We can add a mayor from Massachusetts and a vice mayor from Mississippi to the list of Democrat politicians who committed fraud to enrich themselves personally. Turns out a political ideology of entitlement and dishonesty translates not infrequently into money laundering and theft of taxpayer funds.
IRS Criminal Investigation special agents helped the FBI to arrest Mayor Brian DePeña, of Lawrence, Mass., over accusations that he fraudulently obtained more than $1.5 million from the Small Business Administration (SBA) during the COVID-19 era. In an official statement, the FBI said DePeña was “cashing in on a public health crisis and blatantly defrauding a government program meant to keep businesses afloat during the pandemic.”
Instead of using the SBA loans as the law required him to do, DePeña applied them to his political campaign, his personal taxes, and even to $883,000 worth of high-interest mortgages that he had for more than one property in the area. The FBI and IRS arrested DePeña on August 14.
The FBI said of the SBA loans, “This was emergency financial assistance meant to be a safety net for struggling businesses, not Mr. DePeña’s own personal ATM. When elected officials misuse federal funds for personal gain, they’re breaching the trust of their constituents — and breaking the law. Together, with our partners, the FBI will continue to doggedly pursue anyone who defrauds the federal government. You’ll be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and that ‘easy money’ won’t seem so easy after all.”
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The other story, from August 13, involves this ex-councilman who is reportedly a Democrat:
WCBI reported that Vice Mayor Mickens now faces charges of laundering a monetary instrument and Offering Inducements to Influence an Award of Contracts, based on information the local outlet received from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office. The Lowndes County Grand Jury indicted Mickens and Marcus Trent Dawson Sr.
Dawson, owner of HVAC and Mechanical Company LLC, helped Mickens concoct a scheme to misuse city contracts for their own personal benefit.
[WCBI] Mickens is accused of conspiring with Dawson to manipulate city contracts for flooring contracts Mickens wasn’t eligible to receive, in exchange for future H-VAC contracts for Dawson, and cash payments that they would allegedly launder.
Mickens, a flooring contractor, represented Ward Two on the Columbus City Council from 2009 to 2025 when he was defeated for re-election by Roderick Smith.
This court case, like that of DePeña’s, is still in its preliminary stages. It is not clear if Mickens will plead guilty or try to deny all the charges. Last year, Mickens was in trouble with authorities for allegedly threatening a challenger for his office. He really sounds like a thoroughly unstable individual.
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