Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson arrested, accused of taking $7,000 kickback
BOSTON - Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson was arrested Friday on federal public corruption charges and is accused of taking a $7,000 kickback, authorities said.
According to an indictment, Fernandes Anderson is charged with wire fraud, theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and forfeiture allegations.
The FBI said agents surrounded her home in Dorchester shortly after 6 a.m., called for her to come outside and took her into custody.
Tania Fernandes Anderson charges
In the indictment, federal prosecutors say she hired a relative to her staff in 2022 at a salary of $65,000 a year. The relative, only identified as "Staff member A" in the indictment, allegedly got a $13,000 bonus in May 2023 and then later kicked back $7,000 of it to Fernandes Anderson in a pre-arranged deal.
The indictment claims the staff member gave Fernandes Anderson the $7,000 in cash in a bathroom at Boston City Hall on June 9, 2023.
Fernandes Anderson is also accused of lying to the city by hiding the fact that she was related to the staff member. The indictment said the staffer "was not an immediate family member."
U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy said a grand jury alleges that Fernandes Anderson hatched the scheme "to funnel bonus payments, taxpayer money into her own pocket."
"Public officials who line their pockets with taxpayer money erode the trust and confidence of the public in the officials who serve them," Levy said.
Fernandes Anderson is the first Boston City Councilor to be indicted since the late Chuck Turner was found guilty of accepting a $1,000 bribe and lying to FBI agents in 2010.
"It's like déjà vu all over again," said Stephen J. Kelleher, the assistant special agent in charge of FBI Boston. "Another Boston City councilor is accused of embracing a culture of cashing in at the expense of the public good."
Tania Fernandes Anderson pleads not guilty
Fernandes Anderson appeared in federal court Friday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to all charges. She faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charges and up to 10 years for the theft charge.
Fernandes Anderson asked Judge Donald Cabell to appoint a public defender for her, as she is unable to afford a lawyer.
The judge said Fernandes Anderson can be released if she follows a number of conditions, including staying in Massachusetts, surrendering her passport.
Boston mayor urges Tania Fernandes Anderson to resign
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Friday urged Fernandes Anderson to resign.
"Like any member of the community, Councilor Fernandes Anderson has the right to a fair legal process," Wu said in a statement. "But the serious nature of these charges undermine the public trust and will prevent her from effectively serving the city. I urge Councilor Fernandes Anderson to resign."
District 2 City Councilor Ed Flynn also called for her to step down. "I believe in the best interest of the city it's necessary for Councilor Fernandes Anderson to resign," Flynn said.
District 8 Councilor Sharon Durkan also called on Fernandes Anderson to resign, saying the charges are "deeply troubling and represent an unacceptable breach of public trust."
Fernandes Anderson had released a statement on Wednesday, responding to reports that she was under federal investigation.
"To my people, District 7 constituents: You know that I am always transparent with you and always available. My job is to show up and fight for you, and I will continue to do just that-the people's work," Fernandes Anderson said. "Unfortunately, I am not able to comment on this matter at this time. As soon as I can, I will be sure to share more with you."
Who is Tania Fernandes Anderson?
Fernandes Anderson, 45, lives in Dorchester. She represents District 7 in Boston, which includes Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and part of the South End.
Last year, she was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine after admitting to hiring her son and sister to full-time positions on her staff. The state ethics commission said those hires violated conflict of interest laws.
Shortly after she was elected to her first two-year term in November 2021, Fernandes Anderson hired her sister as her director of constituent services at a salary of $65,000 a year. It was raised to $70,000 and she was later given a $7,000 bonus in June 2022.
That same month, Fernandes Anderson hired her son to be an office manager. The starting salary was $52,000 a year. Just weeks later, she gave him an $18,000 raise.
The indictment also noted that Fernandes Anderson required all her staff members to sign a non-disclosure agreement that prohibited them from disclosing "confidential information" to anyone without her permission.
"It stuck out to us as unusual and not consistent with the transparency that the public expects from government officials," Levy said about those agreements.
"Personal financial difficulty"
The indictment Friday said Fernandes Anderson "was facing personal financial difficulty" in mid-2023 because she was "missing monthly rent and car payments," had "bank overdraft fees" due to low daily bank balances and she had yet to pay the $5,000 fine.
"When faced with financial hardship and that State Ethics Commission $5,000 sanction, Ms. Fernandes Anderson chose to violate her fiduciary duty and defraud the city of Boston, the indictment alleges, rather than find a legal means to pay off that debt," Levy said.
Fernandes Anderson was re-elected in November 2023.
