A Florida congresswoman is facing serious trouble after being charged with stealing $5m in federal disaster relief funds.
The money was meant to help people, not politicians.
Prosecutors say Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat elected in 2022, siphoned off the cash.
They say she funneled a chunk of it into her 2021 congressional campaign. Pretty shocking, right?
According to the indictment, the alleged scheme ran through Trinity Healthcare Services, the family-run company she led with her brother, Edwin.
The firm had a Fema contract to register people for Covid vaccines but allegedly received a $5m overpayment in 2021.
Instead of reporting it, investigators say the siblings shuffled the money through multiple accounts to hide its origin.
Campaign Fund Fraud
They diverted a portion to friends and relatives who then “donated” it back to her campaign.
Attorney General Pam Bondi didn’t mince words, calling it a “selfish, cynical crime” and vowing to deliver justice.
If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison.
The congresswoman insists the charges are “baseless” and says she’s confident she’ll be cleared.
Her legal team echoed that, promising to “fight to clear her good name.”
Meanwhile, the House Ethics Committee is running its own investigation, and one Florida Republican is already pushing for her expulsion.
His reasoning? “Defrauding disaster victims is an automatic disqualifier.”
Politics is messy—but $5m messy is a whole different level.
