'Corruption and lies': Dem mayor charged in alleged $1.5M pandemic-era loan fraud and money-laundering scheme * WorldNetDaily * by Ireland Owens, Daily Caller News Foundation

'Corruption and lies': Dem mayor charged in alleged $1.5M pandemic-era loan fraud and money-laundering scheme * WorldNetDaily * by Ireland Owens, Daily Caller News Foundation: 

The Democratic mayor of Lawrence, Mass. has been arrested and faces charges for allegedly fraudulently obtaining more than $1.5 million in pandemic-era small-business loans and misusing the money, the Department of Justice said Friday. Brian DePea, 61, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering and is set to make an initial appearance in a Boston federal court on Friday, the DOJ said in a news release. DePea used the funds from the pandemic relief loans to fund his campaign account, pay personal taxes, and pay off more than $880,000 in high-interest mortgages, the department alleges.