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https://www.wcvb.com/article/boston-councilor-custody-investigation-tania- fernandes-anderson/63114354
BOSTON ù A Boston city councilor was arrested by FBI agents Friday morning after she was indicted in an alleged kickback scheme that netted her
thousands of dollars in cash from a staffer in exchange for a large bonus.
Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, 45, represents District 7 in Boston,
which includes Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and part of the South End. She pleaded not guilty in federal court on Friday.
5 Investigates was outside her Dorchester home Friday when FBI agents
placed her under arrest at about 6 a.m.
According to court documents, Fernandes Anderson faces five federal counts
of wire fraud and one federal count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds.
"These six felony charges stem from an alleged kickback scheme that she orchestrated to obtain several thousand dollars in taxpayer money in
exchange for a bribe she paid to a staffer who she gave a very large
bonus," U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said.
Fernandes Anderson was going to use the money from the scheme to pay a
fine issued following an ethics investigation, Levy said.
Fernandes Anderson is expected to appear in federal court Friday
afternoon.
According to a federal indictment, Fernandes Anderson gave extra bonus
money to "Staff Member A" with the agreement that the staffer would give a portion of the money back to the councilor. That staff member is a
relative of Fernandes Anderson, something the councilor lied about, investigators said.
Since staff bonus information is publicly available, Fernandes Anderson
said the larger bonus for Staff Member A was to compensate them for
previous volunteer work, court documents said.
Staff Member A's $13,000 bonus was more than double the amount given to
other staffers, investigators said.
"But that supersized bonus came with a hitch. Ms. Fernandes Anderson told
Staff Member A she would need to fork over $7,000 in cash back to Ms.
Fernandes Anderson. Staff Member A agreed," Levy said.
Over the course of several bank transactions in June 2023, the staffer
withdrew $7,000 from the deposited bonus payout, according to the
indictment. That money was then surreptitiously handed over to Fernandes Anderson on June 9, 2023, according to the indictment.
ôAt approximately 4:11 p.m., Staff Member A texted FERNANDES ANDERSON, æBathroomÆ to let FERNANDES ANDERSON know that Staff Member A was waiting
in the bathroom to hand the $7,000 in cash to FERNANDES ANDERSON. Within seconds, FERNANDES ANDERSON texted Staff Member A, æReadyÆ 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,ö the indictment states.
Read the full indictment here.
https://htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/files/indictment-675304d8efa34.pdf
Officials said the investigation is ongoing, and no one else has been
charged.
Boston City Councilors control their own budget, deciding for themselves
how much to spend on everything from salary and bonuses to postage. In
April of 2023, just one month before giving her relative the bonus, 5 Investigates discovered that Fernandes Anderson advocated for bigger
salary budgets.
ôThe point is that we're not paying our staff properly,ö Fernandes
Anderson said in City Council chambers.
She and other councilors asked to increase their staff salary budget from $315,000 to $390,000, and suggested ôto leave the decision making to
discretion of the councilorsö on what individual salaries should be.
In 2023, the state ethics commission found Fernandes Anderson violated the conflict of interest law by hiring her sister and son at city hall and
raising their salaries to $70,000 a year. Fernandes Anderson agreed to pay
a fine of $5,000.
Investigators said Friday the relative involved in the kickback scam was
hired after the ethics fine was levied against her, and the scheme was
hatched to pay the fine.
"Ms. Fernandes Anderson chose to violate her fiduciary duty and defraud
the city of Boston, the indictment alleges, rather than find a legal means
to pay off that debt," Levy said.
Last month, the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance sent her campaign a letter which said it had not timely filed deposit information
and had taken contributions over the legal limit.
Earlier this week, Fernandes Anderson said she was "not thinking about quitting. I'm not thinking about stepping down."
After the arrest, Mayor Michelle Wu said Fernandes Anderson has a "right
to a fair legal process," but urged the councilor to step down.
"The serious nature of these charges undermine the public trust and will prevent her from effectively serving the city," Wu said in a statement. "I
urge Councilor Fernandes Anderson to resign."
City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune said a resignation would prevent disruption to the council while Fernandes Anderson's case is litigated.
"Given the severity of the allegations brought against her, and the direct impact that they have on residentsÆ ability to see the Boston City Council
as their faithful stewards, it is in the best interest of the body that
she resign," Louijeune wrote in a statement.
Councilor At-Large Erin Murphy, District 2 Councilor Ed Flynn and District
8 Councilor Sharon Durkan also called for Fernandes Anderson to resign.
Fernandes Anderson has represented District 7 since 2021 and won re-
election in 2023.
--
November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump. We look
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The disease known as Kamala Harris has been effectively treated and
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We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
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Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
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Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
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