A federal grand jury in Boston Thursday indicted a city councilor on public corruption charges in connection to a kickback scheme where she received thousands of dollars from a staff employee in exchange for a big bonus.

Tania Fernandes Anderson, who represents District 7 in Boston, was arrested by FBI agents Friday morning, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Joshua Levy told reporters during a press conference several hours after she was taken into custody without incident.

Agents arrested Anderson, 45, just after 6 a.m. outside her home in Dorchester, about 6 miles south of Boston. Her district includes Dorchester, Roxbury, Fenway and part of the city's South End.

Steve Kelleher, FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge in Boston, told reporters Anderson surrendered to agents without incident outside her home after they called her outside without incident.

"We believe she was facing personal financial difficulty when she decided to steal for herself," Kelleher said, calling her alleged crimes "a slap in the face for taxpayers and the city of Boston."

"This was a situation of her own making,' the FBI special agent told reporters.

A federal indictment filed shows Anderson faces five federal counts of wire fraud with aiding and abetting, and one federal count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds.

She was slated to appear in federal court Friday afternoon.

USA TODAY has reached out to Anderson's office.

Updates: UnitedHealthcare asks for privacy for CEO's family as search for killer continues

Indictment: Staffer handed $7,000 to Anderson in City Hall bathroom

According to an 11-page indictment filed Thursday in United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, each Boston councilor is allotted a budget of several hundred thousand dollars to pay salaries and bonuses for staff which includes positions for chief of staff, communications and constituent services.

Last year, according to the indictment, an ethics commission found she violated the conflict of interest law by hiring two family members at city hall and increasing their salaries.

Anderson was fined $5,000 for the nepotism, the indictment reads.

Most recently, the indictment alleges, Anderson gave $13,000 in bonus money to a staff member − one of her relatives − after making an agreement the person would give a portion of the money back to her.

The relatives' annual salary is $65,000, according to the indictment, and online public records show Anderson's salary last year and the year prior was $103,500 annually.

During two bank transactions in early June 2023, the staffer withdrew a total $7,000 from the deposited bonus payout, according to the indictment. On June 9, about 4:11 p.m., the staff member, the indictment continues, texted Anderson to meet her in a bathroom of City Hall, where she allegedly accepted the $7,000.

Trump hearing: Assassination attempt hearing turns volatile as Secret Service leader testifies

So far no one else charged in Boston city councilor's public corruption case

Levy said prosecutors with his office presented the case to a grand jury who indicted the city leader.

No one else had been charged in connection to the case as of Friday, Levy said, but he added the investigation remained open and ongoing.

Who is Tania Fernandes Anderson?

Anderson was elected to the Boston City Council on Nov. 2, 2021.

According to her online city bio, before being elected Anderson was the executive director of Bowdoin Geneva Main Streets, Boston Public Schools parent advocate, a program manager for a homeless women’s shelter, a business owner, and a child social worker. She has two children and has fostered 17 other children, according to the bio.

Anyone with information about the case should contact the FBI.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.