Boston councilwoman to plead guilty to corruption charges, will resign from post
Under the agreement, Tania Fernandes Anderson will plead guilty to one count each of wire fraud and theft concerning a program receiving federal funds, the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement. In exchange, prosecutors dropped four wire fraud counts against the 46-year-old lawmaker, who in 2021 became the first African immigrant and Muslim American elected to the council.
Anderson told Boston 25′s Drew Karedes that she intends to resign from her post, calling it 'the right thing to do.'
'In coming days, I will evaluate transition plans and timeline with the District 7 Advisory Council,' Anderson said. 'I will do everything possible to make an orderly exit to ensure my constituents' needs are met.'
'I say onward': Boston City Councilor Fernandes Anderson defies calls to resign, returns to work
Anderson was going through financial difficulties in 2023, partly because the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission told her it would fine her $5,000 for hiring immediate family members, Levy said. Council members aren't permitted to hire immediate family members as paid staff.
According to prosecutors, Anderson told her relative that she would give her a $13,000 bonus, which was more than twice as much as the combined bonuses she gave to the rest of the staff. After taxes, the staffer received about $10,000. She withdrew the money in several bank transactions in May and June of 2023 before exchanging texts to meet Anderson in a City Hall bathroom that June 9, where she gave Anderson $7,000 of the money.
The government is seeking a sentence of one year and one day in prison followed by three years of supervised release and restitution in the amount of $13,000. Anderson could have faced up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each of the fraud charges. The theft count carried a penalty of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
In a statement after she was charged, Anderson only said she would continue 'fight' for her constituents. and refused to step down, despite calls from several colleagues to do so.
Neither Anderson nor her attorney responded to a request for comment on the plea deal or whether she plans to remain in office.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
.png&w=3840&q=100)
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Wife finds missing husband's blue kayak on river, then body is found, WA cops say
A 38-year-old man was found dead in a river after his wife spotted his empty blue kayak, deputies in Washington said. Adam Anson was reported missing Saturday, Aug. 2, in Asotin, the Asotin County Sheriff's Office said in an Aug. 4 news release. His wife found his kayak anchored about 50 feet from the shoreline, across from Asotin Elementary School, deputies said. But her husband was nowhere to be seen. She called 911 and showed authorities his empty kayak, deputies said. Deputies said they tracked Anson's phone and used side-scan sonar but couldn't find him. The Nez Perce County Sheriff's Office brought a marine unit and dive team from Idaho to the river and found his body within 20 minutes, deputies said. Anson's body was found about 80 yards from where his kayak was left, deputies said. Authorities said they believe he died from accidental drowning as there was no sign of foul play A medical examiner will confirm his official cause of death. Grieving friends and family shared their thoughts and memories of Anson on Facebook. 'I will cherish every moment we had together! I will never forget the endless love you have shown me in every day of our 15yrs as partners, lovers, best friends, we have so many memories I will hold with my soul forever!' his wife, Kelsey Anson, said in a Facebook post. 'Adam was so loved by this entire valley. He was a Husband, A Father, A son. Many knew him from his friendly face + service at Autozone,' Christy Wassmuth said in another post. 'Adam was a kind man and a good neighbor. Our hearts are broken for his sweet family, friends, and coworkers,' his neighbor Lynndee Wilks said in another post. The Snake River divides Washington and Idaho. Asotin is a small city near the river in southeastern Washington.
Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Army sergeant shot 5 soldiers before he was tackled and arrested at Fort Stewart, officials say
FORT STEWART, Ga. — A sergeant shot five soldiers Wednesday at one the country's largest Army bases before he was quickly tackled by other Fort Stewart troops, forcing a brief lockdown, officials said. Few details were immediately available about what led to the gunfire, but officials said the shooter was Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28, who used a personal handgun, not a military firearm. Radford opened fire where he worked but officials wouldn't speculate about a motive, authorities said. The injured soldiers are stable and expected to recover, said Brig Gen. John Lubas. The soldiers who tackled Radford helped ensure his arrest, Lubas said. 'These soldiers, without a doubt, prevented further casualties or wounded,' he said. This latest act of violence on a U.S. military installation — sites that are supposed to be among the most secure in the country — again raised concerns about safety and security within the armed forces' own walls. The Army said it's investigating the shooting. There were still many unanswered questions, including the condition of the soldiers, the scope of their injuries, the name of the shooter as well as any possible motive. The injured were treated and then moved to Winn Army Community Hospital, base officials said in a Facebook post, adding there's no threat to the community. Some of the wounded were also taken to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, said spokesperson Bryna Gordon. The hospital is the top-level trauma center for coastal Georgia. Gordon said she didn't know how many people were being taken to the hospital or what their conditions are. Law enforcement was sent to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team complex shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday. The shooter was arrested at 11:35 a.m., officials said. The lockdown lasted about an hour. After it was lifted, cars began to move through the normal security checkpoint at the fort's main gate. The Army's 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team was created in 2016 when the service added more than 200 vehicles to an infantry unit of roughly 4,200 soldiers. Also known as the 'Spartan Brigade,' the Army has called the unit its 'most modern land fighting force.' Located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Savannah, Fort Stewart is the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River. It's home to thousands of soldiers assigned to the Army's 3rd Infantry Division and family members. White House and Defense Department officials said President Donald Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth had been briefed on the shooting. The FBI was at the fort to help investigate, said Deputy Director Dan Bongino. Among the deadliest acts of violence on U.S. military bases was a 2009 attack. A U.S. Army psychiatrist killed 13 people in a shooting that left more than 30 wounded at Fort Hood, a military installation in Texas. In 2013, a defense contract worker and former Navy reservist killed 12 people at Washington Navy Yard. He was then killed in a gun battle with police. In 2014, a soldier opened fire on his fellow service members at Fort Hood, killing three people and wounding more than a dozen others before the gunman killed himself. In 2019, an aviation student opened fire in a classroom at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida, killing three people and injuring another dozen people including two sheriff's deputies. Just days earlier, a U.S. Navy sailor shot two people to death before killing himself at Pearl Harbor, the Naval station in Hawaii.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
In Cuba, Castro's 'influencer' grandson causes a stir
Cuban influencer Sandro Castro has chosen a very different path to his revolutionary grandfather Fidel, using his name to pursue online fame while occasionally poking fun at the island's dire shortages of food, medicine, power and fuel. It is a pastime some find entertaining, even fair commentary, but the 33-year-old is coming under increasing scrutiny from those loyal to Cuba's communist project for disrespecting his ancestor's legacy. For others locked in a daily struggle for survival, the younger Castro's high-flying lifestyle and apparent lack of empathy is offensive on a whole different level. On his Instagram account, Sandro regales his 127,000 followers with images of him partying, at times with scantily-clad women, often with a beer in hand. He is sometimes dressed as a monk or a vampire, sporting cat whiskers or the jersey of the Barcelona football club. From time to time, he mocks the struggles engendered by the country's worst economic crisis in three decades. "I woke up today with my favorite recipe, chicken with beer... but there is no chicken,' he says in one post while holding up a bottle of the national lager, Cristal. He also jokes about the power outages that have plagued the island, suggestively addressing a woman with the words: "If I caught you like the UNE (electric company), I'd get you every four hours, Monday to Monday." The character entertains some, annoys others, but never fails to make a splash. Castro's followers jokingly refer to him as the "next president," but voices aligned with the communist government are demanding he be silenced. Loyalist historian and author Ernesto Limia complained on Facebook that Castro "does not respect the memory" of his famous grandfather, who led the revolution that toppled a dictatorship and installed a communist government. "El Necio," an online influencer, has argued that Sandro Castro "goes against the security of this country" and "against the ideals" of the revolution. Despite his famous name, some believe Castro may be pushing his luck. Activists and critics in Cuba are often rounded up for sharing anti-government views, and several are serving sentences for crimes such as "contempt" or disseminating "enemy propaganda." - 'Little toys' - Manuel Cuesta Morua, a dissident historian who has been detained multiple times for his democratic activism, said the Sandro phenomenon embodied "the distance of the grandchildren's generation from the original revolutionary project." It also put Castro in stark contrast to the rest of his family, who unlike him enjoy their privileged status "discreetly," he said. While Fidel Castro was alive, Cubans knew very little about his second wife Dalia Soto del Valle and their five sons -- one of whom is Sandro's father, Alexis Castro Soto del Valle, 63. The family lived out of the public eye in Punto Cero, an extensive wooded area west of Havana with access controlled by the military. In 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Sandro came into the spotlight in a leaked video that showed him driving a luxurious Mercedes-Benz. "We are simple people, but every now and then we have to take out these little toys we have at home," he said in the clip that went viral and sparked public outrage, forcing him to apologize. Three years later, he caused another stir by celebrating his birthday at a bar he owns in the capital, burning massive neon lights and dancing on tables as the country reeled from the after-effects of a massive blackout. lp/mlr/mlm
