Boston City Councilor pleads guilty to fraud, corruption charges
Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty to two of the six federal corruption charges in federal court on Monday, United States Attorney Leah Foley's office said.
She pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft involving federal funds, Foley's office said in a statement.
She appeared at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston, the Boston Globe reported. Anderson's sentencing is scheduled for July 29.
Previously in April, Fernandes Anderson admitted to some of the corruption charges against her, according to a signed plea agreement filed in federal court.
In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop four of the charges against her and recommended that she serve one year and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and pay $13,000.
"Councilor Fernandes Anderson abused her position of trust for personal gain and turned a public checkbook into her own private slush fund," Foley said in her statement. "Her constituents deserve better than this. They deserve a city representative who respects the role of public service and does not use the power and position to line her own pockets."
Fernandes Anderson was arrested in December on charges that she ran a kickback scheme with a family member whom she employed in her City Hall office, using public funds to help with her own financial struggles.
Though Fernandes Anderson previously told her District 7 constituents that she would resign , she has not stepped down.
"I would like to apologize to my constituents, supporters, and all who have been impacted," she said. "Please forgive me. I will be resigning. It is the right thing to do. In [the] coming days, I will evaluate transition plans and timeline with the District 7 Advisory Council. I will do everything possible to make an orderly exit to ensure my constituents' needs are met."
In 2022, Fernandes Anderson hired two family members as City Council employees, an act that's prohibited by law, Foley's office said. She was required to terminate their employment in August 2022.
Months later, in November, she emailed a Boston city employee about her hiring of one staffer who was a relative and wrote in an email that the person "for the record [was] not related to me," the statement read.
Less than a year later, in May 2023, the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission told her that it would seek a $5,000 civil penalty payment from her. Fernandes Anderson had gone through her own financial difficulties, including the civil penalty payment. She told the staffer she would give them extra pay in the form of a large bonus, but the staffer would give a portion back to her.
On May 3, 2023, Fernandes Anderson emailed one city employee telling them to process a $13,000 bonus for her relative without disclosing the repayment arrangement, Foley's office said. The staffer followed the city councilor's instructions and deposited the check later that month and made three separate cash withdrawals. It was after the final withdrawal that the staffer and Fernandes Anderson met in a City Hall bathroom, where she was given $7,000 in cash.
