A United States Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida has been indicted for allegedly stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds and using part of it to support her 2021 campaign, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.
According to AP News, Federal prosecutors claim the Democrat misused overpayments her family-owned health care company, Trinity Healthcare Services, received under a federally funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract. Some of the funds were reportedly directed into campaign contributions.
Attorney General Pam Bondi condemned the act, saying, “Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime. 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.”
Attempts to reach Cherfilus-McCormick’s Washington office were not immediately returned.
Cherfilus-McCormick was first elected to Congress in 2022 to represent Florida’s 20th District, covering parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, following the death of Rep. Alcee Hastings in 2021.
In December 2024, a Florida state agency sued Trinity Healthcare Services, alleging it overcharged the state by nearly $5.8 million during the pandemic and failed to return the excess payments. The Florida Division of Emergency Management said it discovered the overpayment after a single $5 million transaction raised concerns.
At the time, Cherfilus-McCormick was CEO of Trinity. A January report from the Office of Congressional Ethics indicated her 2021 income was over $6 million higher than in 2020, largely from consulting and profit-sharing fees from Trinity.
In July, the House Ethics Committee unanimously approved reauthorizing an investigative subcommittee to examine the allegations against Cherfilus-McCormick.
