Disgraced ex-Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson sentencing pushed to September

A federal court judge granted disgraced ex-Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson s request to delay her sentencing date which was initially set for the end of this month but will now be held in early September Fernandes Anderson will be sentenced on Sept in Boston federal court following her conviction this past May on two populace corruption felony charges the court disclosed on Friday The ex-councilor through her attorney had requested a roughly -day delay in sentencing to allow the probation office additional time to review documentation she had submitted to that office s draft presentence summary per court records The federal judge presiding over the scenario Indira Talwani also granted Fernandes Anderson s request to modify the conditions of her release and tour outside of the state to help take care of her infant grandchild Presently Ms Anderson s conditions of release limit her trip to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts her attorney Scott Lauer wrote in a Thursday federal court filing This request arises out of Ms Anderson lately becoming a grandmother The newborn child resides in Rhode Island with Ms Anderson s son Ms Anderson seeks leave to visit her infant grandchild and assist her son in caring for the baby the ex-councilor s attorney wrote Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty on May to two of six citizens corruption felony 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 undertaking 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 plea 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 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 scenario of her sister a bonus Fernandes Anderson was paid a salary as a city councilor and represented District which includes Roxbury Dorchester Fenway and part of the South End Her resignation from the body took effect 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 Foley petitioned the court earlier this month to compel Fernandes Anderson to pay as a penalty for the City Hall kickback scheme she was convicted for and allow the authorities to seize the ex-councilor s assets and property up to that amount if she is unable to produce the restitution amount both sides agreed to in the plea deal The federal judge presiding over the occurrence has warned Fernandes Anderson that she can opt not to take the prosecution s recommendation and impose a harsher sentence than outlined in the plea agreement The charge of wire fraud can carry a sentence of 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 Related Articles Boston Mayor Wu touts office to housing conversion success with -plus units under construction Ed Markey endorses Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for reelection Boston s NWSL organization set to build training facility in Brockton amid White Stadium pushback Boston City Councilors Secretary of State urge company to resolve trash strike Pols Politics Ex-Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson s photo taken down a week after her exit Fernandes Anderson submitted her letter of resignation to the city on June six weeks after her felony conviction She defied calls to resign for months which were leveled by Mayor Michelle Wu and five city councilors including the council president this instant 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 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 during her second term and will leave a vacancy on the City Council until the next District councilor is elected in November Eleven candidates are running for the seat The field will be whittled down to two finalists after the September preliminary ballot