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Boston Mayor Wu says Tania Fernandes Anderson should step aside after arrest

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Boston Mayor Wu says Tania Fernandes Anderson should step aside after arrest


BOSTON – Boston Mayor Michelle Wu called for the resignation of Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson after she was arrested on Friday for corruption charges.

Mayor Wu speaks on Fernandes Anderson arrest

The mayor says there is a legal process that needs to play out, but that she believes the councilor should step aside for the sake of the credibility of the Boston City Council.

“I think we’re all just learning and seeing what’s unfolding as the allegations are coming out and we’ll continue to follow how the facts unfold,” Wu said.

“The charges are serious enough that I believe it is of the nature that is going to undermine the ability for the public to trust and have effective representation. I think I made my views clear on that,” Wu said.

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Wu says she has not spoken to Fernandes Anderson directly since her court appearance. Wu said she plans to work with Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and the council as a whole to move things forward.

“We have to hold ourselves to the highest standards in particular at the city level when the responsibilities under our charge are the ones that impact people’s lives the most,” Wu said.  

Wu released a statement on Friday saying, “But the serious nature of these charges undermine the public trust and will prevent her from effectively serving the city. I urge Councilor Fernandes Anderson to resign.”

Tania Fernandes Anderson arrested

Councilor Fernandes Anderson was arrested on Friday morning and charged with wire fraud, theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, and forfeiture allegations, according to an indictment. 

Fernandes Anderson is accused of taking a $7,000 kickback in a pre-arranged deal with a staff member who she was related to, authorities said. It happened in 2023 after she hired the relative in 2022, the indictment said. 

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The relative, identified as “Staff Member A” in the indictment, was hired with a salary of $65,000 a year and allegedly received a $13,000 bonus in May of 2023. Staff Member A later gave Fernandes Anderson $7,000 of that bonus in a Boston City Hall bathroom on June 9, 2023, the indictment said.

The indictment said that the staff member was not an immediate family member. Fernandes Anderson is also accused of lying to the city by hiding the fact that the staff member was related to her.

She faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charges and up to 10 years in prison for the theft charge. She was released by the judge on a number of conditions including that she stays in Massachusetts and surrenders her passport.

Who is Tania Fernandes Anderson?

Tania Fernandes Anderson is a 45-year-old Boston City Councilor who lives in Dorchester. She represents District 7 in Boston, which includes Dorchester, Fenway, Roxbury, and parts of the South End. She was elected to her first two-year term in November of 2021 and was re-elected in 2023.

This is not the first time Fernandes Anderson was accused of hiring a family member. She hired her sister as director of constituent services shortly after she was elected in 2021. She gave her sister a $65,000 salary before raising it to $70,000 and giving her a $7,000 bonus in 2022. She later hired her son in June 2022 as her office manager, making $52,000 a year. A few weeks later, she gave him an $18,000 raise.

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She was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine by the state ethics committee after she admitted that she had hired her son and sister to her staff. The committee said that her hiring her family member violated conflict of interest laws. 

Investigators said that she was facing financial difficulty in mid-2023.

“When faced with financial hardship and that State Ethics Commission $5,000 sanction, Ms. Fernandes Anderson chose to violate her fiduciary duty and defraud the city of Boston, the indictment alleges, rather than find a legal means to pay off that debt,” U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy said.

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What we know about wrong-way driver killed in head-on collision with state trooper in Lynnfield – The Boston Globe

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What we know about wrong-way driver killed in head-on collision with state trooper in Lynnfield – The Boston Globe


Court records show that Marrero was the father of three children, the oldest of whom is 17. The youngest two children, twins, are 13 years old; Marrero’s death came days before their 14th birthday.

Records in Middlesex Probate and Family Court also suggest that Marrero faced financial difficulties and personal troubles, stemming in part from a work injury that family members said caused a bout of depression and deteriorating behavior in his personal life.

For nearly a decade, Marrero worked at Dewberry, a Boston engineering consulting firm, court records show, obtaining a job as an architectural design apprentice in 2005. He left the company in 2014, according to a company spokesperson.

Hernan Marrero.Facebook

Throughout that time, he doubled as a bartender on the side, working at Mexican restaurants in Boston and Waltham, court records show.

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A knee injury ended Marrero’s career at Dewberry, court records show, and he left the company shortly thereafter.

That injury, according to court documents, was the catalyst for what his wife described as a “major depressive episode,” which she said contributed to the strain in their marriage. The couple, who had been married for more than 20 years, separated in 2022.

