FBI arrests Boston City Councilor on public corruption charges
FBI special agents in Boston made a significant move on Friday morning by arresting a City Councilor on charges of public corruption. Although the bureau’s statement did not mention a name, media reports have identified the lawmaker as Tania Fernandes Anderson.
The arrest took place after federal authorities had been investigating Fernandes Anderson, with FBI agents seen outside her home in Dorchester as she was taken into custody, according to WCVB. The charges she faces include wire fraud and theft related to programs that receive federal funds.
In a previous incident in 2023, a Massachusetts ethics commission found that Fernandes Anderson had violated conflict-of-interest laws by hiring her sister and son at City Hall following her election in 2021, and then raising their salaries to $70,000 annually. She later ended their employment in 2022 and paid a fine of $5,000 for the violation.
Additionally, last month, Massachusetts’ Office of Campaign and Political Finance notified her campaign that it had accepted contributions over the legal limit and failed to file deposit information in a timely manner.
Anderson represents District 7, which encompasses the Boston neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway, and a portion of the South End. She made history by being the first African immigrant and Muslim-American elected to the Boston City Council in 2021. Before her political career, she served as the Executive Director of Bowdoin Geneva Main Streets, a parent advocate with the Boston Public Schools, program manager for a homeless women’s shelter, business owner, and child social worker. She has also been a foster mom to 17 children while raising her two biological children.
The FBI has not provided further details or comments regarding the arrest at this time. A news conference is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET to address the situation.
The article was written by Greg Norman, a reporter at Fox News Digital.