After days of rumors about a reported federal probe, Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson has been arrested on public corruption charges.
She is facing a number of calls to resign on Saturday morning, including from Mayor Michelle Wu over these allegations.
Fernandes Anderson was released without bail after her first appearance at the Moakley Federal Courthouse on Friday.
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.
Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson on Friday pleaded not guilty to serious federal charges that prompted calls for her resignation from Mayor Michelle Wu and other city councilors.
Authorities say the fallout from that situation contributed to her financial issues and led her to this latest alleged scheme.
“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” said U.S. Attorney Josh Levy.
“Using public office for personal gain is a crime. Plain and simple. The behavior we allege in todays indictment is a slap in the face to the hardworking taxpayers in the city of Boston.” added FBI Boston Assistant Special Agent in Charge Stephen Kelleher.
Fernandes had issued a statement Wednesday addressing the talk of a federal investigation.
Federal investigators allege that in late 2022, Fernandes Anderson hired a relative to her staff, despite rules prohibiting the hiring of immediate family members. The pair made a deal that Fernandes Anderson would award the staffer a bonus and they would then pay back a portion of that bonus to Fernandes Anderson as a kickback.
According to the indictment, Fernandes Anderson lied about being related to the staffer when the hire was made, and later failed to disclose the kickback arrangement, claiming the large bonus awarded to the staffer was to pay them for previous volunteer work.
You can read the full indictment below:
NBC10 Boston political commentator Sue O’Connell reacts to the federal charges filed against Tania Fernandes Anderson, who represents O’Connell’s district, and what it says about how city hall works and has been working.
Plus, O’Connell reacts to the celebration of some on social media about the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
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