Boston City Councilor Arrested for Fraud and Theft Scheme

Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson found herself in hot water after being arrested on Friday on federal fraud charges. The U.S. attorney's office accused her of siphoning off a portion of an inflated bonus payment intended for a staffer, who happened to be a relative, and diverting it into her own pockets during a clandestine exchange at a City Hall bathroom.

Facing financial woes, Anderson was apprehended outside her residence on five counts of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning a program that receives federal funds, as revealed by U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy during a press briefing.

Anderson's appearance in federal court was scheduled for Friday afternoon following her indictment by a grand jury earlier in the week.

Despite the gravity of the charges, there was no indication in the documents that she had legal representation. Attempts to obtain comments from her office through email and phone calls went unanswered.

The predicament for Fernandes Anderson stemmed from financial troubles in 2023, exacerbated by the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission's intent to levy a $5,000 fine against her for employing immediate family members within her office, a violation of regulations governing council members who are prohibited from hiring close relatives to their paid staff.

"Despite being under scrutiny by the state ethics commission, Ms. Fernandes Anderson proceeded to hire another family member to manage constituent services at Boston City Hall," Levy disclosed. "This family member was closely related to her, yet Ms. Fernandes Anderson falsely asserted to City Hall that there was no familial connection."

She then promised the staffer, identified as "staff member A" in the indictment, a hefty $13,000 bonus, an amount more than double what she was awarding the rest of her staff combined in bonuses, according to Levy.

"However, this generous bonus came with a catch," Levy explained, noting that the staffer was instructed to hand back $7,000 in cash. Despite the demand, the staffer, as per the indictment, agreed to the arrangement.

Following tax deductions, the staffer received approximately $10,000 in her bank account. Subsequently, she made several withdrawals in May and June of 2023 before engaging in text messages to arrange a meeting at the City Hall bathroom on June 9, where she handed over the $7,000, as detailed by Levy.

Notably, Fernandes Anderson made history as the first African immigrant and first Muslim to be elected to the council in November 2021, a fact highlighted in her biography on the city government's website. She secured re-election in 2023.