Blue state mayor arrested for fraud sparks uproar for not speaking English in viral clip: 'How is this real'
DePeña's lawyer told reporters 'he doesn't speak English' when pressed on fraud charges
And... View MoreBlue state mayor arrested for fraud sparks uproar for not speaking English in viral clip: 'How is this real'
DePeña's lawyer told reporters 'he doesn't speak English' when pressed on fraud charges
Andrew Mark Miller By Andrew Mark Miller , Kiera McDonald Fox News
Published August 18, 2026
The mayor of a northern Massachusetts town went viral on social media in recent days after his lawyer told reporters the mayor doesn’t speak English when they pressed him about being arrested for COVID-19 pandemic relief fraud.
Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña, 61, was arrested Friday morning after an investigation into his alleged misuse of more than $1.5 million 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.
"He doesn’t speak English. No comment," DePeña's lawyer said in the clip as DePeña repeatedly smiles and says, "God bless you," to the reporters.
The clip of the exchange quickly spread on social media, prompting criticism from users wondering aloud why the mayor wouldn’t be able to answer questions in English.
MASSACHUSETTS MAYOR CHARGED WITH WIRE FRAUD IN $1.5M COVID RELIEF SCHEME
Brian DePena images and a tire shop
Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña faces federal charges for allegedly using pandemic relief funds meant to assist struggling businesses for his mayoral campaign and to pay off his personal debts. DePeña applied for the funds to help Tenares Tire Services Inc., his tire shop in Lawrence, federal prosecutors said. (City of Lawrence)
"OMG," conservative influencer account LibsofTikTok wrote on X in a post viewed over 1 million times. "How is this real."
"‘He doesn’t speak English, no comment’ says the assistant of the mayor of an American city," conservative radio host Mike Gallagher posted on X. "Our melting pot has completely melted."
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