Fernandes Anderson was indicted on five counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud and one count of aiding and abetting theft concerning a program receiving federal funds, according to court records and a publicly available indictment.
The councilor — who represents Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway, and part of the South End — hired a staff member identified in court documents as “Staff Member A” in late 2022 who was related to her and agreed to give the person a $13,000 bonus, most of which they would kickback to Fernandes Anderson, according to the indictment.
“At defendant Fernandes Anderson’s instructions, Fernandes Anderson and Staff Member A arranged to meet at a bathroom at City Hall where Staff Member A would hand approximately $7,000 in cash to Fernandes Anderson,” court documents said.
The two exchanged texts ahead of the meeting and “shortly following these texts, Staff Member A handed Fernandes Anderson Approximately $7,000 in cash at a bathroom in City Hall,” court documents said.