Last Christmas, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick posted a holiday greeting on X. Internet users noticed something missing. The yellow diamond ring visible in her official congressional portrait — the one federal prosecutors allege she purchased for $109,000 with misappropriated FEMA funds — had vanished from the image.
Her chief of staff said the edit was “a staff-level decision made by well-intentioned individuals seeking to protect the Member’s reputation.”
The ring was gone from the photo. The federal indictment was not.
Five Votes, Five Million Dollars
On Friday, a bipartisan House Ethics subcommittee found Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of 25 of 27 ethics charges alleging she misused millions in federal disaster relief money and funneled it into her congressional campaign. The panel deliberated overnight after a nearly seven-hour televised hearing — the first public ethics trial in the House since 2010.
The allegations trace back to 2021. Cherfilus-McCormick’s family healthcare company, Trinity Health Care Services, received a $5 million overpayment from Florida through a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination contract. Federal prosecutors allege she and her brother never returned the money, routing it through multiple accounts and into her campaign.
That campaign made history. Cherfilus-McCormick won the 2022 Democratic primary for Florida’s 20th Congressional District by exactly five votes. She presented herself as a self-funded candidate. According to the Ethics Committee’s 242-page report, the campaign was substantially funded through the FEMA overpayment.
Among the purchases prosecutors allege were made with the funds: a 3.14-carat “Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond” ring bought through a cashier’s check from a New York City jeweler — roughly two months after the overpayment arrived. The Miami New Times reported that the rings in her congressional portrait matched descriptions of a Tiffany & Co. Soleste engagement ring (up to $94,000) and a Victoria band ($24,500).
An Ethics Committee investigator told the panel that Cherfilus-McCormick previously earned $86,000 a year, and that suddenly “there is an overflow of money and it all goes to her for reasons that are not dictated.”
She has pleaded not guilty to all federal charges and faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted. Her criminal trial is expected this summer.
The Santos Question
In December 2023, the House voted 311-114 to expel Rep. George Santos of New York. All but two House Democrats supported it. Santos had not yet been convicted of any crime. He later pleaded guilty to wire fraud, was sentenced to over seven years in prison, and had that sentence commuted by President Trump.
Photo credit: United States House of Representatives, via Wikimedia Commons
Now Democrats have a member accused of something different in scale — not fabricated résumé credentials, but the alleged theft of $5 million in disaster relief funds — and leadership sounds different.
Asked on Tuesday whether Democrats would oppose expelling Cherfilus-McCormick, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters: “Next question.” In February, he had called himself a “hard no” on expulsion. After the Friday finding, he said he would wait for the committee to finish its process.
Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar’s response: “It doesn’t sound good.” Members of the Congressional Black Caucus attended Thursday’s hearing in what was described as a show of support.
Her own colleagues have noticed. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas: “What’s the difference between that and George Santos?” Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington: “You can’t crime your way into legitimate power. Since she was found guilty, she should resign or be removed.”
As of Friday, more than half a dozen House Democrats had publicly called for her resignation. Jeffries was not among them.
April Recess, Then a Vote
The Ethics Committee will reconvene after the House’s April recess to recommend a punishment, which could include expulsion. Removing a member requires a two-thirds vote. Rep. Greg Steube, a fellow Florida Republican, has said he will force a floor vote once the panel finishes.
Cherfilus-McCormick is running for a fourth term. Her primary challenger, 26-year-old activist Elijah Manley, has outraised her — and was seated directly behind her during Thursday’s hearing.
In her statement Friday, Cherfilus-McCormick said: “I look forward to proving my innocence.”
She did not address the 25 findings against her. She did not address the diamond ring. She did not mention George Santos.