A Boston City Councilor may be one step closer to going to prison. .Tania Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty to public corruption charges in a Boston federal court Monday after receiving a $7,000 kickback from a staff member to whom she gave a bonus.The 46-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds.U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled the disgraced Democrat's sentencing for July 29, 2025. Fernandes was indicted in December 2024 and in her plea agreement last month, the government recommended a prison sentence of one year and one day, plus three years of supervised release and $13,000 in restitution. “Councilor Fernandes Anderson abused her position of trust for personal gain and turned a public checkbook into her own private slush fund. Her constituents deserve better than this. They deserve a city representative who respects the role of public service and does not use the power and position to line her own pockets,” United States Attorney Leah B. Foley said in a press release from her office.“Her guilty plea today says what she refuses to admit in her media interviews: she broke the law, lied to the public, and used her office for her own personal gain," Foley said. "Ms. Fernandes Anderson leaves a legacy not of a selfless trailblazer, but one of fraud, greed, and deceit. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring elected officials are held accountable for this kind of corruption and dishonesty.”Fernandes Anderson currently represents District 7 on the Boston City Council, covering Roxbury, parts of Dorchester, the South End, and Fenway. She was first elected in 2021 and re-elected in 2023. She announced plans to resign last month, but has not yet done so.Prosecutors say Fernandes Anderson illegally hired two immediate family members to her City Council staff in 2022, even though city laws prohibiting such hires. After being forced to end their employment in August 2022, the Democrat later hired another relative and falsely claimed in official communications that they were not related.In 2023, facing financial problems — including a $5,000 civil penalty from the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission — Fernandes Anderson orchestrated a kickback scheme, federal prosecutors say.She had the city government pay a relative on her staff a large bonus but required that the person return a portion of it to her in cash.In May 2023, she authorized a $13,000 bonus in city funds for the $65,000-a-year staffer — more than double the combined bonuses of all other staff. She then failed to disclose the bonus to the city.The staffer deposited the check and, at the councilor's direction, withdrew thousands in cash over several days. On June 9, 2023, prosecutors say, the two met in a bathroom at Boston City Hall, where the staffer handed her boss $7,000 in cash.Prosecutors also say Fernandes Anderson filed false income tax returns in 2021, 2022, and 2023. She failed to report about $11,000 in outside income, personal use of campaign funds, and the $7,000 kickback from her staffer, according to prosecutors.Wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and theft from a federally funded program carries up to 10 years and a similar fine. However, actual sentencing will be determined by a federal judge based on U.S. sentencing guidelines.Fernandes Anderson could not be immediately reached for comment Monday.
A Boston City Councilor may be one step closer to going to prison. .Tania Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty to public corruption charges in a Boston federal court Monday after receiving a $7,000 kickback from a staff member to whom she gave a bonus.The 46-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds.U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled the disgraced Democrat's sentencing for July 29, 2025. Fernandes was indicted in December 2024 and in her plea agreement last month, the government recommended a prison sentence of one year and one day, plus three years of supervised release and $13,000 in restitution. “Councilor Fernandes Anderson abused her position of trust for personal gain and turned a public checkbook into her own private slush fund. Her constituents deserve better than this. They deserve a city representative who respects the role of public service and does not use the power and position to line her own pockets,” United States Attorney Leah B. Foley said in a press release from her office.“Her guilty plea today says what she refuses to admit in her media interviews: she broke the law, lied to the public, and used her office for her own personal gain," Foley said. "Ms. Fernandes Anderson leaves a legacy not of a selfless trailblazer, but one of fraud, greed, and deceit. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring elected officials are held accountable for this kind of corruption and dishonesty.”Fernandes Anderson currently represents District 7 on the Boston City Council, covering Roxbury, parts of Dorchester, the South End, and Fenway. She was first elected in 2021 and re-elected in 2023. She announced plans to resign last month, but has not yet done so.Prosecutors say Fernandes Anderson illegally hired two immediate family members to her City Council staff in 2022, even though city laws prohibiting such hires. After being forced to end their employment in August 2022, the Democrat later hired another relative and falsely claimed in official communications that they were not related.In 2023, facing financial problems — including a $5,000 civil penalty from the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission — Fernandes Anderson orchestrated a kickback scheme, federal prosecutors say.She had the city government pay a relative on her staff a large bonus but required that the person return a portion of it to her in cash.In May 2023, she authorized a $13,000 bonus in city funds for the $65,000-a-year staffer — more than double the combined bonuses of all other staff. She then failed to disclose the bonus to the city.The staffer deposited the check and, at the councilor's direction, withdrew thousands in cash over several days. On June 9, 2023, prosecutors say, the two met in a bathroom at Boston City Hall, where the staffer handed her boss $7,000 in cash.Prosecutors also say Fernandes Anderson filed false income tax returns in 2021, 2022, and 2023. She failed to report about $11,000 in outside income, personal use of campaign funds, and the $7,000 kickback from her staffer, according to prosecutors.Wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and theft from a federally funded program carries up to 10 years and a similar fine. However, actual sentencing will be determined by a federal judge based on U.S. sentencing guidelines.Fernandes Anderson could not be immediately reached for comment Monday.
