US Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida charged with stealing disaster funds
By KATE PAYNE
Associated Press/Report for America
In the summer of 2021, when the delta variant of COVID-19 was filling hospitals throughout the country, U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was conspiring to steal $5 million in federal disaster funds that were meant to slow the spread of the pandemic, prosecutors allege.
The Florida Democrat has been charged with 15 federal counts, accusing her of stealing funds that had been mistakenly overpaid to the health care company owned by her family. Within two months of receiving the funds, more than $100,000 had been spent to buy the congresswoman a 3-carat yellow diamond ring, prosecutors alleged in a recently released federal indictment.
Cherfilus-McCormick’s brother, former chief of staff and accountant were also charged in the alleged scheme. As of Thursday, no attorneys were listed for the codefendants.
Federal prosecutors accused the congresswoman of stealing Federal Emergency Management Agency overpayments that her family health care company received through a COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract. Cherfilus-McCormick has denied the charges and has no plans to resign, according to a statement shared by her chief of staff.
“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’s statement reads in part. “I look forward to my day in court. Until then, I will continue fighting for my constituents.”
Here’s what to know:
What’s in the indictment?
The indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Miami on Wednesday accuses Cherfilus-McCormick and several co-defendants of conspiring to steal $5 million in overpayments to her family’s health care company, Trinity Healthcare Services, under a 2021 contract to register people for COVID-19 vaccinations.
Prosecutors say the funds were distributed to various accounts, including to friends and relatives who in turn donated to the campaign that got her elected to Congress. A “substantial portion” of the misappropriated funds were used for the campaign or for the “personal benefit” of Cherfilus-McCormick and others accused, prosecutors claim.
Cherfilus-McCormick has been charged with theft of government funds; making and receiving straw donor contributions; aiding and assisting a false and fraudulent statement on a tax return; and money laundering, as well as conspiracy charges associated with each of those counts.
How has she responded?
Cherfilus-McCormick maintains her innocence. She also said she’s cooperated with “every lawful request,” and will continue to do so “until this matter is resolved,” according to a statement provided by her chief of staff.
“Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick is a committed public servant, who is dedicated to her constituents. We will fight to clear her good name,” wrote her attorneys David Oscar Markus, Margot Moss and Melissa Madrigal.
Cherfilus-McCormick won a special election in January 2022 to represent Florida’s 20th District in parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties after Rep. Alcee Hastings died in 2021.
What about her seat in Congress?
While Cherfilus-McCormick intends to continue representing her South Florida district, she is stepping down from her position as ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced Thursday.
“Consistent with the United States Constitution, she is entitled to her day in court and the presumption of innocence,” Jeffries said in a statement, adding that the move to step down is in line with the rules of the House Democratic Caucus.
U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, a Republican who represents parts of Sarasota and Charlotte Counties in southwest Florida, called Thursday for her resignation. If the congresswoman doesn’t resign, Steube said he’d bring a resolution to the floor to expel her.
“Defrauding the federal government and disaster victims of $5 million is an automatic disqualifier from serving in elected office,” Steube posted on X.
The last member of Congress to be expelled was scandal-plagued Rep. George Santos of New York. Santos had not yet been convicted of federal charges, and House Speaker Mike Johnson voted against it at the time, expressing concern about setting a precedent of expelling members based on untried allegations.
What did previous investigations find?
In December 2024, a Florida state agency sued Trinity Healthcare Services, saying the company owned by Cherfilus-McCormick’s family had overcharged the state by nearly $5.8 million for work done during the pandemic and wouldn’t give the money back.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management said it discovered the problem after a single $5 million overpayment drew attention. Cherfilus-McCormick was the CEO of Trinity at the time.
The House Ethics Committee unanimously voted in July to reauthorize an investigative subcommittee to examine the allegations involving the congresswoman.
The Office of Congressional Ethics said in a January report that Cherfilus-McCormick’s income in 2021 was more than $6 million higher than in 2020, driven by nearly $5.75 million in consulting and profit-sharing fees received from Trinity Healthcare Services.
The indictment charges Cherfilus-McCormick and her 2021 tax preparer with conspiring to file a false federal tax return by falsely claiming political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions and inflated charitable contributions.
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Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
