{"id":2655114,"date":"2026-09-05T09:09:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T13:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrat-state-rep-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-covid-funds\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T09:11:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T13:11:34","slug":"democrat-state-rep-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-covid-funds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrat-state-rep-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-covid-funds\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrat State Rep. Arrested for Allegedly Stealing COVID Funds"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrat-state-rep-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-covid-funds%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2655114&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Massachusetts Democratic State Representative Francisco Paulino was arrested on charges of wire fraud and money laundering related to a scheme involving COVID relief funds. He allegedly used his companies, Madison Tax, LLC, and Madison Mortgage Inc., to fraudulently obtain approximately $700,000 intended for pandemic relief, by transferring funds through intermediaries. Paulino pled not guilty to all 11 charges and agreed to certain restrictions, including surrendering his passport and suspending company operations.The charges come ahead of his primary election, where he faces challenger Celina Reyes.Lawrence Mayor Brian DePe\u00f1a has also been charged with COVID relief fraud. Authorities emphasize that the funds stolen were meant to assist Americans affected by the pandemic and condemn the betrayal of public trust by elected officials. Paulino faces potential sentences of up to 20 years per wire fraud count and 10 years per money laundering count, with the alleged crimes occurring between April 2020 and December 2021. Massachusetts House speaker Ronald Mariano expressed concern over the charges, highlighting their impact on public confidence in government officials.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Massachusetts Democratic State Rep. Francisco Paulino was arrested on Tuesday over his alleged role in stealing COVID benefit funds.<\/p>\n<p>Paulino, who represents Methuen and Lawrence in the Massachusetts House, has been accused of wire fraud and money laundering in a criminal complaint filed in federal court, per a report from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcboston.com\/news\/local\/mass-state-rep-francisco-paulino-arrested-lawrence-mayor-brian-depena-fraud-indictment\/4004076\/\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WBTS<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The lawmaker owned and operated Madison Tax, LLC, and Madison Mortgage Inc., through which he allegedly devised and executed a plan to obtain COVID funds under the names of other people and use intermediaries to move the money into his own accounts.<\/p>\n<p>Paulino pleaded not guilty to all 11 charges he is facing.<\/p>\n<p>In order to be released, he had to promise not to travel beyond Massachusetts and New Hampshire, not to change his address, and to temporarily suspend operations for Madison Tax.<\/p>\n<p>He also had to surrender his passport.<\/p>\n<p>The charges come days ahead of Paulino facing a Sept. 1 primary for his seat in the Massachusetts House.<\/p>\n<p>Celina Reyes is running against him for the Democratic nomination.<\/p>\n<p>Lawrence Mayor Brian DePe\u00f1a has separately been charged with COVID relief fraud, per WBTS.<\/p>\n<p>He was arrested on Aug. 14 at his home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe money these two individuals allegedly scammed was meant for hardworking Americans,\u201d U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley said at a news conference.<\/p>\n<p>Ted Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston field office, also commented on the charges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe expect our elected officials to look out for our best interests,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe do not expect them to betray that trust by cashing in on a public health crisis and defrauding government programs to line their own pockets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcvb.com\/article\/massachusetts-rep-francisco-paulino-indicted-on-wire-fraud-money-laundering-charges-for-alleged-misuse-of-covid-19-funds-officials-say\/73531193\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WCVB<\/a> reported that Paulino, 46, allegedly stole $700,000 in COVID funds.<\/p>\n<p>He could face 20 years in prison for each of his eight counts of wire fraud, as well as 10 years in prison for each of three counts of money laundering.<\/p>\n<p>The alleged scheme ran from April 2020 through December 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Massachusetts House Speaker Ronald Mariano said that \u201cthe charges that have been brought against Rep. Paulino are extremely concerning, and while every American is entitled to due process, the seriousness of the charges undermines public trust in elected officials.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGiven the timing of this announcement in the legislative session, the House will closely monitor the legal proceedings and, upon their conclusion, take appropriate action if necessary to ensure accountability,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Francisco Paulino arrested over COVID fund theft allegations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2655115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-57.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[8773,85164,51050,5894],"class_list":["post-2655114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-corruption","tag-covid-relief-2","tag-law-enforcement-2","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-57.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2655114"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655114\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2655117,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655114\/revisions\/2655117"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2655115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2655114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2655114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2655114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}