A Democratic lawmaker is under fire for allegedly misappropriating millions in disaster relief funds to enhance her political campaign.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who serves a predominantly Democratic area in South Florida, has long faced questions about her fundraising prowess during the special election that succeeded the late Congressman Alcee Hastings.

Federal authorities now contend that she diverted money from her family’s healthcare firm, received during the COVID-19 crisis, to finance her campaign endeavors.

According to prosecutors, Cherfilus-McCormick was at the helm of Trinity Health Care Services when it secured a contract at the onset of the pandemic to manage COVID testing and outreach in minority neighborhoods.

The state, responsible for distributing funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, reportedly overpaid the company by $5.8 million. This overpayment became the focus of a civil lawsuit resolved by the state’s Division of Emergency Management earlier this year, as detailed by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

While Trinity agreed to a $5.62 million settlement without admitting fault, federal prosecutors allege that Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, orchestrated a scheme to embezzle $5 million, concealing its origins through various financial channels.

They say the congresswoman used a ‘substantial portion of the misappropriated funds… as campaign contributions to Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2021 congressional campaign and for the benefit of the defendants.’

Authorities further claimed that the congresswoman and her District Chief of Staff Nadege Leblanc arranged additional contributions to her campaign using straw donors whom they channeled some of the COVID funds to – and in turn the ‘friends and relatives… donated to the campaign as if using their own money.’

Also charged in the indictment is David Spencer, who helped Cherfilus-McCormick prepare her 2021 tax return. 

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, is accused of stealing millions of dollars in disaster relief to bolster her 2021 campaign. She is pictured here speaking to the press and supporters at an election night party following the special election

She has long faced scrutiny for years over how she was able to out fundraise her opponents in the 2021 race

The Department of Justice alleges that the pair ‘falsely claimed political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions, and inflated charitable contributions in order to reduce her tax obligation.’

Spencer is now charged with conspiring to file a false federal tax return. 

‘Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,’ Attorney General Pam Bondi said as she announced the charges against the congresswoman.

‘No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain,’ she continued, adding: ‘We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice.’ 

Attorneys David Oscar Markus, Magot Moss and Melissa Madrigal have since issued a statement to the Sun Sentinel on behalf of Cherfilus-McCormick, who they said is a ‘committed public servant who is dedicated to her constituents.

‘We will fight to clear her good name,’ they vowed. 

Cherfilus-McCormick won the Democratic primary in Florida’s 20th District in November 2021 by just five votes.

She then won a full term in 2022, and again in 2024 when no one came forward to challenge her in either the Democratic primary or the general election.

Cherfilus-McCormick was the CEO of her family-run company Trinity Health Care Services when it received a contract at the start of the pandemic to conduct COVID testing and outreach in minority communities

But throughout her time in office, she has been under scrutiny for her 2021 campaign contributions.

In 2022, Cherfilus-McCormick filed a defamation suit against her opponent, Dale Holness, who accused her of embezzling to win the seat, according to NBC Miami. 

The following year, in December 2023, the House Ethics Committee announced it had formed an Investigative Subcommittee to probe whether Cherfilus-McCormick broke any laws or rules, acting on a referral it had received months earlier.

The Office of Congressional Conduct then wrote in a report in May 2024 declaring there was probable cause to believe Cherfilus-McCormick ‘accepted campaign contributions linked to an official action.’

But the report containing the statement was not released until May 2025 by the House Ethics Committee.

Meanwhile, the Office of Congressional Ethics said in a January 2025 report that Cherfilus-McCormick’s income in 2021 was more than $6 million higher than the year prior, driven by nearly $5.75 million in consulting and profit-sharing fees recovered from Trinity Healthcare Services.

By July, the House Ethics Committee voted unanimously to reauthorize the investigative subcommittee probing the allegations against the congresswoman. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the indictment proves that no one is above the law

Following the news of the grand jury indictment Wednesday evening, Cherfilus-McCormick’s fellow lawmakers hit out at the congresswoman.

Her Democratic challenger in the 2026 midterm election, Elijah Manley, told the Sun Sentinel the indictment ‘is a sad moment for the people of Florida’s 20th Congressional District.

‘I am disappointed in the congresswoman for abusing the power she was given and instead use it to enrich herself and her family.’

Rep. Greg Steube, another Congressmember from Florida, also shared on social media that he will be filing a motion to censure Cherfilus-McCormick and remove her from all of her committees.

‘This is one of the most egregious abuses of public trust I have ever seen,’ he wrote on X.

‘Stealing $5 million in taxpayer disaster funds from FEMA of all places is beyond indefensible,’ he continued, noting: ‘Millions of Floridians have relied on FEMA after devastating hurricanes, and that money was supposed to help real disaster victims.

‘And once House Ethics concludes their investigation or she is formally convicted, rest assured I will move to expel her from Congress,’ Steube vowed.

Cherfilus-McCormick currently serves on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

The Republican Party of Florida also wrote online that the allegations are ‘absolutely disgusting and she must step down NOW!’ 

Rep. Greg Steube, another Congressmember from Florida, shared on social media that he will be filing a motion to censure Cherfilus-McCormick and remove her from all of her committees

In the meantime, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is urging the Republicans who control the state government to change the boundaries of congressional districts.

He has specifically cited Cherfilus-McCormick’s district’s boundaries as being improper because it was created under the federal Voting Rights Act with boundaries that made it likely to send a black lawmaker to DC, according to the Sun Sentinel.

DeSantis argues that the 20th District’s structure constitutes unconstitutional gerrymandering – an issue that is currently under consideration by the US Supreme Court in a separate case. 

If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison and her brother faces up to 35 years.

Leblanc also faces up to 10 years behind bars, and Spencer up to 33 years.