Rep Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) has been indicted for stealing and laundering $5 million in FEMA funds and is facing up to 53 years in prison (also at taxpayer expense).
BREAKING: Rep Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) INDICTED for allegedly stealing and laundering $5 million in FEMA funds.
She faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted. pic.twitter.com/V11T06SW1I
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 19, 2025
The Associated Press reports:
MIAMI — U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida has been indicted on charges accusing her of stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds and using some of the money to aid her 2021 campaign, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
The Democrat is accused of stealing Federal Emergency Management Agency overpayments that her family health care company had received through a federally funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract, federal prosecutors said. A portion of the money was then funneled to support her campaign through candidate contributions, prosecutors allege.
“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain. We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice.”
A phone message left at Cherfilus-McCormick’s Washington office was not immediately returned.
Cherfilus-McCormick was first elected to Congress in 2022 in the 20th District, representing parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, in a special election after Rep. Alcee Hastings died in 2021.
In December 2024, a Florida state agency sued a company owned by Cherfilus-McCormick’s family, saying it 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 made a series of overpayments to Trinity Healthcare Services after hiring it in 2021 to register people for COVID-19 vaccinations. The agency says it discovered the problem after a single $5 million overpayment drew attention.
Cherfilus-McCormick was the CEO of Trinity at the time.
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.
In July, the House Ethics Committee unanimously voted to reauthorize an investigative subcommittee to examine allegations involving Cherfilus-McCormick.
Axios adds:
Why it matters: Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted, Justice Department prosecutors said in a press release announcing the indictment.
- The Florida Democrat has been under investigation by House ethics watchdogs since 2023 over alleged improper donations to the special election campaign that first got her elected to Congress.
- Cherfilus-McCormick, who has denied any wrongdoing, issued a statement Thursday morning calling the indictment “unjust,” “baseless,” and a “sham,” declaring, “I am innocent.”
…
What they’re saying: “The timing alone is curious and clearly meant to distract from far more pressing national issues,” Cherfilus-McCormick said of the indictment in her statement on Thursday.
- “From day one, I have cooperated with every lawful request, and I will continue to do so until this matter is resolved.”
State of play: Cherfilus-McCormick was already facing a 2026 primary challenge from 26-year-old teacher Elijah Manley, who has based his campaign on allegations of corruption against her.
- She is part of a growing cohort of establishment House Democrats to be challenged from the left in their primaries.
- “Today’s indictment is a sad moment for the people of Florida’s 20th Congressional District,” Manley said in a statement Wednesday. “The people of FL-20 are ready to move past this era of fraud, corruption, and distractions.”
- Manley out-raised Cherfilus-McCormick between July and September of this year, bringing in $114,000 in donations to her $68,000.
