Disgraced ex-Boston city councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, convicted and jailed on federal corruption charges, was sprung from the Big House last week.
Fernandes Anderson made her great escape after serving a month in federal prison. She was released on Friday, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The 46-year-old ex-pol’s release date was initially slated for Saturday, and it’s unclear what prompted the leniency.
She reported to the Federal Bureau of Prisons to begin her sentence on Oct. 17, and served out her time at the Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury, a low-security co-ed prison that includes an adjacent minimum security satellite camp.
Fernandes Anderson was pinched by the feds last December, when she was arrested outside her Dorchester home at the crack of dawn on six public corruption charges.
Ultimately, after accepting a plea deal with the feds, Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty to and was convicted on two charges — wire fraud and theft concerning a federal program — in early May.
The charges are tied to a kickback scheme federal authorities said Fernandes Anderson carried out at City Hall. The ex-Roxbury-centric councilor admitted to giving one of her staff members, a relative but not immediate family member, a $13,000 bonus on the condition that $7,000 be kicked back to her.
The handoff was coordinated by text and took place in a City Hall bathroom in June 2023.
U.S Attorney Leah Foley’s office sought to lock up Fernandes Anderson for a year and a day — a recommendation included in the plea deal — but a federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama sentenced her to one month in jail.
Fernandes Anderson was also ordered to pay $13,000 in restitution.
She resigned from the City Council in early July, two months after her conviction. Her sentencing took place in Boston federal court in early September.
A local pastor, Miniard Culpepper, was elected to her former District 7 seat earlier this month, but has not yet been seated. The city’s inauguration is in January.
Mayor Wu’s reelection staffing shakeup continues
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is continuing to shake up her staff ahead of her second term, after cruising to reelection this month.
Wu’s campaign announced last Thursday that the mayor’s chief of communications Jessicah Pierre “will transition out of her role,” and will serve as the creative executive producer for the mayoral and city council inauguration on Jan. 5, along with related events that are taking place across the city during that week.
Pierre was appointed by Wu as the city’s chief communications officer in December 2021, and has held the role for the entirety of the mayor’s first term.
She is the lead communications director and advisor for the Wu administration and leads the mayor’s press office, according to a 2021 city announcement for her appointment.
“Over the last four years of our administration, Jessicah’s leadership, creativity and dedication to our city have been essential to delivering results and connecting residents across our neighborhoods, creating empowering spaces and celebrating our communities,” Wu said in a statement.
“She has been an essential advisor and visionary stewarding our administration’s most important initiatives and foundational responsibilities. I’m grateful that her leadership will help us kick off the new year with a focus on Boston’s progress and determination to keep moving forward.”
What Pierre’s role will be after the inauguration remains unclear. Who the mayor will appoint to replace her chief communications officer has not been announced.
Wu’s campaign manager Julia Leja will serve as chair of the 2026 Boston Inauguration Committee. The inauguration will be hosted by the City of Boston at the Boston Symphony Hall, and will consist of a swearing-in ceremony for the mayor and 13 city councilors.
Pierre’s departure is the latest staffing shakeup for the mayor.
Wu’s chief of streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge, who oversaw the city’s contentious bus and bike lane expansion, resigned this month and will be leaving at the end of the year.
The mayor previously announced that she will have a new chief of staff in her second term. Tiffany Chu is departing her role as Wu’s top deputy, and will be replaced by Clare Kelly, the city’s director of intergovernmental relations, who will begin her new position on Monday.
Wu won an uncontested bid for a second term in this month’s election, after beating Josh Kraft, a son of the billionaire Patriots owner, by 49 points in the September preliminary election, leading him to drop of the race two days later.
Pols & Politics logo (Boston Herald)