The US Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that Florida Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has been charged with stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds and using some of those funds to support her 2021 campaign, NPR reports, News.bg reports.
The Democrat is accused of receiving overpayments through the Federal Emergency Management Agency that were provided to her family's healthcare company through a contract for COVID-19 vaccination staff, funded by the federal government. Some of that money was then funneled to her campaign through donations, federal prosecutors allege.
“The use of disaster relief funds for personal enrichment is a particularly selfish and cynical crime,“ said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who embezzle taxpayers' money for personal gain. We will follow the facts and prevail.
Cherfilus-McCormick was first elected to Congress in 2022 for Florida’s 20th District, which covers parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, in a special election to fill the seat of the late Congresswoman Alcee Hastings.
In December 2024, a Florida state agency sued her family’s company, alleging that it overcharged the state by nearly $5.8 million for work during the pandemic and refused to return the money.
The Florida Department of Emergency Management found that it had made a series of overpayments to Trinity Healthcare Services in 2021 after hiring them to register people for COVID-19 vaccinations. The problem was discovered after one overpayment of $5 million came to light. Cherfilus-McCormick was Trinity's CEO at the time.
A January report from the Office of Congressional Ethics showed that her 2021 income was more than $6 million higher than her 2020 income, the result of nearly $5.75 million in consulting fees and profit sharing from Trinity Healthcare Services.
In July, the House Ethics Committee voted unanimously to reauthorize an investigative subcommittee to look into allegations involving Cherfilus-McCormick.