Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., was indicted Wednesday on federal charges, with the Department of Justice alleging she stole $5 million in federal disaster relief funds to finance her congressional campaign.
According to the DOJ, the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2021 overpaid Cherfilus-McCormick’s family health care company by $5 million for a Covid-19 vaccination staffing contract. Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, who is also named as a defendant in the indictment, “conspired to steal that $5 million and routed it through multiple accounts to disguise its source,” the Justice Department said. A “substantial portion” of that money was funneled into Cherfilus-McCormick’s campaign for the House, the Justice Department alleges, or was used for “the personal benefit of the defendants.”
The department said the Florida Democrat would face up to 53 years in prison if convicted.
Cherfilus-McCormick, who was first elected to the House in a special election in 2022, has previously faced campaign finance allegations and has been subject to a special investigative subcommittee investigation since 2023. She has denied any wrongdoing.
“This is an unjust, baseless, sham indictment — and I am innocent. The timing alone is curious and clearly meant to distract from far more pressing national issues,” Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement on Thursday. “From day one, I have fully cooperated with every lawful request, and I will continue to do so until this matter is resolved.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement on Thursday morning that while the case is pending, Cherfilus-McCormick will “take leave” as ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.