This is the second Massachusetts Democrat arrested for alleged pandemic fraud in the same city.
Another Massachusetts Democrat has been arrested for alleged pandemic fraud after the 61-year-old mayor of Lawrence was arrested earlier this month.
Massachusetts state Rep. Francisco Paulino, a Democrat, is accused of using information gathered from his tax prep business in Lawrence to fraudulently apply for pandemic funds.
'The money these two allegedly scammed was meant for hard-working Americans and struggling business owners, not for two greedy individuals who lied and stole for their own personal benefit.'
The 46-year-old was arrested Wednesday and charged with eight counts of wire fraud and three counts of unlawful monetary transactions.
Paulino allegedly received more than $700,000 in unemployment insurance benefits and small-business loans from the pandemic.
He used those loans to buy property and make loans to clients at his tax preparation business before he was elected to the state legislature in 2023, prosecutors claim.
If convicted, the Democrat faces 20 years in prison for each of the eight wire fraud charges and 10 years in prison for each of the three money laundering charges.
Paulino represents the 16th Essex District, which includes the city of Lawrence, whose mayor was arrested.
Federal prosecutors said Mayor Brian DePeƱa stole more than $1.5 million in pandemic money and used the ill-gotten cash to "fund his campaign account, pay personal taxes, and pay more than $880,000 in high-interest, hard-money mortgages on properties he owned in Lawrence."
U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley excoriated both Democrats at a news briefing.
"The conduct alleged by the Lawrence mayor and the district state representative is appalling. Everyone listening today knows how difficult it was for Americans during the pandemic and how challenging it was for businesses," said Foley.
Foley told reporters that the two cases are not related and that the investigations began three years ago, according to NBC10 Boston, which would mean they started when President Joe Biden was still in office.
"The money these two individuals allegedly scammed was meant for hard-working Americans and struggling business owners, not for two greedy individuals who lied and stole for their own personal benefit," she added.
The cost of California’s ‘sanctuary’ policies — in human lives
California’s “sanctuary” policies restrict the degree to which local law enforcement can work with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It is a policy that has a terrible cost in human lives.
One life was that of Todd Stewart, 68 years old. He was a retired engineer, a father of two, and a longtime resident of his quiet neighborhood in Martinez, Calif.
On Aug. 6, prosecutors say Stewart encountered a burglar in his home garage and was stabbed to death.
Unfortunately, California’s state law created a system that would ultimately fail Todd Stewart. The man charged with Stewart’s alleged murder, Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, encountered the criminal justice system and was known to federal immigration authorities, but California’s sanctuary policies worked in Iriarte-Valdez’s favor.
Nichelle Holmes has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Contra Costa County Superior Court. Holmes, of Solano County, has served as a Deputy District Attorney at the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office since 2012. Governor Gavin Newsom
Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during an event about new savings for California car buyers and a major milestone in the state’s clean energy future at the Bridge Yard Facility in Oakland, California, on Aug. 7, 2026. (2026 Anadolu) Anadolu via Getty Images
Nearly 11 months before this attack, ICE lodged an immigration detainer against Iriarte-Valdez identifying him as a Venezuelan national with Spanish citizenship who was unlawfully present in the United States. Despite this detainer, and in deference to California’s sanctuary laws, ICE was not alerted to the release of Iriarte-Valdez after he had allegedly committed several crimes.
In fact, Iriarte-Valdez was already facing three felony burglary charges involving occupied residences, and had been taken back into custody for allegedly violating the conditions of his home detention. Yet on Aug. 5, a Contra Costa County judge released him on his own recognizance.
Todd Stewart was murdered the next day.
This is the predictable result of policies that prevent local authorities from notifying ICE when a suspect with an active detainer and serious criminal charges is released.
As of early 2026, the Department of Homeland Security noted that California had failed to honor over 4,500 deportation “detainer” requests. In San Diego County, the Sheriff’s Department has rejected over 80% of requests for inmate release dates to ICE.
As mayor of El Cajon, I have been clear about where I stand. Local law enforcement should be able to do their job, protect their communities, and work with federal authorities.
Yet California’s sanctuary policies, including the infamous Senate Bill 54, have placed unnecessary restrictions on that cooperation, limiting the ability of local communities to make public safety decisions for themselves.
