BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson signed a plea agreement and will plead guilty in her federal corruption case.
Federal prosecutors filed the new status report about her plea on Tuesday to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft for allegedly collecting a $7,000 kickback payment from a relative who worked on her staff. The government is recommending she serve one year and one day in prison followed by three years of supervised release and paying $13,000 in restitution.
Fernandes Anderson announced she plans to resign from the city council calling the move "the right thing to do".
"I would like to apologize to my constituents, supporters, and all who have been impacted," Fernandes Anderson said in a statement. "Please forgive me."
In her indictment, federal investigators said Fernandes Anderson was facing financial troubles in 2023, including late rent and car payments. She was also fined $5,000 by the State Ethics Commission for hiring two immediate family members as city employees. Fernandes Anderson eventually fired both family members.
Federal Investigators said in late 2022 she hired another relative to her staff and lied to her staff in an email by saying she was not related to them. She then allegedly gave the staffer a $13,000 bonus for their prior volunteer work.
However, investigators said Fernandes Anderson gave the staffer the bonus on the condition that she get $7,000 of it spread out through a series of cash payments that were dropped off in a Boston City Hall Bathroom.