An elected Democrat leader in Boston, Massachusetts is facing serious legal trouble and mounting calls to resign after they were arrested and criminally indicted this week.

Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson was taken into custody early Friday morning by FBI agents at her home amid allegations of public corruption and a bribery/kickback scheme involving a family member and taxpayer funds, Breitbart reported.

Fernandes Anderson now faces five federal counts of felony wire fraud and one federal count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, and if convicted could be sentenced to serve multiple decades behind bars.

Kickback scheme exposed

According to a Justice Department press release, Councilor Fernandes Anderson is alleged to have hired a relative as a staffer in late 2022 and then paid them an exorbitant bonus in early 2023, a substantial portion of which was then kicked back to her.

The $13,000 bonus for the relative, which was twice as much as the combined bonuses of the councilor's other staffers, was then withdrawn from different banks in three separate transactions, after which $7,000 in cash was delivered to Fernandes Anderson in a discreet meeting in a City Hall bathroom in June 2023.

Per the indictment, Fernandes Anderson had been experiencing financial difficulties at that time, in part due to a $5,000 fine she owed for, ironically, previously violating a law against hiring immediate family members as staffers when she gave her sister and her son high-ranking and well-paid positions on her staff.

If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison for each of the wire fraud counts and 10 years for the theft charge. She could also be ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay a $250,000 fine for each of the five criminal charges.

She violated the public trust

In the DOJ press release, U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said, "Elected officials have a duty to serve the public with the highest integrity and not to abuse positions of trust for personal gain. By allegedly orchestrating a scheme to funnel public funds into her own pocket, City Councilor Fernandes Anderson betrayed the trust of her constituents and violated her fiduciary duty as a public servant."

FBI Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen said, "The FBI arrested Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson today for allegedly orchestrating a kickback scheme in which she stole thousands of dollars in taxpayer money for herself."

"Using public office for personal gain is a crime," Cohen added. "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."

Colleagues demand her resignation

According to MassLive, Councilor Fernandes Anderson is now facing calls for her resignation from Boston's Democratic mayor and several of her City Council colleagues following news of her arrest and federal indictment, including Councilor Erin Murphy, who called the allegations "deeply disturbing"

"Like any member of the community, Councilor Fernandes Anderson has the right to a fair legal process," Mayor Michelle Wu said. "But the serious nature of these charges undermine the public trust and will prevent her from effectively serving the city."

Councilor Ed Flynn, who wants to establish a special ethics committee for the council for this and other past alleged scandals, said, "This unfortunately follows a series of legal and ethical lapses by members at the Boston City Council over the last several years, which have both reflected poorly on the city and distracted us from doing the people’s business. It is critical that elected officials, who have been placed in positions of public trust, work to provide positive and ethical leadership."

"Public service is a privilege. The people of Boston deserve leaders who act transparently, ethically, and in the best interests of the community," Councilor Sharon Durkan said. "The allegations against Councilor Fernandes Anderson undermine the confidence of residents and tarnish the reputation of our City Council. While Councilor Fernandes Anderson is entitled to a fair legal process, the severity of these charges makes it clear she cannot effectively serve the people of Boston."