Just a day after the entire Boston City Council voted to reaffirm the city’s status as a ‘sanctuary’ city, one of their members was arrested by federal agents.
Tania Fernandes Anderson has allegedly been participating in some sort of kickback scheme involving members of her family.
NBC News in Boston reports:
Feds announce corruption charges against Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes AndersonBoston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson has been arrested on federal public corruption charges alleging that she orchestrated “a complicated kickback scheme” to steal city funds, officials said Friday.Fernandes Anderson, 45, of Boston, is facing six counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud in connection with the use of federal money through her role on the city council, according to a newly unsealed indictment. The City of Boston receives federal grant money for some of its operations. In 2023, that amounted to over $10,000.”The charges stem from an alleged kickback scheme she orchestrated to obtain several thousand dollars in taxpayer money in exchange for bribes paid,” U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said at a Friday morning press conference.She is accused of improperly hiring a relative, from whom she received a kickback. Federal authorities said that an earlier fine, also for hiring relatives, was part of the reason she was facing financial difficulties, which led to her more recent scheme.
Here’s a video of her arrest by the FBI on Friday morning.
More details from FOX News:
“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,” read the filing, 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 continued. “Within seconds, Fernandes Anderson texted Staff Member A, “Ready” to confirm that Fernandes Anderson was ready to accept the $7,000 cash kickback from Staff Member A.”Shortly following these texts, Staff Member A handed Fernandes Anderson approximately $7,000 in cash at a bathroom in City Hall.”
Even Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is calling on her to resign. I have a feeling she won’t be missed much.
Featured image via Twitter video.
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