Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson has been arrested on federal public corruption charges for allegedly orchestrating a kickback scheme to steal city funds. She is facing six counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud for using federal grant money through her role on the council. Fernandes Anderson is accused of hiring a relative and receiving a kickback from them, leading to financial difficulties that prompted her to devise the scheme.
Federal authorities allege that she lied about the relationship and failed to disclose the kickback arrangement, receiving $7,000 in cash from the staffer in exchange for a bonus of $13,000. The scheme was described as “not just creative, but criminal accounting” by the FBI. Fernandes Anderson has not made any statements, and her lawyer declined to comment further.
Mayor Michelle Wu and City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune have called for Fernandes Anderson’s resignation, citing the serious nature of the charges and the impact on public trust. This incident follows a previous ethics violation in 2023 for employing family members on her staff, for which she paid a fine. Fernandes Anderson, the first African immigrant and Muslim-American elected to the council, was elected in November 2021 to represent District 7 in Boston. The investigation into this case is ongoing, and additional charges have not been ruled out.
Source
Photo credit www.nbcboston.com
