A Congresswoman Allegedly Stole $5 Million in Disaster Relief Money. Now She Has to Answer for It Publicly.
After months of delays, a sitting member of Congress accused of stealing $5 million in FEMA disaster relief funds, laundering the money, and using it to fund her own campaign will face a rare public trial before the House Ethics Committee on March 26. Next week, she has to sit down in front of a public hearing and explain herself. She tried very hard to make sure that did not happen.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) spent months trying to delay her House Ethics Committee trial, asking the panel to pause while her federal criminal case plays out in court. Then a scheduled hearing got postponed after she said she lost her legal representation. Then she came back requesting another delay.
But despite the request, the committee announced Wednesday that it is forging forward next week. The hearing is March 26, it's open to the public, and her request to hold it behind closed doors was also shot down.
The allegations go back to 2021, when a FEMA-funded COVID vaccination contract tied to her family's healthcare company allegedly resulted in a $5 million overpayment. Prosecutors allege that she and her brother decided to keep it, laundering the money through multiple accounts before funneling a big portion into her congressional campaign 😬 Investigators have cited a text message where she sent her brother a screenshot of the account sitting at exactly $5 million.
On top of that, she allegedly ran a straw donor scheme sending money to friends and relatives who then donated it back to her campaign. The congresswoman is also charged with filing a false tax return, claiming personal and political expenses as business deductions to shrink her tax bill.
She faces a 15-count federal indictment and up to 53 years in prison if convicted. She has called the investigation a "sham" and says she is innocent.
The Ethics Committee has been sitting on this case since 2023 and was not moved by the latest delay request. "Further delay of the matter would not serve the interests of justice," the panel said. The public hearing is set for March 26 at 2 p.m. We will be watching.