Marcos Iriarte-Valdez is pictured in a photo released by the Martinez Police Department on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. The department launched a homicide investigation after receiving multiple 9-1-1 calls regarding a subject who was reportedly stabbed on Francis Court. Martinez Police Department
Todd Stewart, a man with gray hair, a beard, and glasses, smiling at the camera.
To add insult to injury here in San Diego County, Sheriff Kelly Martinez just announced that ICE will no longer be allowed to use sheriff’s facilities for training or firearms qualifications, citing “community concerns.”
While US Customs and Border Protection will continue to have access to the Otay Range, the decision to expel ICE further limits practical cooperation with the very federal agency charged with removing people who are in the country illegally and pose a public safety threat.
Our local leaders cannot claim to prioritize public safety while steadily narrowing the ability of law enforcement to work with ICE.
El Cajon has experienced this conflict firsthand. That is why our city, with the support of the America First Policy Institute, is challenging California’s sanctuary policies in court.
The heart of our case is a simple question: Why should Sacramento prevent local governments from cooperating with federal authorities to enforce federal law?
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s response to the Stewart case has been to point the finger at the federal government. His office insists nothing in California law stops ICE from enforcing federal immigration law.
But that avoids the real issue. No one claims California can prevent ICE from enforcing the law. The real issue is whether California’s state law should prevent local law enforcement from sharing basic information with federal authorities when someone is in custody, has an active detainer, and is about to be released.
Opposition to sanctuary policies is not opposition to immigration, and America has welcomed generations of legal immigrants who have made this country stronger. El Cajon is an incredibly diverse community, and I am proud of that.
The question here is much more basic: When someone who is in this country illegally repeatedly commits crimes, why would we make it harder for local police to work with federal authorities to remove that person?
Todd Stewart’s murder should force lawmakers in Sacramento to confront that question. Cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities should not be treated as a political statement. When it comes to repeat offenders and people accused of serious crimes, it is a public safety tool.
For years, California politicians have defended sanctuary policies in the name of compassion. But our first obligation as elected officials is to protect the people we serve.
This is the kind of crazy story that could only happen in San Francisco. It started on May 31 when a man later identified as Norris Reed III fled from police, crashed his car and wound up shooting a female officer.
...officers were alerted at about 10:29 p.m. Sunday when a license plate reader flagged a vehicle linked to a robbery in the East Bay entering San Francisco via the Bay Bridge.
"We were alerted via an LPR hit, that a vehicle associated with a robbery that was perpetrated in East Bay came into our city and that's why we became involved," Lew said.
Officers located the vehicle near Fifth and Folsom streets, with two people inside. When officers attempted a traffic stop near Mission and First streets, the driver fled, leading officers on a pursuit through city streets, police said.
The vehicle later became disabled near Bayshore Boulevard and Jerrold Avenue. Authorities said the driver then opened fire on officers, striking one officer multiple times. Officers returned fire at the suspect vehicle.
To be clear, there were two people inside the car. One of them was hit by police as they returned fire. The police officer who was shot was identified as Brittney Taylor. She survived but was seriously injured.
Law enforcement sources identified the wounded officer as Brittney Taylor. She has been with the department for nearly 10 years. She was recognized last year in a San Francisco Police Department Facebook post for saving someone's life in the South of Market neighborhood.
"She's an extremely popular officer who's known for her hard-nosed work ethic," Lew said.
Taylor was in the hospital for three weeks and was applauded by fellow officers when she was discharged.
Anyway, up to this point it's a story that could probably happen in any big city. But here's where it gets weird. While police were busy saving Taylor's life, the suspect who fired the shots, Norris Reed, fled to a nearby homeless shelter. And there, according to police he was given help to escape by two of the shelter's staff members. Those two individuals were arrested last week.
Two employees of a Bayview homeless shelter were arrested Thursday, accused of helping an armed gunman evade police after he shot an SFPD officer in May. The nonprofit that runs the shelter disputed the police account, saying its staff were actually de-escalating a dangerous standoff to evacuate 125 people safely.
Officials said Oliver Barcenas, 36, and Erika Porter, 45, helped alleged gunman Norris Reed III evade capture after he fled the scene of the May 31 shooting on foot and entered the Bayshore Navigation Center.
As you can see, the shelter is denying their employees did anything wrong, but police say they have surveillance video showing Barcenas and Porter helping Reed.
