In a news release, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) has been indicted on charges accusing her of stealing $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds as well as making illegal campaign contributions.
The DOJ stated that Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother Edwin Cherfilus worked through Trinity Healthcare Services, their family health-care company, on a FEMA backed COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract in 2021. It's alleged that in July 2021, Trinity Healthcare Services received an overpayment of $5 million in FEMA funds.
The indictment alleges that Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother conspired to steal the money and route the funds through multiple accounts to avoid detection. A large sum of the funds are alleged to have been used as campaign contributions to her 2021 campaign.
The Florida Democrat, who represents parts of West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, previously faced a House Ethics Committee investigation regarding an alleged violation of campaign finance laws and failing to submit the necessary disclosures while carrying out improper hiring practices.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a statement regarding the indictment, commenting that "using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime." "No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain," she added. "We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice."
According to a January report from the Office of Congressional Ethics, Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick's income increased by more than $6 million from 2020 to 2021. She is reported to have gained $5.75 million in consulting and profit-sharing fees from Trinity Healthcare Services.
The DOJ also accuses Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick and Nadege Leblanc, another defendant, of using straw donors to receive additional campaign contributions. The two are alleged to have funneled other disaster relief funds from FEMA contracts to friends and relatives who then allegedly made donations to her campaign.
In a statement, her legal team highlighted that Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick "is a committed public servant, who is dedicated to her constitutents." "We will fight to clear her good name."
