The list of stories on the corruption committed by Democrats in major cities across the country might rival the length of your average telephone book. In this latest, sordid situation on Friday, we find ourselves learning about alleged corruption in the city of Boston, thanks to a heads up by our friend Andy Ngo:
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He wrote on his X account:
Tania Fernandes Anderson, a woke BLM Muslim former illegal migrant Democrat serving on the Boston City Council, has been arrested by the FBI after being indicted on five counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud and one count of aiding and abetting theft concerning a program receiving federal funds.
She allegedly hired a family member and funneled taxpayer funds to the person for which she would get cash kickbacks. They allegedly exchanged large sums of cash in the bathroom at Boston City Hall. Ms Fernandes Anderson made $115,000 a year on the city council.
Democrats and leftists have long praised Ms Fernandes Anderson for her race-baiting identity politics in Boston, which plays well with white educated liberals.
The details on what led to her arrest are truly damning, and if true, would constitute a serious breach of the public trust.
FBI special agents in Boston arrested City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson Friday morning on public corruption charges.
Fernandes Anderson was under investigation by federal authorities and FBI agents were seen outside her home in Dorchester this morning as she was taken into custody, according to WCVB. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is now calling on her to resign.
The Democrat lawmaker is facing five counts of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, a court filing by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts says.
The feds say that the charges stem from Fernandes Anderson’s alleged acts in 2022, when she knowing hired an immediate family member, while cutting a deal with that person to kick back “additional compensation” Fernandes Anderson promised to pay. Not only is this stealing from the city’s coffers, but the law bars hiring family members and paying them as staff members. The councilor allegedly hired a second family member too.
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The legal filing details how the transaction allegedly went down, reading, in part:
On or about June 9, 2023, at approximately 4:11 p.m., Staff Member A texted Fernandes Anderson, “Bathroom” to let Fernandes Anderson know that Staff Member A was waiting in the bathroom to hand the $7,000 cash to Fernandes Anderson.
Within seconds, Fernandes Anderson texted Staff Member A, “Ready” to confirm that Fernandes Anderson was ready to accept the $7,000 cash kickback from Staff Member A.
Shortly following these texts, Staff Member A handed Fernandes Anderson approximately $7,000 in cash at a bathroom in City Hall.
The report continued:
The filing also says Boston City Councilors were not allowed to hire immediate family members to their paid staff, yet in 2022, Fernandes Anderson hired two such individuals.
Prosecutors say Fernandes Anderson later fired those two employees and was informed by the Ethics Commission of a $5,000 fine relating to that incident.
WCVB reported that a state campaign finance body also notified her campaign of potentially breaking election law in November:
Last month, the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance sent her campaign a letter which said it had not timely filed deposit information and had taken contributions over the legal limit.
Earlier this week, Fernandes Anderson said she was “not thinking about quitting. I’m not thinking about stepping down.”
Friday evening, Mayor Wu’s voice was joined by those of five councilors, who released statements urging Fernandes Anderson to step aside, to allow, as one said, “the legal process to unfold without undue disruption” to the city’s business.
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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and at least five city councilors are calling on City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson to resign after she was indicted by federal authorities Friday.
Council president Ruthzee Louijeune, and councilors Erin Murphy, Ed Flynn, Sharon Durkan, and Gabriela Coletta Zapata issued statements urging Fernandes Anderson to give up her seat on the council after federal authorities arrested Fernandes Anderson, alleging that she paid a staffer a $13,000 bonus and received $7,000 in cash in return as a kickback.
“Like any member of the community, Councilor Fernandes Anderson has the right to a fair legal process,” Wu said in a statement Friday morning. “But the serious nature of these charges undermine the public trust and will prevent her from effectively serving the city.”
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Louijeune also released a statement saying she believes Fernandes Anderson’s resignation would “allow the legal process to unfold without undue disruption” to the council.
Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen said, in a statement reported in Fox News’ story, linked above:
“Her behavior, as alleged in today’s indictment, is a slap in the face to the hardworking taxpayers in the city of Boston who have every right to expect that the city’s funds are in good and honest hands.
“This case illustrates how the FBI, and our partners, are working hard every day to battle public corruption and the corrosive damage it does to people’s faith in government.”
You can read the full filing here.
We’ll keep you posted on any updates on the charges against Fernandes Anderson.
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