7/24/23
The Domestic Violence coordinator for The City of Lawrence Police Department is under investigation by the city for filing an application for a $50,000 federal grant (through the city) for a non-profit she created, called “My Lifeline, Inc.”.
Belgica (Lynette) Perez represented false information on her application to the state, city, and federal government concerning; who was actually on the board, when the board was incorporated, concealed the fact that she listed the wife of a city councilor as a board member (without her knowledge), and failed to disclose the status of other city employees and/or relatives of city employees involved in the so-called “non-profit.”
Lynette Perez, was the mayor’s campaign manager in 2021.
FALSE DATES OF INCORPORATION
In her $50,000 grant application forms submitted to the city, she falsely stated the organization was incorporated in November of 2022.
On June 20th of this year, Octavian Spanner from the Mayor’s Office appeared before the city council seeking approval for all the non-profits requesting federal funding through the American Rescue Plan, in a city program the mayor called “Creating a Thriving Lawrence”.
During that meeting, Spanner announced he was pulling Perez’s request for funding off the list for council approval, stating that the mayor’s office had “additional questions” about inconsistencies in her application.
In that application with the city, she claimed that her non-profit was approved and incorporated by the state, which was a requirement to receive the $50,000 grant she was requesting.
However, documents show that she didn’t incorporate with the Mass Division of Corporations until three days after her application was to be approved by the Council (June 23rd).
“Octavian knew something was wrong and he was really smart to pull her application before it went to the city council,” one source in city hall told the Valley Patriot.
“If he hadn’t caught this, it could have been a real problem for this administration, especially given that Perez was the mayor’s campaign manager.”
CITY COUNCILOR’S WIFE NAMED ON BOAD
DELROSARIO’s WIFE FILES COMPLAINT
According to City Councilor Gregory Delrosario, (and his wife Rosanna), Perez also lied on the application by listing Rosanna Delrosario as secretary of the board for her non-profit.
“My wife was never informed she was going to be listed and never agreed to be on this board. She was never told her name was going to be used on these documents as a member of this board. She never signed anything regarding being part of this non-profit,” Delrosario told The Valley Patriot.
Councilor Delrosario was tipped off by the mayor’s office that his wife was listed on the board documents prior to the council vote, and even though Spanner pulled the Perez application for $50,000, Delrosario voted present on the grant list to make sure there was no appearance of impropriety.
Rosanna Delrosario even filed a complaint with the City Attorney prior to the council vote claiming she never gave approval for her name to be used as part of this non profit. (DOCUMENT HERE)
The letter states, in part…
“I am writing this letter because of misrepresentations and false information which was provided to federal and state agencies regarding myself, and my involvement with a nonprofit organization, called my lifeline Inc. I would like to take the opportunity to clarify several misinformation (sic) as accurately as I can,” the complaint states.
“Recently, and to my surprise, it was brought to my attention by Octavian Spanner, senior advisor to Mayor Depena, that my name appeared as one of the board members of an organization that applied for the Creating a Thriving Lawrence grant administered by the City of Lawrence. I was asked if I had any knowledge of my involvement with my lifeline, Inc. Organization that applied for funding, and why I did not disclose this information to the city clerks office, and Ethics Commission for it may be a direct violation of conflict of interest rules.
I immediately informed Mr. Spanner that I absolutely and categorically did not have any knowledge of being part of the organization, nor holding a membership position on the board. I further stated that if this information was correct, it was done without my consent or knowledge of such.
After being informed of this situation, I immediately went to the Massachusetts division of corporations, and searched the states online database. I searched my name, and discovered that indeed, my name appeared as secretary of the organization. However, my name was incorrectly registered.
She further stated, “I have never given permission to any person, nor Miss Perez to include my name as part of my lifeline Inc. organization nor have an accepted or consented to assume any position on the board. I have never participated in any meeting with individuals appearing as board members of the organization, nor any other persons to discuss any matters related to deformation, establishing purpose, nor activities of the organization.”
“I was never notified by Miss Perez, that my name would appear as being part of this organization.”
“I categorically did not have any knowledge that my name was included in the Creating a Thriving Lawrence grant application submitted by My Lifeline Inc. to the city.”
“Finally, I would like to state that I am extremely disappointed that I have been a subject of misrepresentation and false information. That I have been completely blindsided by Miss Perez, for she has used my name without my knowledge and consent.”
I kindly request you to further investigate this matter to exonerate me from any wrongdoing.
In the documents filled out by Perez to the state and the city, she was repeatedly asked if there were any conflicts of interest or if any members of the board were city workers.
Perez answered no.
(DOCUMENT HERE)
Yet Perez is a city worker. Delrosario’s wife works for the city, and two other members of the board listed in the documents are related to a captain on the Lawrence Police Department.
DATES OF CONCEALMENT
Perez listed Rosanna Delrosario as the Secretary of the non-profit with the Mass. Division of Incorporation on June 23rd, (concealing that she was a city worker) but put the expiration of Delrosario’s service to the board as the following day (June 24th).
“We believe this was done deliberately” one source in city hall said, “so that Councilor Delrosario and his wife Rosanna, would never find out her name was being used and they would never receive any paperwork from the city or the state.”
“She admitted after the fact, that there were no minutes for any of the non-profit board meetings, and that Rosanna didn’t take minutes of meetings because she never knew and never attended any meetings.”
Contrary to the documents she filed, (and as required by law) there were no meetings of the board as required to incorporate as a non-profit, and there is no record of any votes being taken.
In a letter by Perez to the Massachusetts Ethics Commission asking for guidance and approval for her non-profit she failed to disclose that she had listed the wife of a city councilor on the board and subsequently got approval from the commission because of that omission.
Octavian Spanner was asked on the Paying Attention Podcast by Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan if she had been fired or at the very least put on administrative leave during their investigation.
Spanner said she is still working in the police department and that it was an ongoing investigation, so he could only comment on the process, but not the details of the case.
The Valley Patriot has learned that Perez has corrected some of the false information on her filings with the state after the controversy was discovered and has maintained that the omissions and date concealments were a “mistake”.