A House Democrat from Florida and three others were charged with stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds and using the money to fund her 2021 congressional campaign, according to an indictment by a federal grand jury in Miami on Nov. 19.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, and her co-defendants allegedly pocketed the funds, laundered the money, and spent “a substantial portion of the misappropriated funds” on the special election that she won to succeed Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, who died from pancreatic cancer, the Department of Justice stated in Wednesday’s announcement.
