Update - August 14, 2026 Mayor of Lawrence, MA indicted for misappropriation of COVID funds Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña (left, in interview) and scene related to his arrest - Credit: NBC Boston On August 14, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced the arrest and charging of Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña (also styled Depena/DePena), 61, a Democrat first elected in 2021 and reelected in 2025. He faces one count of wire fraud and one count of m

In a stunning development that has left observers shaking their heads in disbelief, a federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama, returned an 11-count indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on April 21, 2026. The charges include six counts of wire fraud, four counts of making false statements to a federally insured bank, and one count of conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering, a crime under 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(B)(i).