Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democratic congresswoman from Florida, has been indicted by a Miami grand jury for allegedly stealing $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster relief funds to finance her 2021 congressional campaign. The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that the indictment reveals that she conspired with her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, and several co-defendants to siphon the funds through multiple accounts, obscuring their origins. Prosecutors allege that a significant portion of the misappropriated FEMA funds were used as illegal campaign contributions or for personal enrichment, highlighting a brazen abuse of public resources.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a statement, condemned the alleged actions as a ‘particularly selfish, cynical crime,’ emphasizing that no one is above the law, particularly those who misappropriate taxpayer funds for personal gain. She stated that the Department of Justice would follow the facts of the case and deliver justice. The indictment also details that Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother operated their family healthcare company on a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract in 2021, which received an overpayment of $5 million. FBI Director Kash Patel, in an X post, described the situation as a case in which the funds were ‘allegedly stolen from FEMA and then laundered through friends toward her own personal benefits, including her campaign accounts.’
The indictment further states that Cherfilus-McCormick and Nadege Leblanc allegedly fixed contributions by using straw donors and channeled funds from the FEMA-funded contract to their associates, who used the money for campaign donations. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., a Republican colleague, immediately called for censuring Cherfilus-McCormick and removing her from all committees, calling the abuse of public trust ‘one of the most egregious’ he has ever seen. The Republican Party of Florida, in an X post, called on Cherfilus-McCormick to resign immediately, writing, ‘This is absolutely disgusting. She must step down NOW!’ Her office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Cherfilus-McCormick’s office had been under scrutiny since 2023 when the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into allegations of campaign finance violations linked to her 2022 election. She was re-elected to her third term in Congress in 2024 and currently serves on the House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs and Foreign Affairs. The case has raised significant questions about the integrity of federal campaign financing and the potential misuse of emergency funding for personal or political gain. The legal proceedings may have long-term implications for her political career and the broader implications for public trust in elected officials.