BOSTON – Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson attended a full council meeting on Wednesday for the first time since she was arrested on federal corruption charges and accused of taking a $7,000 kickback.
She told the media she is focused on her work and will not resign.
“People have the right to their opinion but they should allow for the privilege everyone has to due process,” Fernandes Anderson said.
In the chamber, the last council meeting of the year, Fernandes Anderson was warmly greeted by supporters. “I say onward with the people’s work. I can focus on my work, and I’ve demonstrated that,” Fernandes Anderson said.
Charges against Tania Fernandes Anderson
Fernandes Anderson pleaded not guilty last Friday to five counts of wire fraud and one charge of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds.
Prosecutors allege that she hired a relative in 2022 and lied to the city about their relation. The indictment says Fernandes Anderson then gave that relative a $13,000 bonus the next year and arranged for more than half of it to be kicked back to herself.
On June 9, 2023, the staff member gave Fernandes Anderson $7,000 in cash in a City Hall bathroom, the indictment claims.
Prosecutors allege that Fernandes Anderson was “facing personal financial difficulty” at the time, missing rent and car payments and accruing bank overdraft fees. They also said she had yet to pay a $5,000 fine levied by the State Ethics Commission for hiring her son and sister to full-time staff positions in violation of conflict-of-interest laws.
Fernandes Anderson faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charges 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 won re-election in 2023. If she decides to run again, she’ll be on the ballot again in 2025.
Mayor Michelle Wu and several other city councilors have urged Fernandes Anderson to resign, with the mayor saying the serious charges “prevent her from effectively serving the city.”
“I’ve talked to the administration and made myself clear that I would like collaboration and do not want to be blocked in any way. I’m not implying anyone has,” Fernandes Anderson said.
Fernandes Anderson is due back on court on Jan. 29. The court has ordered her to pay her public defender $5,000 before Jan. 31.