At 12:17 am, over an hour after Reed III fled the scene, dispatch received a call stating that the suspect was inside the gate of the navigation center. Officers responded to the fenced courtyard of the navigation center and placed Reed III under arrest. During the arrest, officers seized two firearms from the suspect's waistband.
With assistance from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, SFPD officers reviewed surveillance footage from the navigation center showing Barcenas providing Reed III with clothing to conceal his identity despite knowing that he was in possession of a firearm when he entered the navigation center.
Additionally, when officers had earlier visited the navigation center while searching for the suspect, Porter gave false statements to the police to prevent the officers from locating him.
They were arrested Thursday and today they were charged. They are of course telling a very different story.
Police chief Derrick Lew said on Monday that security camera footage showed Barcenas pass Reed a jacket and a hat through an open window to the shelter’s courtyard, helping Reed to hide his identity. Porter, said Lew, told officers that she didn’t know where Reed was, while the suspect sat several feet away from her, out of sight.
“I hope they’re not true,” said Steve Good, the CEO of Five Keys, the nonprofit that runs the shelter, of the allegations last week. “This is deeply troubling and concerning, but also incredibly surprising.”
Good said that he was told by staff, including Barcenas and Porter, that they did their best to placate the armed intruder and evacuate nearly 200 staff and clients from the shelter.
According to Good, Reed, who remained in a gated courtyard outside the shelter before he was arrested, showed staff two firearms in his waistband, and warned them to not call the police. It wasn’t until 12:17 a.m. that the police say they were alerted by a staff member that Reed was in the navigation center, over an hour after he ran from officers.
But DA Brooke Jenkins says that's not the case and she has the proof.
When asked about claims that staff were threatened to not call the police, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins responded that the footage, which includes audio that was not shared with the public on Monday, shows “clear evidence” that Barcenas and Porter “made a choice” to “aid and abet” Reed.
And there's one more twist in this story. Why would anyone seek to help someone who shot a cop evade the law? Barcenas, the man accused of helping disguise Reed, has been shot twice by the police. The last timewas in 2018:
At 12:17 a.m. June 9, San Francisco Police Department Officer Joshua Cabillo stepped out of the passenger side of a patrol car on Grant Avenue and Vallejo Street, a block from Broadway. He’d spotted four heavyset guys drinking beers on the corner after the Waaaaarriorrrrrrrrrs’ sweeping victory. He approached them alone while his partner parked the car.
Carrying an open alcohol container is a citable offense. A veteran cop might have written up a ticket, or perhaps let the revelers off with a warning. Either way, according to Carl T, a retired 32-year veteran of the San Francisco Police Department, it’s a small infraction. The cop’s goal should have been to get the guys moving to avoid further hassle during a crowded, impromptu party night.
Instead, this particular cop decided to be aggressive. What transpired was a 36-second interaction followed by a 7-second pursuit that concluded with Cabillo shooting Oliver Barcenas, 28, in the back as Barcenas ran away.
Why did Barcenas run? Well, he had a gun on him, which he tried to ditch in the gutter seconds before he was shot. Also, he'd been shot by police before, back in 2012.
In 2012, current Assistant Chief Toney Chaplin shot Barcenas three times during a foot chase in the Mission District in which Barcenas carried a loaded Tec-9 semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine.
Then-SFPD Chief Greg Suhr hailed Chaplin as a hero for the shooting, the San Francisco Examiner reported at the time. Police said Barcenas, a known member of the Norteno gang, was planning to commit a gang-related killing that night in the southern part of the Mission District.
So a former gang member twice shot by police is the guy who handed Reed some clothes to help him escape. That makes more sense. Still, it's the kind of thing that only seems to happen in San Francisco.
Keep these in mind as you contemplate the direction of the American government over the past 50 years and especially since the Obama election.
The Goals of Communism
(as read into the congressional record January 10, 1963, from "The Naked Communist" by Cleon Skousen)
1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.
2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.
3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.
5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.
6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.
7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.
8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.
9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.
10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.
11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)
12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.
13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.
14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.
15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.
16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
18. Gain control of all student newspapers.
19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.
20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.
21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.
22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."
23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."
24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."
29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."
31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.
32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.
34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.
36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand.
39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems.
43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.
44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.
45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.
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