MIAMI (AP) \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsing disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,\u201d Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. \u201cNo 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
A phone message left at Cherfilus-McCormick\u2019s Washington office was not immediately returned.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
In December 2024, a Florida state agency sued<\/a> a company owned by Cherfilus-McCormick\u2019s family, saying it overcharged the state by nearly $5.8 million for work done during the pandemic and wouldn\u2019t give the money back.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Cherfilus-McCormick was the CEO of Trinity at the time.<\/p>\n The Office of Congressional Ethics said in a January report<\/a> that Cherfilus-McCormick\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n