LAWRENCE — City Council President Jeovanny Rodriguez expressed concern about the financial implications of the criminal investigation into clandestine video and audio recording at City Hall.
Lawsuits could be filed as result of Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s investigation, Rodriguez said on Friday.
Mayor Brian DePena also hired a private firm to do an independent investigation and has not specified what the cost will be. The firm was already investigating other city issues for DePena prior to when the City Hall recording practice came to light last month, Rodriguez said.
Investigators have seized items from City Hall twice including late Thursday afternoon. Four cameras were taken from the third floor where DePena’s office is located. No charges have been filed or indictments handed down. The investigation continues, according to multiple city officials.
“I hope this doesn’t add more to the city’s financial problems,” Rodriguez said. “This could be something that puts the city at risk of potential lawsuits…This could be a budget issue.”
Meanwhile, DePena refuses to respond directly to The Eagle-Tribune regarding the investigation. Through a spokesperson, he said the matter remains under investigation and the city if fully cooperating.
However, Noticias del Valle, a bilingual news provider in the Merrimack Valley, quoted DePena as saying he would like to speak about the investigation, but is prevented from doing so due to officials instructions.
“Remember my phone is tapped,” DePena said, according to Noticias del Valle.
”House of the people”
Last month, the city was served with another search warrant and a recording was device was seized from City Hall after a recordings from outside DePena’s office were publicly leaked.
The video showed William Castro, Mayor Brian DePena’s former chief of staff, and Francisco Urena, the Lawrence airport director, could be seen and heard talking outside the mayor’s office.
It’s illegal in Massachusetts to secretly record or wiretap an in-person or telephone conversation without the consent of everyone involved. Violating the law is a felony, according to the state’s general laws.
Since the leak, Castro was terminated and there were calls for DePena to resign.
The New England Police Benevolent Association, which represents police officers in Lawrence, previously called for DePena’s resignation over the recording issue.
On Friday, the NEPBA issued a statement indicating news of a second search warrant “continue to underscore the seriousness of this matter and validate the need for a thorough, independent investigation by the Attorney General’s Office.
“From the beginning, NEPBA’s position has been centered on transparency, accountability, and ensuring that the rights of our members are protected. We remain particularly concerned about the potential that protected communications involving law enforcement personnel and union representatives may have been impacted.”
Juan “Manny” Gonzalez, DePena’s challenger in last fall’s election, said he was pleased to learn a second search warrant was executed.
“To see the troopers come into City Hall is encouraging,” said Gonzalez, a city firefighter and community activist. “The investigation is going forward.
“This is a priority. To bring transparency to the local government we have to hold people accountable. One hundred percent.”
Although another mayoral election is several years away, Gonzalez said he is receiving community support and plans to run for mayor again.
“The city of Lawrence needs answers and needs a through investigation … Someone must be held accountable here in the ‘house of the people,’” he said, referring to City Hall.
Castro, after his firing, filed a lawsuit seeking $4.5 million saying he was secretly recorded while he was DePena’s chief of staff, in part because he is Puerto Rican.
The lawsuit indicates that Castro was “secretly audio-recorded without his knowledge or consent” in violation of the state’s wiretapping laws.
He allegedly “had no involvement in the procurement, installation, configuration or operation of the surveillance system,” according the lawsuit.
Previously a political ally of DePena, Castro served as chief of staff and acting chief of Lawrence police in DePena’s administration.
The City Hall recording system was installed in 2023 outside DePena’s office, but the audio function was initially disabled, Director of IT Services Carlos Castillo has said.
It’s unclear how audio was restored to the system that could only be accessed from Castro’s office, according to an email obtained by The Eagle-Tribune.
However, Castro “had not been aware that secret unlawful audio recordings were being made in City Hall,” according to the lawsuit, which added there “may have been more than one source of audio recording” at City Hall.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter/X @EagleTribJill and Threads at jillyharma.