Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is calling for Tania Fernandes Anderson to resign after the city councilor was arrested on public corruption charges Friday following days of rumors about a reported federal probe.
The 45-year-old city councilor is accused of funneling part of an inflated bonus payment to a staffer to whom she was related into her own pockets during an exchange at a City Hall bathroom, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Fernandes Anderson, who was facing financial problems, was arrested outside her home on five counts of wire fraud and one count of theft from a program receiving federal funds, acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said.
Fernandes Anderson, wearing a red winter jacket, pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released after her first appearance at the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston. A grand jury indicted her this week.
Wu has urged her to resign, saying the charges she's facing “undermine the public trust and will prevent her from effectively serving the city.”
The city councilor has faced similar scrutiny before, when she admitted to an ethics violation for employing her sister and son on her staff in 2023.
The Massachusetts State Ethics Commission told her then that it would seek a $5,000 fine from her for hiring immediate family members to work in her office, Levy said. Council members are not permitted to hire immediate family members as paid staff.
“Despite the fact that she was under investigation by the state ethics commission, Ms. Fernandes Anderson hired another family member on her staff at Boston City Hall to handle constituent services,” Levy said. “That staff member was related to her, but Ms. Fernandes Anderson falsely represented to City Hall that there was no familial relationship.”
"When faced with financial hardship and that state ethics commission $5,000 sanction, Ms. Fernandes Anderson chose to violate her judiciary duty and defraud the city of Boston rather than find a legal means to pay off that debt" Levy continued.
"Using public office for personal gain is a crime. Plain and simple," added FBI Boston Assistant Special Agent in Charge Stephen Kelleher. "The behavior we allege in today's indictment is a slap in the face to the hardworking taxpayers in the city of Boston."
Federal investigators allege that in late 2022, Fernandes Anderson hired a relative to her staff, and lied about being related to the staffer.
She went on to tell the staffer, a woman, that she would give her a $13,000 bonus, more than twice as much as she was paying to the rest of the staff combined in bonuses, according to Levy.
“That supersized bonus came with a hitch,” Levy said, with the staffer being told they had to “fork over $7,000 in cash back” to her. The staffer, referred to as “staff member A” in the indictment, agreed, Levy said.
After taxes, the staffer received about $10,000 in her bank account. She withdrew the money in several transactions in May and June of 2023 before exchanging texts to meet at the City Hall bathroom that June 9, Levy said. The staffer gave her $7,000, he said.
Authorities say Fernandes Anderson failed to disclose the kickback arrangement, and claimed the large bonus awarded to the staffer was to pay her for previous volunteer work.
You can read the full indictment below:
In a statement to her constituents Wednesday, Fernandes Anderson said, “You know that I am always transparent with you and always available. My job is to show up and fight for you, and I will continue to do just that.”
Fernandes Anderson became the first African immigrant and first Muslim elected to the council in November 2021. She was reelected in 2023.
Each of the five wire fraud charges carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The theft count carries a penalty of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
