LAWRENCE — Federal authorities last week searched a Lawrence property owned by a Democratic state lawmaker, according to officials and people with knowledge of the probe, though it was not immediately clear what they were investigating.
The FBI on Thursday searched an Essex Street building owned by state Representative Francisco Paulino, a first-term Democrat from nearby Methuen. Kristen Setera, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Boston office, confirmed authorities were “conducting court-authorized activity” at that address, but she declined further comment.
The search focused on Heav’nly Donuts, a café located within the Essex Street building, a person with knowledge of the investigation said. An eyewitness told the Globe the café was closed Thursday and that a client saw police inside it.
Paulino, on his campaign website, identifies himself as the restaurant’s founder. Business records show his wife, Ruby Purohit, replaced him as its president last year. Purohit also serves as Paulino’s campaign treasurer.
In a brief phone call, Paulino told a Globe reporter that he is not the owner of the business the FBI searched. He declined further comment, including to say which business or businesses the FBI searched. Paulino also owns a tax services company housed in the same Essex Street building, according to business records and the company’s website.
“I own the building, not the business,” he said.
Paulino, 44, won a second term in the Massachusetts House earlier this month after fending off a primary challenge in September from Marcos Devers, a former lawmaker whom he beat for the seat two years ago. Paulino previously lived in Lawrence, and served on the city’s school committee.
Paulino told the Eagle-Tribune he was a “coffee lover” after he bought and reopened the Heav’nly Donuts franchise in 2020. Paulino told the newspaper then that he was proud to offer a place for people to go “during these tough times.”
“In a time of crisis, we want to support the community,” he said. “We are here to stay.”
On Monday afternoon, the downtown café was busy with lunchtime patrons. An employee, who declined to give her name, confirmed Purohit was the shop’s owner, but said she wasn’t returning to work until Tuesday.
In the same building, large decals with Paulino’s name adorned the windows of what appeared to be a campaign office. The office, which was locked Monday, was decorated with campaign signs, with paper mailers and brochures taped to the walls.
The door leading to the condos that share 256 Essex Street was also locked.
America, an employee at Adriana Clothing Store across the street, said she noticed the donut shop was closed Thursday when a client went to get a coffee.
”She said it was closed, and there was police inside,” America, who declined to give her last name, told the Globe in Spanish.
Public records indicate Paulino is connected to other businesses in the building he owns, beyond the donut shop. Paulino lists himself as a “tax consultant” at Madison Tax, a Lawrence tax services business he founded that lists its address as the Essex Street building he owns. Paulino also previously listed the building as the mailing address for his political committee, according to campaign finance records.
He is involved in several businesses, according to state business records. He is listed as the president, treasurer, secretary, and director of a company called Veritas Home Mortgage. He is also listed as the manager of a company called Paulino Enterprise, and shares management of another, dubbed Gomez and Paulino, LLC. All three businesses share the same North Andover address.
As of last year, Paulino owned $5.8 million worth of properties in three different communities, including 20 units in the Essex Street building in Lawrence where the FBI search took place, a Globe analysis of property records last year showed. Asked for his own tally at the time, Paulino struggled to say how many he owned.
“I don’t keep count,” he told the Globe.
Matt Stout can be reached at matt.stout@globe.com. Follow him @mattpstout. Samantha J. Gross can be reached at samantha.gross@globe.com. Follow her @samanthajgross.