The Lawrence City Council Tuesday voted no confidence in Mayor Brian DePeña as he faces state and federal criminal charges.
The vote cleared a Lawrence City Council subcommittee last week, with the majority recommending the full council to approve it. On Tuesday, five councilors approved the vote, one councilor voted against it, and three said they were present, meaning they passed on answering.
DePeña pleaded not guilty before a judge to 14 counts of Distribution of a Wiretapped Communication and one count of Witness Intimidation. He is accused of secretly recording employees at Lawrence City Hall and distributing the recording.
The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) said that beginning in 2023, DePeña requested and installed a security system for his office, separate from the security cameras that had previously been installed inside Lawrence City Hall.
In March 2026, a conversation between two employees in a hallway outside of DePeña’s office was secretly audio and video recorded by one of the mayor’s private security cameras, unbeknownst to at least one of the conversation participants. DePeña then distributed copies of the recording to 14 people, the AGO said.
In August 2026, the AGO said DePeña also violated the witness intimidation statute involving a witness in the case.
In addition to the 15 state charges, DePeña is also facing federal indictments for pandemic loan fraud and money laundering.
DePeña said he refuses to resign as mayor.
He is due back in state court in December.
