FBI special agents in Boston arrested a City Councilor on Friday morning on public corruption charges.
A statement from the bureau did not include a name, but the lawmaker was identified in media reports as Tania Fernandes Anderson.
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.
The station, citing court documents, says Fernandes Anderson faces federal charges of wire fraud and theft in relation to programs that receive federal funds.
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Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson was arrested Friday morning, according to media reports, (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The station also reported that in 2023, a Massachusetts ethics commission discovered that Fernandes Anderson violated the conflict-of-interest law by hiring her sister and son at City Hall following her election in 2021 and then raising their salaries to $70,000 annually.
She reportedly ended their employment in 2022 and paid a fine of $5,000 over the matter.
Then last month, Massachusetts’ Office of Campaign and Political Finance informed her campaign that it took contributions over the legal limit and failed to file deposit information in a timely manner, WCVB reported.
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“I do not have any comment. You guys know exactly why I cannot comment,” Fernandes was quoted by WCVB as telling reporters on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at Boston City Hall.
(John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Anderson represents District 7, which includes the Boston neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and a portion of the South End.
“Councilor Anderson was elected to the Boston City Council on November 2, 2021, becoming the first African immigrant and Muslim-American elected to the Boston City Council,” reads a bio of her on the City of Boston’s website.
“Before serving as Councilor, Tania was the Executive Director of Bowdoin Geneva Main Streets, a parent advocate with the Boston Public Schools, program manager for a homeless women’s shelter, a business owner, and a child social worker. She has also been a foster mom to 17 kids while raising two biological children,” the bio added.
Tania Fernandes Anderson, was the first Muslim, first formerly undocumented person and first African immigrant to hold office in the city. (Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
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The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Fox News Digital. The FBI is holding a news conference about the arrest at 9:30 a.m. ET.
