NEPBA Responds to 15-Count Indictment of Lawrence Mayor DePeña
Sep 24, 2026
Today’s announcement from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office marks an extraordinary and deeply troubling development for the City of Lawrence.
A statewide grand jury has returned 15 indictments against Mayor Brian DePeña, including 14 counts of Distribution of a Wiretapped Communication and one count of Witness Intimidation.
For months, NEPBA has raised serious concerns about what occurred inside Lawrence City Hall. We demanded answers. We demanded that evidence be preserved. We rejected the notion that allegations of this magnitude could be adequately addressed through a private investigation commissioned by City Hall. And we formally called upon the Attorney General’s Office to investigate.
Today’s indictments demonstrate exactly why an independent law enforcement investigation was necessary.
The allegations outlined by the Attorney General are deeply disturbing. According to the Attorney General’s Office, Mayor DePeña requested and installed a private security system for his office beginning in 2023. The Commonwealth further alleges that a conversation between two public employees was secretly captured with audio and video without the knowledge of at least one participant, and that Mayor DePeña knowingly distributed that recording to 14 individuals.
Now, the Mayor also stands accused of witness intimidation.
These allegations are no longer simply the subject of questions surrounding City Hall. They have resulted in criminal indictments returned by a statewide grand jury.
And they come while Mayor DePeña is already facing a separate 11-count federal indictment alleging wire fraud and money laundering involving more than $1.5 million in pandemic-era small-business loans.
For the residents of Lawrence and the dedicated public employees who serve this community every day, this continued turmoil surrounding the Mayor’s Office is unacceptable.
NEPBA has consistently maintained that leadership requires transparency, accountability, and respect for the law. The men and women we represent are expected to uphold those standards every single day. They have every right to expect the same from the elected officials who oversee their city.
Mayor DePeña is entitled to the presumption of innocence and due process in both the state and federal proceedings against him. Those principles are fundamental to our justice system.
But the people of Lawrence are also entitled to a government capable of functioning without the continued distraction and erosion of public trust created by criminal proceedings of this magnitude.
NEPBA previously called for Mayor DePeña to resign. Today, we renew that call.
For the good of the City of Lawrence, Mayor DePeña should step down immediately and allow the City, its employees, and its residents to begin moving forward.
Our concerns have never been about politics or personalities. They have been about protecting our members, protecting potentially compromised communications, and ensuring that nobody in government is placed above the law.
NEPBA appreciates the work of Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s Office, the Massachusetts State Police, and all law enforcement personnel involved in this investigation.
The judicial process will now determine Mayor DePeña’s criminal liability. NEPBA will respect that process, continue cooperating with investigators, and continue fighting for the answers and accountability our members and the people of Lawrence deserve.
READ THE FULL AG REPORT HERE
