Tania Fernandes Anderson, Boston City Councilor for District 7 and a Dorchester resident, has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of wire fraud and theft of public funds in connection with an alleged kickback scheme involving a city-funded staff bonus.
Fernandes Anderson, 46, represents neighborhoods including Roxbury, the South End, the Fenway, and Dorchester. Elected in 2021 and re-elected in 2023, she faces a recommended sentence of one year and one day in prison, three years of supervised release, and $13,000 in restitution.
Federal prosecutors allege that in May 2023, Fernandes Anderson awarded a $13,000 bonus to a staffer—her relative—and later accepted $7,000 of that amount back in cash. The alleged exchange took place in a bathroom at Boston City Hall.
She is also accused of filing false federal tax returns in 2021, 2022, and 2023 by omitting income, misusing campaign funds, and failing to report the $7,000 kickback.
The charges carry potential sentences of up to 30 years in prison and $500,000 in fines. A plea hearing date has not yet been scheduled.
