In a significant legal blow to her political career, Florida Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has been formally indicted on 17 federal charges, including conspiracy to commit money laundering, theft of government funds, and making illegal campaign contributions.
The indictment, returned by a Miami grand jury on November 19, 2025, alleges that the 46-year-old Democrat and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, illicitly siphoned $5 million in federal disaster relief funds to finance her 2021 congressional campaign. Attorney General Pam Bondi described the scheme as a “particularly selfish, cynical crime,” noting that the diverted funds were originally intended for COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
The alleged fraud centers on Trinity Healthcare Services, a family-owned firm where Cherfilus-McCormick previously served as CEO. According to federal prosecutors, the company received a $5 million overpayment from a FEMA-funded contract in July 2021.
Rather than returning the funds, the siblings are accused of laundering the money through a complex network of bank accounts and “straw donors”—friends and relatives who reportedly received diverted cash and donated it back to the campaign as personal contributions. Additionally, the congresswoman and her tax preparer, David K. Spencer, are charged with conspiring to file false tax returns by inflating charitable donations and misreporting political spending as business deductions.
The political fallout from the indictment was immediate and severe. While Cherfilus-McCormick has maintained her innocence, calling the charges a “baseless, sham indictment,” she has temporarily stepped down from her leadership position as the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.
Florida Republican Greg Steube introduced a formal resolution to expel her from the House, arguing that defrauding disaster victims is an “automatic disqualifier” for public office. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has urged for the presumption of innocence and due process as the case moves toward trial, where the congresswoman faces a maximum potential sentence of 53 years in prison.
Recent social media scrutiny has added another layer of controversy to the case. In late December 2025, the congresswoman’s office was criticized after a holiday portrait was posted to her official account with a large diamond ring – which prosecutors claim was purchased using stolen federal funds – visibly edited out of the image.
A spokesperson for Cherfilus-McCormick stated that the edit was a “staff-level decision” not authorized by the politician herself. As the House Ethics Committee continues its parallel investigation, the legal proceedings in Miami are expected to become a focal point of the 2026 legislative calendar.
