The mayor of a Boston suburb is facing federal wire fraud and money laundering charges for allegedly using more than $1.5 million in pandemic-era small business loans to pad his campaign account, pay personal taxes, and settle high-interest real estate debts.

Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena, 61, was arrested Friday morning following an investigation into his alleged misuse of Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) — a program administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) under the CARES Act to assist struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DePena was elected mayor of Lawrence in November 2021 and won reelection in…

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