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Boston City Councilor Arrested: FBI Alleges Kickback Scheme, Wire Fraud, and Ethics Violations

Charlie Kirk Staff

12/07/2024

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Boston City Councilor Arrested: FBI Alleges Kickback Scheme, Wire Fraud, and Ethics Violations

FBI special agents in Boston arrested City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson on Friday morning, charging her with public corruption.

Fernandes Anderson, a Democrat representing Dorchester, is facing five counts of wire fraud and one count of theft involving programs receiving federal funds, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. The arrest follows an investigation into alleged financial misconduct, with FBI agents spotted at her Dorchester residence early Friday, as reported by WCVB. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has since called for her resignation.

Federal prosecutors allege that in late 2022, Fernandes Anderson hired a relative to her staff and orchestrated a scheme to defraud the city by arranging for the relative to receive “additional compensation” that would later be kicked back to her.

“From in or about early to mid-2023, Fernandes Anderson was facing personal financial difficulty, which included missing monthly rent and car payments, an impending $5,000 civil penalty from the Ethics Commission, and incurring bank overdraft fees,” the court filing obtained by the Boston Globe stated.

Prosecutors allege Fernandes Anderson received $7,000 in cash as part of the kickback scheme. “On or about June 9, 2023, at approximately 4:11 p.m., Staff Member A texted Fernandes Anderson, ‘Bathroom,’ to signal readiness to hand over the $7,000 cash in a bathroom at City Hall,” the filing detailed. Moments later, Fernandes Anderson reportedly texted back, “Ready,” confirming she was prepared to accept the money.

The indictment further claims she violated city policies by hiring immediate family members in 2022, later firing them after the Ethics Commission imposed a $5,000 fine. In a separate incident, the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance accused her campaign of accepting contributions exceeding legal limits and failing to file deposit records in a timely manner, WCVB reported.

“Her behavior, as alleged in today’s indictment, is a slap in the face to the hardworking taxpayers in the city of Boston who have every right to expect that the city’s funds are in good and honest hands,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, in a statement. “This case illustrates how the FBI and our partners are working hard every day to battle public corruption and the corrosive damage it does to people’s faith in government.”

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Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, a national student movement dedicated to empowering young people to promote the principles of free markets and limited government.

Charlie is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show” podcast, which regularly ranks among the top-10 news shows on Apple podcast news charts, and is the host of the nationally syndicated daily radio show on the Salem Radio Network live from 12 - 3 PM ET.
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