Florida Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has been charged in a federal indictment with stealing federal disaster relief funds and using the money to support her campaign for Congress.
The Department of Justice said Wednesday that the lawmaker and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, conspired to launder $5 million from a contract awarded to a family company by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Prosecutors allege that a “substantial portion” of the money was used to support Cherfilus-McCormick’s campaign for Congress in 2021.
Cherfilus-McCormick, who was charged in an indictment brought by a grand jury in Miami, is accused of using straw donors to funnel funds from FEMA to friends, who then contributed to her campaign. She’s also charged with conspiring to file a false federal tax return.
“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” Attorney General Pam 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.”
