that trust through his alleged corruption and lies,” U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said. "Today’s arrest is just another example of our determination to root out fraud by anyone, even public officials and holding elected officials accountable."
DePeña, 61, was arrested around 6 a.m. Video obtained by NBC10 Boston showed FBI agents at his home.
He made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Friday afternoon. He was released after agreeing to several conditions, including turning over his passport and not seeking any loans without court approval.
After leaving court, DePeña's lawyer Carlos Apostle repeatedly responded to questions with “no comment.” DePeña, who is a citizen of the U.S. and Dominican Republic, responded with “God bless” when asked if he would resign.
Asked by Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra, our sister station, what message he had for the people of Lawrence, DePeña said in Spanish, "I love them, and they know I am an honest and decent man."
Asked whether he could continue serving as mayor while facing these allegations, he said, "Of course. Anyone can be accused. People get accused of anything. My enemies have accused me. What haven't they made up about me?"
July 19, 2026
Happened in 2024 but I didn't see until this year.
Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes was arrested by the FBI for stealing taxpayer money. She hired her family as staff & had them secretly give her cash kickbacks in city hall bathrooms. She is the 1st former illegal alien to serve in Boston and was praised by liberals for her BLM activism. In September of 2025, she was sentenced to prison -- I don't know for how long.
July 7, 2026
The ex-mayor of Mississippi's largest city pleaded guilty on Monday, July 6, in connection to a bribery scandal involving a proposed downtown convention center project that also resulted in criminal charges against multiple city leaders in the Hospitality State.
Former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy in federal court during an afternoon hearing in the more than 20-month-long corruption case.
The city is in Hinds County, where several co-defendants, including the county's former top prosecutor, were indicted in the bribery scandal in October 2024. He had long denied wrongdoing in the case. Earlier this year, Lumumba unsuccessfully asked a judge to dismiss the indictment against him. Lumumba entered his plea just days before he was set to stand trial alongside former Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks, also indicted in the investigation.
Following Lumumba's plea on Monday, Banks also pleaded guilty in federal court to a conspiracy charge in connection to the scandal. Sentencing is set for Oct. 15. In pleading guilty, Lumumba admitted his role in a corruption scheme stemming from an FBI undercover operation involving agents posing as Nashville real estate developers. The undercover agents were seeking support for a proposed downtown convention center hotel project Lumumba's administration was trying to build. According to prosecutors, Lumumba agreed to accept $50,000 disguised as five $10,000 campaign contribution checks. In exchange, one of the agents asked Lumumba to move the city’s deadline for the hotel project from April 30 to April 10 or 15, giving the undercover FBI agents an advantage over other developers.
Prosecutors say the agreement was reached while Lumumba and Owens were aboard a yacht in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in April 2024 during what the agents presented as a "fundraiser." Owens, Lumumba and the agents went to a local club that night where Owens directed the agents to make cash available for Lumumba to use at the establishment, according to the indictment.
When Lumumba got back to Jackson on April 4, 2024, the five $10,000 checks he received were deposited into his campaign bank account. Prior to that, Lumumba’s campaign account balance was approximately $465.30.
Another high-profile defendant in the case, former Jackson City Council Vice President Angelique Lee, was also indicted, court records filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi show. Lee resigned from the Jackson City Council in August 2024 before pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. Local businessman Sherik Smith, an associate of Owens, was also charged and pleaded guilty in October 2024. Their sentencing dates have been delayed indefinitely.
June 16, 2026 Former Charlotte, NC City Council Member Steal Covid Relief Funds
Tiawana Brown, a former Democrat City Council member in Charlotte, NC, along with her two daughters, have all pleaded GUILTY to stealing TENS of THOUSANDS of dollars in COVID relief funds.
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