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US Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida indicted on charges of stealing $5M in disaster funds

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., condemns hate speech and misinformation about Haitian immigrants during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., condemns hate speech and misinformation about Haitian immigrants during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

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MIAMI (AP) — 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.

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    1. Comment by DNewkirk.

      The second part of Bondi's statement is laughable if it weren't so tragic.

      “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.”

      How about your boss?

      • Comment by Factsmatter1.

        Let's go after ALL of the elected officials that stole from the government during that time. Both Dems and Repubs.

        • Reply by Saadcee.

          Na, we play teams now. Pick a side and go to war.

      • Comment by LetsBReal.

        She was originally sued by the state of Florida and I assume the money laundering and campaign infractions came out of discovery of that case. If what is being said is true, she can’t even claim ignorance because she is an attorney. Seems very intentional to me. Democrats insinuating this is malicious need to check themselves and let the case play out. The BIGGEST problem in this country is people being too quick to justify the actions of those in the party they prefer. Both parties are awash with folks willing to abuse their power to take more from OUR coffers than they are entitled to.

        • Reply by LetsBReal.

          I agree. I judge every candidate based on their own merit. If my post insinuated I am blaming every person in either party, that was not my intent. It just seems like the rabidly partisan have a megaphone while those who are decent have duct tape over their mouths. A big part of voter apathy is rooted in disgust. We should focus on fixing that. And the first step is to take a long, hard look in the mirror.

        • Reply by JamesGunnerSgt.

          “Does the justice dept no favors”. Bro, the grand jury in the comey case never saw the final indictment. What bar would you call that?

      • Comment by CMiller.

        “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.”

        That's a pretty rich quote coming from Bondi.

        • Reply by Gatman.

          No one is above the law, except for Trump

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