Tania Fernandez Anderson (Democratic), a city council member in Boston, Massachusetts, was arrested by the FBI on Friday morning on charges of public corruption.
The “embattled” official representing the city's 7th District said: accused He allegedly took part in a kickback scheme in which he allegedly received thousands of dollars from staff in exchange for “large bonuses,” WCVB reported.
Fernandez Anderson (45 years old) taken She was taken into custody by special agents from her Dorchester home, according to FOX News.
She currently faces five counts of federal wire fraud and one count of theft related to programs receiving federal funds.
“These six felonies stem from an alleged kickback scheme she orchestrated to obtain thousands of dollars from taxpayers in exchange for bribes she paid to employees who gave her very large bonuses. ,” U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said in an obtained statement. By WCVB.
Prosecutors say Fernandez-Anderson orchestrated a scheme to pay back fines by secretly hiring family members as staff members and giving them large bonuses in exchange for a portion of the bonuses in cash. That's what I think. Previous Ethics Investigation – Investigation into illegal employment of family members.
The City Council member was first elected to a two-year term in November 2021 and re-elected in November 2023. hired According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, she killed two family members during her first term as a salaried employee of the councilman's staff.
The employees she gave raises to bring their salaries to $70,000 a year were her sister and son, WCVB. reported.
Because hiring close family members as staff is against the law, Fernandez-Anderson was forced to terminate his employment in approximately August 2022 and was sentenced to a $5,000 civil penalty by the Massachusetts Ethics Commission in spring 2023. said prosecutors.
But before Fernandez-Anderson was fined, she hired another relative who was not her immediate family.
Fernandez-Anderson allegedly sent an email to Boston City employees in or around November 2022 regarding the hiring of a new employee, referred to herein as “Employee A.” indictmentclaims “for the record.” [they are] It doesn't matter to me. ”
Prosecutors said the city councilor began experiencing “personal financial hardship” in early to mid-2023, including an unpaid $5,000 fine.
The indictment further alleges that around May 2023, Fernandez-Anderson told Employee A that he would give her a bonus if she returned a portion of it.
Prosecutors said, “Employee A agreed to the arrangement with Fernandez Anderson.''
Afterwards, Fernandez-Anderson allegedly sent an email to a Boston city employee to arrange for the payment of a $13,000 bonus to Employee A, but this was “Fernandez-Anderson's total bonus payment to other employees.'' “It was more than twice that amount,” the law firm said. .
“Staff A deposited the bonus check into his Santander Bank account on or about May 26, 2023. Thereafter, at the direction of Fernandes Anderson, Staff A withdrew the payment in cash on three separate days. $3,000 on June 5, 2023, and $4,000 on June 9, 2023,” prosecutors continued.
Shortly after the final revocation, Fernandez-Anderson and Staff A met in a bathroom at City Hall, where the staff member allegedly handed the councilman $7,000 in cash.
In another scandal she is facing, the state's Office of Elections and Political Finance last month told Fernandez Anderson's campaign that it had failed to provide deposit information on time and that it exceeded the legal limit, according to WCVB. It is said that the company sent a notification stating that it had received more than 100,000 donations.
“I'm not thinking about quitting. I'm not thinking about resigning. I'm not thinking about anything like that. I'm thinking about work and continuing,” she said at the time.
Following the latest allegations, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu called on Fernandez-Anderson to resign.
“Like any other member of the community, Councilor Fernandez Anderson is entitled to a fair legal process,” she said in a statement obtained by local media. “However, the serious nature of these charges will undermine public trust and prevent her from effectively serving our city. I urge Councilor Fernandez Anderson to resign.”
“Elected officials have a duty to serve the public with the highest integrity and not to abuse their positions of trust for personal gain. Councilman Fernandez Anderson plans to line his own pockets with public money. “He allegedly orchestrated this, betraying the trust of his constituents and violating his fiduciary duties as a public servant,” Levy said in a statement from his office. “Our office remains committed to holding accountable those who abuse public office and protecting valuable public resources.”
“Using public office for personal gain is a crime,” said Jodi Cohen, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Office. “Her actions, as alleged in today's indictment, This is a slap in the face to Boston's hard-working taxpayers, who have every right to expect their city's funds to be managed soundly and honestly.”
“This case demonstrates how hard the FBI and our partners work every day to combat public corruption and the corrosive damage it does to people's trust in government,” she said. added.
Jonathan Brodica, acting special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Boston Field Office, also criticized Fernandez-Anderson.
“Elected officials are held to a high standard when they take an oath, but to Fernandez Anderson, who allegedly chose to steal from the City of Boston and its constituents, her oath meant nothing. '' he said. “We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to root out public corruption at all levels.”
Each of the five wire fraud charges carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
Theft charges related to federally funded programs are punishable by up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
