🔴 Website 👉 https://u-s-news.com/
Telegram 👉 https://t.me/usnewscom_channel
OAN Staff Abril Elfi
1:50 PM – Saturday, April 19, 2025
Newly released surveillance footage has shown Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson removing furniture and a rolled-up rug from City Hall just weeks before pleading guilty to federal charges tied to a kickback scheme.
Advertisement
The video, captured on March 2nd and obtained by WCVB-TV, reportedly shows the 46-year-old councilor leaving her office with help from two others, moving items including chairs, a sofa, large plastic bags, and a rug.
The next day, her campaign finance report reflected a $67.12 U-Haul rental charge, the outlet noted.
On April 8th, federal prosecutors announced that Fernandes Anderson would plead guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft involving federal funds.
Her plea hearing is scheduled for May 5th.
It remains unclear whether a plea deal was already in place when Fernandes Anderson began clearing out her office in March.
Federal prosecutors are recommending a sentence of one year in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and $13,000 in restitution.
Fernandes Anderson, who has represented Roxbury and Dorchester since 2022, made history as the first practicing Muslim elected to Boston’s City Council. She was indicted in December on charges stemming from a scheme in which she allegedly arranged a $13,000 bonus for a relative on her staff — $7,000 of which she pocketed herself.
Prosecutors say the payment was falsely labeled as compensation for previous volunteer work and was more than double the combined bonuses given to the rest of her staff.
In a separate incident in July 2023, she was fined $5,000 for violating ethics rules by hiring both her sister and son as staffers.
Officials claim she intended to use a portion of the improperly obtained bonus to pay that fine.
When hiring the other relative in November 2022, Fernandes Anderson allegedly lied in an email to a city employee, denying any family relationship with the new hire — a claim prosecutors say was false.
According to the indictment, after receiving the $13,000 bonus check, the relative made three separate cash withdrawals between May 31st and June 9th, 2023, before handing $7,000 over to Fernandes Anderson in a City Hall bathroom.
She compounded the offense by failing to report the kickback on her taxes. Prosecutors also allege she failed to declare $11,000 in 2021 income and omitted personal use of campaign funds on her 2022 and 2023 tax filings.
Initially indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of theft from a federally funded program, Fernandes Anderson faced up to 110 years in prison if convicted at trial.
As part of her plea deal, she agreed to resign from the council — though she has not yet officially stepped down.
If she resigns before May 8th, a special election will be held to fill her seat. Otherwise, the replacement will be chosen during the November election.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
Advertisements below