Records also show that Marrero struggled with debts to family members and credit card companies. During his divorce proceedings, it was unclear how much money he was taking home in income.

Marrero briefly owned and operated a contracting business, 109 Construction, but the corporation was administratively dissolved in 2024, according to state filings.

Marrero had lived in US since at least 2001, holding legal status. He became a naturalized citizen in March 2021, court records show.

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Social media posts suggest he was active in the tight-knit Venezuelan community in Massachusetts. Photos show him cheering on Venezuela at a World Baseball Classic watch party in Brighton earlier this year.

Court records appear to show Marrero’s interest in art and music, owning a Venezuelan guitar, conga drums, and several Venezuelan paintings, as well as homemade winemaking setup.

Marrero’s family could not be reached for comment. A close friend reached by the Globe declined to comment.

Trainor had just completed his shift at about 2 a.m. on Wednesday and was driving home when he responded to a report for a Jeep traveling south in the northbound lanes of Route 1, near the Lynnfield overpass.

Raised in Salem, Trainor began his public safety career as an Essex County correction officer before graduating from the State Police academy in 2023, State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said.

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Trainor’s fiancée, Jessica D. Ostrowski, of Georgetown, posted an emotional message to social media Thursday, describing the late trooper as “my absolute best friend.”

“I am beyond proud for the amount of love you have been given by those who loved and cared about you,” she wrote.

Travis Andersen and Jeremiah Manion of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Material from previous Globe coverage was used.


Camilo Fonseca can be reached at camilo.fonseca@globe.com. Follow him on X @fonseca_esq and on Instagram @camilo_fonseca.reports.





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Funding scandal-hit Croft schools in Boston to close this summer after all

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Funding scandal-hit Croft schools in Boston to close this summer after all


Administrators at the Croft School, struggling after allegations of financial fraud, haven’t been able to find a buyer for its Boston locations, which will now close at the end of the school year, parents were told Friday.

Millions of dollars were raised by families and community members to keep the private school open for a few more months while Croft School administrators scrambled to find a buyer. But in Friday’s email, the chief restructuring officer and independent sale advisor said that two parties expressed interest but they ultimately had to pivot toward winding operations down.

“To be clear, the 2025-2026 school year will be completed based on the availability of parent funding. However, without a viable timetable for a transaction, we are faced with this difficult decision,” the email said.

About 350 students had attended the Croft School’s three campuses, two in Boston and one in Providence. Regular tuition starts at $31,000, according to the website.

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Millions were raised to keep the private school open for a few more months but the Croft School is looking for a buyer as a long-term fix to its financial problems.

More than 60 families unenrolled from the South End campus over the weekend, the email said.

News of the debt crisis surprised parents in March, when the school’s board revealed in a letter that founding Executive Director Scott Given admitted to fabricating a letter of credit regarding a possible expansion and keeping two sets of books, overstating the school’s revenue while understating its expenses.

The discovery that the school was more than $13 million in debt came after police were alerted to possible fraud. The school has said it’s cooperating with multiple investigations involving Given, who has been suspended.

The private school, with two locations in Boston and one in Providence, requires $5 million to stay open for the rest of the schoolyear.

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Given has been sued by at least one Boston parent, accusing him of running a Ponzi scheme. His legal team has said he has no comment.

Parents rallied to save the school, raising enough funds to keep classes going.

The officials in charge of the sale noted “how hard many of you worked to maintain The Croft School as you know it,” but added that the “difficult circumstances, uncertain financials and condensed timeframe made this a trying environment for purchasers to timely make a binding offer for the schools.”



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Where to watch Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 8

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Where to watch Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 8


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Baseball is back and finding what channel your favorite team is playing on has become a little bit more confusing since MLB announced plans to produce and distribute broadcasts for nearly a third of the league.

We’re here to help. Here’s everything you need to know Friday as the Tampa Bay Rays visit the Boston Red Sox.

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See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.

What time is Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox?

First pitch between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. (ET) on Friday, May 8.

How to watch Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox on Friday

All times Eastern and accurate as of Friday, May 8, 2026, at 6:33 a.m.

  • Matchup: TB at BOS
  • Date: Friday, May 8
  • Time: 7:10 p.m. (ET)
  • Venue: Fenway Park
  • Location: Boston, Massachusetts
  • TV: NESN, Rays.TV and WMOR
  • Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo

Watch MLB all season long with Fubo

MLB regional blackout restrictions apply

MLB scores, results

MLB scores for May 8 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:

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See scores, results for all of today’s games.



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