A Boston city councilor with a history of anti-Semitic remarks, who previously referred to the October 7th massacre as a “military operation,” was apprehended on Friday by federal authorities. She faces fraud charges for allegedly diverting part of an inflated bonus payment intended for a staffer—who was a relative—into her own hands during a meeting at a City Hall restroom, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Tania Fernandes Anderson, the councilor in question, was taken into custody outside her residence on five charges of wire fraud and one charge of theft involving a program funded by federal resources. U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy confirmed the arrest during a press briefing.
Anderson was due to appear in federal court later that Friday afternoon. This followed an indictment issued by a grand jury earlier this week.
The document did not provide any indication that she had secured legal representation. Attempts to contact her office by email and phone for comment went unanswered.

In 2023, Fernandes Anderson encountered financial challenges, which were compounded when the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission informed her that it intended to impose a $5,000 fine for employing close family members in her office, Levy noted. Council members are prohibited from hiring their immediate relatives for paid positions.
“Despite the fact that she was under investigation by the state ethics commission, Ms. Fernandes Anderson hired another family member on her staff at Boston City Hall to handle constituent services,” Levy said. “That staff member was related to her. But Ms. Fernandes Anderson falsely represented to City Hall that there was no familial relationship.”
She then offered the staffer, a woman, a $13,000 bonus, a sum significantly higher than the total bonuses given to the rest of her staff, which combined were less than half of that amount, Levy explained.
“That supersized bonus came with a hitch,” Levy said, revealing that the staffer was instructed to “fork over $7,000 in cash back” to her. The staffer, referred to as “staff member A” in the indictment, agreed, Levy said.
After taxes, the staffer received about $10,000 in her bank account. She withdrew the money over multiple transactions in May and June of 2023, eventually arranging a meeting with Fernandes Anderson at the City Hall restroom on June 9, Levy said. There, the staffer handed over the $7,000, he added.
Fernandes Anderson made history in November 2021 as the first African immigrant and the first Muslim elected to the Boston City Council, according to her biography on the city’s official website.
{Matzav.com}