Photo: Shari Small/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty on Monday in her corruption case.
Anderson was found guilty on one count of wire fraud and one count of theft of public funds.
The prosecution laid out the details of the crimes before her plea, with Anderson hiring one of her relatives for a city hall job, paying them a $13,000 bonus and then receiving $7,000 in cash as a kickback from that relative.
When approached by the media, Anderson initially declined to answer any questions.
“Historically most of the news media has not been good to my people,” she said. “You've just not been kind to my people, so I refuse to speak with you.”
When asked about when she would resign, however, she did give some insight.
“The District 7 doesn't deserve not to have a vote in the budget,” she said. “It looks like in June hopefully, once we get the budget out of the way.”
Read More: City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson Signs Plea Deal In Corruption Case
She also commented on how some of her fellow city council members had called for her to step down immediately, further explaining why that isn’t happening just yet.
“I would say to those colleagues who are speaking, everyone has a right to their opinion,” Anderson said. “I have been planning to make sure that my staff was okay then my constituents were okay so that there's a softer landing.”
The prosecutors recommended a year and a day of prison time and $13,000 in restitution. Sentencing is scheduled on July 29.
WBZ NewsRadio's Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) reports.