The Justice Department indicted Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) on Wednesday for allegedly stealing federal relief funds and using them for her congressional campaign.
The lawmaker is alleged to have stolen $5 million and used various means to launder the funds for her campaign’s use.
From NBC News:
In a news release citing the indictment, the Justice Department said that Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, and Edwin Cherfilus, 51, her brother, worked on a staffing contract funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Covid vaccinations tied to their family health care company in 2021 and that the company was overpaid by $5 million in relief funds.
She and her brother are accused of conspiring to steal the overpayment and route it through various accounts to conceal its origins. Cherfilus-McCormick is alleged to have used the money for her own enrichment and to fund a significant part of her congressional campaign.
Cherfilus-McCormick won a special election in January 2022 to fill the seat of the late Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings. She won 72.3% of the vote in that year's general election and was re-elected again last year, when she ran uncontested.
The Justice Department said Cherfilus-McCormick and another defendant, Nadege Leblanc, 46, also used straw donors to secure additional campaign contributions, funneling other disaster relief money from the FEMA-funded contract to friends and relatives who then made donations to the campaign as if they were contributing their own money.
South Florida Congresswoman Charged with Stealing $5 Million in FEMA Funds and Making Illegal Campaign Contributions
— FBI (@FBI) November 20, 2025
A federal grand jury in Miami has returned an indictment charging Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and several co-defendants with stealing federal… pic.twitter.com/yuIWB7y6TR
The DOJ says the lawmaker collaborated with her brother to steal money meant for helping communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. They allegedly overbilled FEMA through their family healthcare business. Then, they shifted it around through various bank accounts to conceal the money’s origins.
Some of the funds were used for her election campaingn. But she allegedly gave some to friends and family, who later donated it to her campaign so it would appear to be real donations.
Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) announced on Wednesday that he was filing a motion to censure McCormick and strip her of her committee assignments.
“This is one of the most egregious abuses of public trust I have ever seen,” he wrote ina post on X. “Stealing $5 million in taxpayer disaster funds from FEMA of all places is beyond indefensible. Millions of Floridians have relied on FEMA after devastating hurricanes, and that money was supposed to help real disaster victims.”
He further stated that if McCormick is convicted, he “will move to expel her from Congress.”
Tomorrow morning I will be filing a privileged motion to censure Rep. Cherfilus McCormick and remove her from all committees.
— Congressman Greg Steube (@RepGregSteube) November 20, 2025
This is one of the most egregious abuses of public trust I have ever seen. Stealing $5 million in taxpayer disaster funds from FEMA of all places is… https://t.co/xsqm0oqOWw
Attorney General Pam Bandi described the lawmaker’s alleged crime as “particularly selfish” and “cynical.”
FBI Director Kash Patel in a post on X explained that Cherfilus-McCormick “stole money from FEMA and then laundered it through friends toward her own personal benefits — including her campaign accounts.”
This individual and her family allegedly stole money from FEMA and then laundered it through friends toward her own personal benefits - including her campaign accounts. Today the FBI and partners at @TheJusticeDept took action.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) November 20, 2025
No one is above the law. https://t.co/ORFrKpTQl6
If she is convicted, she could face up to 53 years in prison. Her brother faces up to 35 years.