BOSTON – Boston Councilwoman Tania Fernandes Anderson attended a full council meeting for the first time on Wednesday since she was arrested on federal corruption charges and accused of taking a $7,000 bribe.
She told the media she is focused on her job and will not resign, WBZ-TV’s Beth Germano reported.
Charges against Tania Fernandes Anderson
Fernandes Anderson pleaded not guilty last Friday to five counts of bank fraud and one count of theft related to programs that received federal funds.
Prosecutors allege she hired a relative in 2022 and lied to the city about their relationship. According to the indictment, Fernandes Anderson gave that relative a $13,000 bonus the following year and arranged for more than half of it to be returned to himself.
On June 9, 2023, staff member Fernandes Anderson gave $7,000 in cash in a restroom at City Hall, the indictment alleges.
Prosecutors allege that Fernandes Anderson was “experiencing personal financial problems” at the time, causing him to miss rent and car payments and rack up overdraft fees. They also said she still had to pay an amount $5,000 fine levied by the State Ethics Commission for hiring her son and sister for full-time staff positions, in violation of conflict of interest laws.
Fernandes Anderson faces up to 20 years in prison for the fraud charge and up to 10 years for the theft charge.
What’s next for Tania Fernandes Anderson?
Fernandes Anderson was first elected as District 7 councilor in 2021 and was re-elected in 2023. If she decides to run again, she will be on the ballot again in 2025.
Mayor Michelle Wu and several other city council members have urged Fernandes Anderson to resign, with the mayor saying the serious allegations “prevent her from effectively serving the city.”
Fernandes Anderson is due back in court on January 29. The court ordered her to pay her public defender $5,000 by January 31.
