FL Congresswoman Stole $5 Million In FEMA Funds, Department Of Justice Says

MIAMI — Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is charged with stealing $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds, laundering the proceeds and using the money to support her 2021 congressional campaign, authorities announced Wednesday.

Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, 51, both of Miramar, worked through their family healthcare company on a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract in 2021, authorities said. The company received an overpayment of $5 million in FEMA funds in July 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The defendants conspired to steal that $5 million and routed it through multiple accounts, authorities said, adding that a substantial portion was used as candidate contributions to Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2021 campaign and for the personal benefit of the defendants.

Cherfilus-McCormick and Nadege Leblanc, 46, of Miramar, arranged additional contributions using straw donors, funneling other monies from the FEMA-funded COVID-19 contract to friends and relatives who then donated to the campaign as if using their own money, according to the department.

Cherfilus-McCormick and her 2021 tax preparer, David K. Spencer, 41, of Davie, are charged with conspiring to file a false federal tax return, authorities said, adding the two falsely claimed political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions and inflated charitable contributions to reduce tax obligations.

“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a news release. “No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain."

Cherfilus-McCormick did not immediately return a message from the Associated Press left at her Washington office.

Cherfilus-McCormick was first elected to Congress in 2022 in the 20th District, representing parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, in a special election after Rep. Alcee Hastings died in 2021.

In December 2024, a Florida state agency sued a company owned by Cherfilus-McCormick’s family, saying it overcharged the state by nearly $5.8 million for work done during the pandemic and wouldn’t give the money back.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management said it made a series of overpayments to Trinity Healthcare Services after hiring it in 2021 to register people for COVID-19 vaccinations. The agency says it discovered the problem after a single $5 million overpayment drew attention.

Cherfilus-McCormick was the CEO of Trinity at the time.

The Office of Congressional Ethics said in a January report that Cherfilus-McCormick’s income in 2021 was more than $6 million higher than in 2020, driven by nearly $5.75 million in consulting and profit-sharing fees received from Trinity Healthcare Services.

In July, the House Ethics Committee unanimously voted to reauthorize an investigative subcommittee to examine allegations involving Cherfilus-McCormick.

If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison, according to the department. Edwin Cherfilus faces up to 35 years, Leblanc up to 10 years and Spencer up to 33 years, authorities said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.