The indictment, unsealed Friday, charges Fernandes Anderson with five counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud and one count of aiding and abetting theft of federal monies. Prosecutors claim she orchestrated a kickback scheme involving a staff member she hired in 2022.
In 2023, Fernandes Anderson allegedly awarded this staffer a $13,000 bonus with the expectation that they would kick back a portion of the bonus to her in cash. The indictment describes a covert meeting in a City Hall bathroom on June 9, 2023, where the staffer reportedly handed over $7,000 in cash.
The councilor’s financial struggles have been highlighted as a backdrop to the allegations. Federal prosecutors allege she was behind on rent and car payments, accruing bank overdraft fees, and faced a $5,000 Ethics Commission fine for previously hiring relatives to her council staff.
Fernandes Anderson represents District 7, which includes Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and part of the South End.
A press conference is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Friday, where more details are expected to emerge.
This arrest casts yet another shadow over Boston’s City Hall, raising questions about accountability and integrity in local government. The residents of Boston deserve better than this kind of backroom behavior.
Maureen Dahill is the editor of Caught in Southie and a lifelong resident of South Boston sometimes mistaken for a yuppie. Co-host of Caught Up, storyteller, lover of red wine and binge watching TV series. Mrs. Peter G. Follow her @MaureenCaught.
Good!! All of them are corrupt!! Start investing every single one of them!! The city of Boston government is a freaking joke!! Mayor Wu is making commuting a frigging nightmare!! Her and her phony Global Warming/ Climate Change crap is bull crap!! She must go!!