Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson was arrested Friday morning by FBI agents on public corruption charges. The arrest, which took place in Dorchester, follows a federal investigation that has sent shockwaves through the city’s political landscape.
Fernandes Anderson, who represents District 7, which encompasses Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway, and parts of the South End, faces serious allegations. Court documents filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts reveal that she has been charged with five counts of wire fraud and one count of theft related to programs receiving federal funds, according to Fox News.
According to federal prosecutors, Fernandes Anderson allegedly engaged in fraudulent activities involving a family member she hired to her staff in late 2022. The councilor is accused of orchestrating a scheme where this relative would receive “additional compensation but would kickback most of this bonus pay.”
“From in or about early to mid-2023, Fernandes Anderson was facing personal financial difficulty, which included missing monthly rent and car payments, an impending $5,000 civil penalty from the Ethics Commission, and incurring bank overdraft fees, which resulted in Fernandes Anderson maintaining low daily bank balances,” the filing reads, which was obtained by the Boston Globe.
“On or about June 9, 2023, at approximately 4:11 p.m., Staff Member A texted Fernandes Anderson, ‘Bathroom’ to let Fernandes Anderson know that Staff Member A was waiting in the bathroom to hand the $7,000 cash to Fernandes Anderson.”
The court document also stated that Fernandes Anderson texted Staff Member A, “Ready” within a matter of seconds to confirm that she was ready to retrieve the $7,000 from Staff Member A. Staff Member A then handed the money over to Fernandes Anderson in a City Hall bathroom.
Boston City Councilors are prohibited from hiring immediate family members for paid staff positions, the court document states. However, in 2022, Fernandes Anderson employed two family members in such roles.
As a result of this ethics violation, Fernandes Anderson agreed to pay a $5,000 civil penalty and terminated their employment.
To add to the controversy, the Massachusetts’ Office of Campaign and Political Finance informed her campaign that it had accepted contributions exceeding the legal limit and failed to file deposit information on time, according to WCVB.
In a statement, Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen called Fernandes Anderson’s behavior a “slap in the face” to Boston taxpayers.
“Her behavior, as alleged in today’s indictment, is a slap in the face to the hardworking taxpayers in the city of Boston who have every right to expect that the city’s funds are in good and honest hands,” she said.
“This case illustrates how the FBI, and our partners, are working hard every day to battle public corruption and the corrosive damage it does to people’s faith in government.”
Fernandes Anderson made history in 2021 as the first African immigrant and Muslim-American elected to the Boston City Council, according to her bio on the city’s website.
