Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
Former Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson was sentenced to one month in prison and three years of supervised release for public corruption charges. The sentencing took place in federal court in Boston, where Fernandes Anderson was also ordered to pay $13,000 in restitution. She pleaded guilty in May 2025 to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds, following her indictment in December 2024.
According to court documents, Fernandes Anderson received a $7,000 kickback from a staff member’s city-funded bonus. The exchange occurred inside a bathroom at Boston City Hall. In addition to the kickback scheme, Fernandes Anderson used campaign funds for personal expenses and filed fraudulent tax returns with the IRS between 2021 and 2023.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley commented on the case: “Tania Fernandes Anderson was elected to serve her constituents but instead, she deliberately used her elected position as a Boston City Councilor to serve herself,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “From Boston’s City Hall to the Massachusetts State House, to local and state public officials, this office will continue to aggressively root out and expose public corruption. Massachusetts taxpayers deserve an honest government and accountability. As federal prosecutors we have no fear nor favor, and there will be no blind eye or separate justice system for the powerful. The rule of law does not make exceptions for anyone, including someone like Tania Fernandes Anderson.”
Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, stated: “Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson let the power she wielded go to her head and routinely put herself over her constituents who trusted her to act on their behalf and for their benefit. Today’s sentence holds her accountable for flagrantly embracing a culture of fraud and deceit and brazenly pocketing taxpayer money inside a City Hall bathroom to feather her nest,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Make no mistake, the FBI will continue to investigate and bring to justice unscrupulous public officials. We simply can’t permit such corruption to go unchecked.”
Thomas Demeo from IRS Criminal Investigation added: “The sentencing of Tania Fernandes Anderson demonstrates that no one is above the law,” said Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “Fernandes Anderson used her position as a trusted elected official to steal from the City of Boston and the American taxpayers. IRS-CI is committed to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting all instances of public corruption, both in the Commonwealth and across New England.”
The investigation found that Fernandes Anderson hired two immediate family members as salaried employees on her council staff in violation of state conflict-of-interest laws; this led to their termination after notification by authorities in August 2022. In May 2023, she was informed by the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission that she would face a $5,000 civil penalty due to this violation.
In November 2022, Fernandes Anderson emailed city personnel about hiring another relative—Staff Member A—while falsely stating they were not related.
Facing financial difficulties during early-to-mid-2023—including owing an ethics fine—she arranged for Staff Member A (her relative) to receive an unusually large bonus with instructions that part be returned directly back as cash.
Records show Staff Member A received a $13,000 bonus at Fernandes Anderson’s direction; over several weeks they withdrew cash totaling $10,000 before handing $7,000 back during their meeting at City Hall.
Investigators also determined that during 2022–2023 she diverted campaign funds for personal use rather than campaign expenses; furthermore she failed to report income from these activities—as well as earnings from other sources—on federal tax returns spanning three years.
Fernandes Anderson represented District 7—which covers Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and part of South End—from January 2022 until July 4th when she resigned after winning re-election in November 2023.
U.S. Attorney Foley announced today’s outcome along with representatives from FBI Boston Division and IRS Criminal Investigation’s local field office; Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy and Dustin Chao prosecuted this case.
