A Boston city councilor was detained Friday on federal fraud charges after allegedly funneling a portion of an exaggerated bonus payment to a staffer to whom she was related into her own pockets during an exchange in a City Hall lavatory, according to the US attorney’s office.
Tania Fernandes Anderson, 45, who was struggling financially, was detained outside her home on five charges of wire fraud and one count of theft from a federally funded program, according to acting US Attorney Joshua Levy.
Anderson, dressed in a red winter jacket, pleaded not guilty to the allegations and was freed. A grand jury indicted her this week.
Anderson faced financial troubles in 2023, in part because the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission informed her that it would pursue a $5,000 fine for hiring close family members to work in her office, according to Levy. Council members are not allowed to hire direct family members as paid employees.
“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 told the reporter. “That staff member was related to her, but Ms. Fernandes Anderson falsely represented to City Hall that there was no familial relationship.”
She went on to tell the staffer, a woman, that she would give her a $13,000 bonus, which was more than double what she was paying the rest of the workforce in incentives combined, according to Levy.
“That supersized bonus came with a hitch,” Levy explained, with the employee being told they had to “fork over $7,000 in cash back” to her. The employee, identified as “staff member A” in the indictment, agreed, Levy said.
Following taxes, the staffer received approximately $10,000 in her bank account. She withdrew the money in many transactions between May and June 2023 before exchanging texts to meet at the City Hall bathroom on June 9, according to Levy. According to him, the staffer gave her $7,000.
Each of the five wire fraud offenses carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The theft charge involves a 10-year sentence and a fine of up to $250,000.
Anderson stated in a statement to her constituents on Wednesday, “You know that I am always open and available to you.” “My job is to show up and fight for you, and I will continue to do so.”
Anderson was the first African immigrant and Muslim elected to the council in November 2021. She was reelected in 2023.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu called on Anderson to quit, saying the accusations “undermine the public trust and will prevent her from effectively serving the city.”