Florida Congresswoman Accused of Stealing $5 Million in COVID Funds Maintains Innocence

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick alleged that her federal charges are an intimidation tactic used against minorities in Congress.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), condemns hate speech and misinformation about Haitian immigrants, at the Capitol in Washington on Sept. 20, 2024. J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo

A South Florida congresswoman accused of conspiring to steal $5 million in COVID-19 disaster funds to pay for her campaign, maintained her innocence on Monday in a speech outside a Miami courthouse.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) and several co-defendants were charged in November with taking the money, laundering the proceeds, and using the funds to support her 2021 congressional campaign.

“I just want to make it very clear that I am innocent,” Cherfilus-McCormick said immediately after leaving court.

“In no way did I steal any kind of funds. I’m committed to the people of Florida and my district.”

Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, was scheduled to be arraigned Monday, but her attorney asked Judge Lisette Reid for an extension to allow her to finalize her legal team. Prosecutors did not object, and the judge granted the request.

The congresswoman, who represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, and her brother Edwin Cherfilus, 51, both of Miramar, worked through their family healthcare company Trinity Healthcare Services on a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract in 2021.

In July 2021, the company received an overpayment of $5 million in FEMA funds, according to federal prosecutors.

According to the indictment, the defendants allegedly conspired to steal the funding and routed it through multiple accounts to disguise its origins.

Prosecutors alleged that a substantial portion of the money was marked as candidate contributions to Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2021 congressional campaign and used for the personal benefit of the defendants.

Prosecutors also allege the congresswoman and Nadege Leblanc, 46, also of Miramar, arranged for more contributions using straw donors to hide the source of COVID funds by funneling them to friends and relatives who then donated the funds to the campaign, making it look as if they donated their own money.

The indictment also charged Cherfilus-McCormick and her tax preparer David Spencer, 41, of Davie, with conspiring to file a false federal tax return for her 2021 taxes.

“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi in a statement in November. “No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain.”

Cherfilus-McCormick called the indictment “unjust” and alleged that it is an intimidation tactic against black and brown lawmakers.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) speaks at a news conference in Washington, on Sept. 20, 2024. J. Scott Applewhite/ AP Photo

“It seems like these intimidation tactics have been pervasive,” the congresswoman told reporters on Nov. 20 outside of her Washington office. “I look forward to my day in court so I can prove myself and actually state the truth. But if this is what Congress is becoming, where they are always trying to intimidate you with scare tactics, especially attacking minorities—black and brown people—then we’re going to keep fighting for the district.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced that the representative intended to keep her seat in Congress but was stepping down from her position as ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.

Cherfilus-McCormick was first elected to Congress in 2022 in the 20th District of Florida in a special election after Alcee Hastings died in 2021.

The latest charges are not the first time the congresswoman has faced legal issues over the COVID emergency funds.

In December 2024, a Florida state agency sued Trinity Healthcare Services, accusing it of overcharging the state by nearly $5.8 million for work done during the pandemic.

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 said it discovered the problem after a single $5 million overpayment drew attention.

Cherfilus-McCormick was the CEO of Trinity at the time of the alleged overpayment. She stepped down to run for Congress. The state claimed Trinity Healthcare did not repay the state for the overpayment.