Federal authorities have arrested a leftist Democratic city councilwoman in Boston after being accused of defrauding the city and giving kickbacks to a family member on her staff.
Tania Fernandes Anderson, who immigrated to the U.S. illegally from Cape Verde, was charged by the Justice Department with five counts of wire fraud and one count of stealing federal funds, including a charge for providing a $13,000 bonus to an unnamed relative she employed at city hall. The two allegedly shared the money.
“The charges stem from an alleged kickback scheme she orchestrated to obtain several thousand dollars in taxpayer money in exchange for bribes paid,” said U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy on Friday.
The indictment alleged that at the time of the illegal activity, Fernandes Anderson was “facing personal financial difficulty,” including missing rent and car payments and a civil penalty…
