Tania Fernandes Anderson’s embattled tenure on Boston City Council is now over

Boston has declared its independence from disgraced City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson whose last day of work after resigning following her conviction on federal corruption charges was July Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty on May to two of six constituents corruption charges that were lodged against her in a federal indictment last December when she was also arrested by the feds outside her Dorchester home The ex-councilor agreed to plead guilty to two of the charges one count of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning a federal operation as part of a plea deal with the U S Attorney s office The four other wire fraud charges were dropped as part of the deal she entered into with federal prosecutors in early April The charges are tied to a kickback scheme Fernandes Anderson carried out at City Hall two years ago The then-councilor doled out a bonus to one of her Council staffers a relative but not immediate family member on the condition that be kicked back to her The handoff was coordinated by text and took place in a City Hall bathroom in June the federal indictment states Fernandes Anderson submitted her letter of resignation to the city on June with her last day stated as July She defied calls to resign for months which were leveled by Mayor Michelle Wu and five city councilors including the council president at once after her arrest and indictment last December Councilors can be removed from the body only after sentencing for a felony rather than conviction per state law Fernandes Anderson is set to be sentenced in federal court on July U S Attorney Leah Foley has recommended that the ex-councilor be sentenced to a year and a day in prison and ordered to pay in restitution The federal judge presiding over the matter has warned Fernandes Anderson that she can opt not to take the prosecution s recommendation and impose a harsher sentence The charge of wire fraud can carry a sentence up to years in prison and a fine while the sentence for a charge of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds can go up to years in prison along with carrying a fine up to The federal indictment mentions that Fernandes Anderson may have been motivated in part by the personal financial difficulty she was facing Fernandes Anderson was staring down an impending fine for a state ethics violation around that time period for hiring two immediate family members to her City Council staff giving them raises and in the event of her sister a bonus Related Articles Boston City Hall payroll glitch leaves employees with delayed paychecks Major embarrassment Boston City Hall sexual misconduct probe clears top Wu cabinet official of wrongdoing Boston s White Stadium renovation sparks neighborhood clash Boston City Hall official on unpaid leave remains employed months after felony assault arrest Josh Kraft slams Boston Mayor Wu s Mass and Cass plan A clear failure Fernandes Anderson was paid a salary as a city councilor and represented District which includes Roxbury Dorchester Fenway and part of the South End She was the first Muslim American African immigrant and formerly undocumented person to be elected to the City Council and first took office in January Her resignation took effect about midway through her second term Eleven District candidates have qualified to appear on the ballot for the Sept preliminary ballot The two candidates who receive the largest part votes in the primary will move on to the Nov general polling City personnel have indicated that they would prefer to have the next District councilor seated this instant after the November voting rather than continuing with the vacancy until the swearing-in ceremony in early January