BOSTON — Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to two charges of corruption tied to a kickback scheme in which she took a cash handoff in a city hall bathroom.

Fernandes Anderson, 46, pleaded guilty to to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft involving public funds related to a scheme prosecutors say stole thousands of dollars.

The city councilor — who has said she will resign, but not when – was not sentenced Monday.

The judge in the case scheduled sentencing for July 29. Boston City Councilors may be removed from their positions after criminal sentencing.

In brief remarks after entering her plea at the federal court in Boston, Fernandes Anderson said she was praying ahead of her guilty plea and “walking with God.”

U.S. Attorney Leah Foley has recommended Fernandes Anderson be sentenced to a year and a day in prison followed by three years of supervised release and pay $13,000 in restitution.

The charge of wire fraud can carry a sentence up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while the sentence for a charge of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds go up to 10 years in prison.

The government said that in May 2023 while she was facing “personal financial difficulty,” Fernandes Anderson gave one of her staff members, a relative, a $13,000 bonus with the understanding that $7,000 would be returned to the councilor. Feds say the two planned the exchange over text and the handoff happened with cash in a city hall bathroom in June 2023.

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