Local News
Rachael Rollins, the previous U.S. attorney who resigned last yr amid a federal investigation into ethics violations, spoke out about public corruption allegations against Boston City Councilwoman Tania Fernandes Anderson.
Rollins appeared online with At-Large City Councilwoman Julia Mejia on “Woke Women Wednesdays,” hosted by WWOC Media. Mejia asked Rollins questions on the costs against Fernandes Anderson, who represents District 7, which consists of Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and a part of the South End.
Fernandes Anderson, who was arrested last week, is accused of establishing a kickback scheme involving a member of the family she had hired as a part of her staff. She allegedly gave a big bonus to the worker, who agreed to provide $7,000 back to town council.
Rollins questioned the federal jurisdiction of the case. The bonus check related to the scheme was disbursed from a city account at Citizens Bank, a Rhode Island-based bank that processed the payment “through interstate wire communications,” federal prosecutors allege as a part of their justification for a federal lawsuit.
The city also received $10,000 in federal grants in 2023, the indictment says.
“See what nonsense this is? Excuse my language,” Rollins said to Mejia. “This isn't 'Rachael Rollins smuggled drugs from Massachusetts to Rhode Island to New Hampshire, human trafficking from Maine'… It seems petty.”
Rollins suggested that prosecutors had decided to focus on Fernandes Anderson with federal charges. The City Council faces five counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud and one count of aiding and abetting theft related to programs receiving federal funds.
“I'm not saying she's innocent, I'm not saying she's guilty,” Rollins said, but “we can find a federal nexus for anything we want,” referring to the finer details of the allegations by Fernandes Anderson.
Rollins also mentioned the brothel network's 28 alleged clients in Boston, who prosecutors said included “wealthy and well-connected clientele” corresponding to politicians, military officers, lawyers and tech and pharmaceutical executives. The alleged customers face charges within the district court.
“They don’t want to find federal connections for people who look and live like them,” Rollins said.
Rollins didn’t reply to requests for comment on her statements.
image credit : www.boston.com