Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña Faces State Charges Over City Hall Recording

Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña has pleaded not guilty to 15 state charges in a case involving a recording made inside City Hall. Massachusetts prosecutors allege that he shared a recording of two municipal employees and later intimidated a witness in the case.

DePeña entered his plea on October 13 in Essex Superior Court. He faces 14 counts of distributing a wiretapped communication and one count of witness intimidation. His next hearing in the state case is scheduled for December 9.

What prosecutors allege

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office says a camera from a separate security system installed for the mayor’s office captured audio and video of two city employees talking in a hallway in March 2026. At least one employee was unaware the conversation was being recorded, prosecutors say. They allege DePeña shared copies with 14 people. The witness intimidation charge concerns alleged conduct in August.

DePeña’s attorney, Neil Faigel, told reporters after the arraignment that the mayor did not have the system’s passcodes and that the city’s information technology department handled access to the recordings.

A separate federal case

In August, federal prosecutors announced an indictment charging DePeña with four counts of wire fraud and seven counts of money laundering. They allege he fraudulently obtained more than $1.5 million in federal pandemic loans for his tire business and used some of the proceeds for his mayoral campaign, personal taxes and mortgage debt. DePeña pleaded not guilty in federal court as well.

DePeña was first elected mayor in 2021 and reelected in 2025. On October 20, the Lawrence City Council approved a vote of no confidence, with five councilors in favor and one opposed. The mayor said he would stay in office. Both criminal cases remain pending, and DePeña is presumed innocent.