Lawrence Mayor Arrested… Now We Wait for the Rats to Jump From the Sinking Ship
A Call to a Better Standard of Politicking
Written by: Dan Shibilia
By now, every news outlet is reporting the current situation facing the Mayor of Lawrence, Brian DePeña. For those new to the story, I will save you a quick Google search…
Friday morning, FBI agents showed up at 5 Oakland Road in Lawrence and took Mayor Brian DePeña into custody. A criminal complaint was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston, charging him with wire fraud and money laundering. He’s expected to make an initial appearance in federal court Monday morning when and where a judge will decide whether he’s held or released on bail.
DePeña tends to be the epicenter of chaos. This spring, state police executed a search warrant at Lawrence City Hall as part of an Attorney General’s investigation into secret recordings. This was a pretty public scandal that started with a leaked tape of his former chief of staff arguing with the city’s airport director and ended with the New England Police Benevolent Association calling for DePeña’s resignation. Before that, another former chief of staff was arrested on child pornography charges. It has been, to put it mildly, a rough stretch for the DePeña administration. Let’s not forget the State’s involvement in the November 2025 election…
… But This is Methuen, Why Should You Care?
It feels like yesterday… Rumbo ran a full front page celebrating DePeña’s “overwhelming support.” He was endorsed by more than 16 leaders from the city, county, and state. It’s a who’s who of the Merrimack Valley’s political establishment, and Methuen is all over it: City Councilors Neily Soto and Ron Marsan, former Mayor James Jajuga, plus the broader Essex delegation whose districts run straight through our city… State Senator Pavel Payano, State Representatives Estela Reyes and Frank Moran, former Rep. Marcos Devers, State Senator Barry Finegold, State Auditor Diana DiZoglio, Congresswoman Lori Trahan, DA Paul Tucker, and others.
To be fair to everyone on that page: an endorsement doesn’t automatically make you a co-conspirator in a federal indictment, and DePeña hasn’t been convicted of anything yet. Courtesy of what is left of our Constitution, he’s entitled to the presumption of innocence like anyone else.
But it’s fair, and it’s the whole point of local politics, to ask what these officials actually knew, or should have known, when they lined up behind him. The wiretapping scandal, the chief-of-staff arrests, the general air of chaos around that administration… none of it happened in the dark. DePeña’s reputation was never what anyone would call anything resembling “good.” He led through fear and intimidation tactics. So much if done publicly and documented by the Eagle-Tribune, on WBUR, or in city council meetings. Anyone paying attention to Merrimack Valley politics saw the pattern forming well before this morning’s arrest.
So, here’s the prediction: watch how fast that endorsement photo disappears from campaign pages and social media this week.
Our team is already capturing screen shots this morning for the next election cycle… The same way we did for Joe Solomon before Inside Methuen was even a thing.
Watch the statements roll in about how “deeply troubled” everyone is, how they’re “monitoring the situation,” how the presumption of innocence is “sacred”… that is right up until it’s politically inconvenient to keep saying it. It’s a move as old as Merrimack Valley politics itself: stand next to power when it’s popular, sprint away the moment it’s radioactive.
This is when the rats start to run from the dumpster fire.
Why am I telling you This?
Here’s the actual ask, and it’s not complicated: stop endorsing people because they’re big, because they’re loud, because they can move votes, because crossing them feels scary.
That’s not political strategy — it’s the exact instinct that lets patterns like this repeat for years before anyone in office says anything. Methuen’s own delegation has the standing to set a different bar: back candidates because they’ve earned it, not because they’re powerful enough to make you nervous. If a pattern of scandal is visible from the outside, it should be visible from the inside too — and it shouldn’t take a federal complaint to say so out loud.
DISCLAIMER
Before any of the rats in the photos come back and say that is not why they endorsed him… Save us the song and dance.
We know you didn’t believe he was best for the people or that he would do good things for the City. We know it was selfishly motivated and self-serving. The voters aren’t as stupid as you assume.
DePeña has not been convicted of any crime, and the charges against him are allegations that must be proven in court.