Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus‑McCormick (D‑Florida) has been indicted by the U.S. Justice Department for allegedly stealing $5 million in FEMA disaster relief funds.
Prosecutors say the money came from overpayments to her family’s health‑care company, Trinity Healthcare Services, under a COVID‑19 vaccination staffing contract and that she secretly routed a large chunk of it through straw donors into her 2021 congressional campaign.
Even more serious, she’s also charged with conspiring to file a false federal tax return, allegedly inflating charitable contributions and misrepresenting personal campaign spending as business expenses.
Attorney General Pam Bondi didn’t mince words: “Using disaster relief funds for self‑enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime.”
Cherfilus‑McCormick insists she’s innocent, calling the indictment politically motivated—and says she will remain in office.
If convicted, she could face up to 53 years in prison.
This isn’t just corruption, it’s a possible betrayal of public trust, misusing money meant to help disaster victims for personal and political gain.