MIAMI, Fla. (WFLA) — A South Florida congresswoman has been accused of stealing millions in federal disaster funds and then using that money to support her 2021 campaign.
A federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment Wednesday charging Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick in connection with the allegations, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
Authorities believe two other people were also involved, including the congresswoman’s brother, Edwin Cherfilus.
According to the indictment, in 2021, the congresswoman and her brother worked through their family healthcare company on a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract.
That summer, the company received an overpayment of $5 million in FEMA funds, officials said.
Investigators believe Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother conspired to steal those funds and use them for their own personal benefit, with a substantial portion of the money supposedly going toward her 2021 congressional campaign.
Authorities said Cherfilus-McCormick worked with a man named Nadege Leblanc to create a network of straw donors.
Together, they funneled money from the FEMA-funded contract to friends and relatives, who then donated to Cherfilus-McCormick’s campaign as if using their own funds, according to detectives.
“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “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.”
Cherfilus-McCormick is also believed to have committed tax fraud, officials said.
According to the indictment, the congresswoman and her 2021 tax preparer David Spencer filed a false federal tax return, in which they claimed political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions. They also inflated charitable contributions in order to reduce the congresswoman’s tax obligations, authorities said.
Cherfilus-McCormick could face up to 53 years in prison if convicted. Her brother faces up to 35 years; tax preparer up to 33 years; and Leblanc up to 10 years.
“When FEMA funds are diverted for personal or political gain, it erodes trust and harms us all,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that American taxpayer dollars are used as intended and that the public’s trust is safeguarded.”