Massachusetts
Former Massachusetts senator arrested for $30K COVID unemployment fraud, lying on tax return

A former Massachusetts lawmaker was charged Friday for fraudulently collecting more than $30,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits and lying about his income on his 2021 tax return, federal prosecutors said.
Former State Senator Dean Tran was indicted on 25 counts of wire fraud and three counts of filing false tax returns, the U.S. attorney’s office for Massachusetts said in a news release.
Tran, a Republican who represented Worcester and Middlesex from 2017 to 2021, appeared in federal court in Boston on Friday and pleaded “absolutely not guilty” to all charges.
The 48-year-old didn’t take any questions after the arraignment, but his attorney, Michael Gillis, said he hadn’t seen any evidence of wrongdoing.
“I would say that we’ve not received any evidence whatsoever of any crime that’s been committed,” Gillis told the Boston Herald. “When we get the discovery, we’ll look at it, but at this point there’s nothing been produced to us that shows any guilt for any crime.”
According to his indictment, Tran applied for pandemic unemployment benefits after he had already accepted employment as a paid consultant for a New Hampshire-based automotive parts company — after his state senate term ended in January 2021.
While working as a consultant, prosecutors say he fraudulently collected $30,120 in unemployment. He also allegedly hid from the IRS more than $50,000 he had received for his consulting job for the company.
“This was in addition to thousands of dollars in rental income that Tran allegedly concealed from the IRS while collecting rent from tenants of a Fitchburg rental property from 2020 to 2022,” the U.S. attorney’s office said.
“Dean Tran was once elected to serve taxpayers, but today we arrested him for allegedly cheating them out of tens of thousands of dollars in fraudulent unemployment benefits that were meant to be a lifeline for those struggling for survival as a result of the pandemic,” Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, said.
He also allegedly “made the conscious decision” to lie about his employment status and about his rental property income “so he could get a tax break,” Cohen added.
In September, the disgraced lawmaker was charged with two counts of using an official position to secure unwarranted privilege. Prosecutors said he used state money to pay his staff to campaign for him. He later pleaded “absolutely not guilty of violating state ethics laws,” CBS Boston reported.
Over the summer, Tran also pleaded “absolutely not guilty” to several charges in connection with a different incident. Prosecutors said he allegedly stole a firearm from an elderly constituent and then misled investigators about what happened.

Massachusetts
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Massachusetts
Are you middle class? Here’s what it takes to be middle class in Massachusetts in 2025
Report: 65% of middle class struggling financially
In an Urban Institute poll commissioned by the National True Cost of Living Coalition, 65% of American families making at least $60k a year struggle financially
Cheddar
The income needed to maintain middle-class status in the United States has risen—and it’s the highest in Massachusetts, according to calculations by SmartAsset.
Reaching middle-class in America—owning a home, saving enough money for retirement, and being able to go on occasional vacations—has long been a dream for many. But it’s one that is increasingly feeling out of reach for many Americans.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday, three in five Americans say the cost of living is going in the wrong direction. And in Massachusetts, a UMass Amherst poll found that just 40% of residents say their own economic situation is “excellent” or “good,” the lowest percentage in the past four years.
Using Pew Research Center’s definition of middle income, which is two-thirds to double the median household income, as well as the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, SmartAsset calculated the middle-class income ranges for 100 major U.S. cities and all 50 states.
What is middle class in Massachusetts?
The study found that Massachusetts is the most expensive state for middle-class living.
A household is considered middle class in the Bay State if it makes between $66,565 and $199,716. This is a jump from $62,986 to $188,976 last year.
The median household income in Massachusetts is $99,858.
What is considered middle class in Boston?
Boston is ranked the 13th priciest city to be middle class in the U.S., with a household needing between $64,614 and $193,862.
The median income in Boston is $96,931.
What are the most expensive states to be middle class in America?
Massachusetts overtook New Jersey this year as the priciest state to be middle class.
New Jersey still holds the second spot, with a range of $66,514 to $199,562. Maryland is a close third ($65,779 to $197,356).
Another New England state, New Hampshire, took the fourth spot with a range of $64,552 to $193,676.
What cities have the highest middle-class range?
In Arlington, Virginia, a household could be making $280,000 and still be considered middle class. Arlington is the priciest city for middle class living, with a range of $93,470 to $280,438.
California cities take up the next three spots: San Jose ($90,810 to $272,458); Irvine ($85,317 to $255,978); and San Francisco ($84,478 to $253,460).
Massachusetts
Town of Brookline, Massachusetts mulls bringing armed police officers back to schools

Brookline police are considering reinstating school resource officers (SRO), after the district eliminated the program during a national reckoning with police brutality a few years ago.
Program eliminated in 2021
“We decided back in 2021 to eliminate the program because we were very concerned about a lot of the national data that indicated that students of color, as well as students with disabilities are more likely to end up being criminalized when police are in schools,” said Raul Fernandez, the Executive Director of Brookline For Racial Justice and Equity.
Fernandez is a parent in the district who agreed with the unanimous vote by the school committee to get rid of armed police in the school district.
He fears for the safety of his child in the presence of police saying, “It’s absolutely not necessary and it also puts my kid at risk.”
“Not a law enforcement role”
But according to Brookline police, the purpose of school resource officers is to promote school safety and to enhance the relationships between students and officers.
“It’s not a law enforcement role,” said Paul Campbell, the deputy superintendent at the Brookline Police Department. “It’s almost like a teacher, student type role,” he said.
According to Campbell, SROs are an integral part of the learning experience. Before the role was eliminated, officers taught classes on various topics including internet safety and teen dating violence. But Fernandez says the benefit of those classes don’t outweigh the overall risk.
A final decision to reinstate school resource officers will come from the school committee. Brookline’s superintendent told WBZ they will revisit the topic in the coming months.
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