Florida Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is facing the biggest crisis of her political career after a federal grand jury indicted her on charges that she stole and laundered $5 million in FEMA funds to secretly support her 2021 congressional campaign.
The Justice Department announced the indictment on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, marking a stunning turn for the second-term lawmaker whose rise was fueled by promises of health care reform and economic equity.
According to the indictment, first reported by ABC News, federal prosecutors allege Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, 51, received a massive overpayment tied to a COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract awarded to their family health care company.
Instead of alerting the government or returning the funds, prosecutors say the congresswoman and her co-defendants routed the money through multiple accounts and used straw donors—including relatives and friends—to disguise the cash as campaign contributions.
Attorney General Pam Bondi didn’t mince words.
“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” she said, adding that “no one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain.”
If convicted on all counts, Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison.
The congresswoman fiercely rejected the allegations, calling the case “an unjust, baseless, sham indictment.” In a statement Thursday morning, Nov. 20, 2025, she said:
“I am innocent. The timing alone is curious and clearly meant to distract from far more pressing national issues.”
She added that she has cooperated fully with investigators and intends to “continue fighting for my constituents” as the case moves forward.
Notably, several officials told ABC News that the federal investigation predates the Biden administration—an important clarification in an era when criminal probes of elected officials often get spun as partisan weapons.
The House Ethics Committee revealed earlier this year that it has its own ongoing review of Cherfilus-McCormick, following a referral from the Office of Congressional Ethics in 2023.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries offered a restrained response Wednesday night, reminding reporters that the Florida congresswoman remains “innocent until proven guilty.”
Still, his office confirmed she will take leave from her position as ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.
Across the aisle, Republicans wasted no time. Florida GOP Rep. Greg Steube, a long-time political rival, declared that he would file a resolution to expel her from Congress, calling the allegations “an automatic disqualifier from serving in elected office.”
“Defrauding the federal government and disaster victims of $5 million is an automatic disqualifier,” Steube posted on X. “She needs to be swiftly removed from the House before she can inflict any more harm.”
He said he will move forward with the expulsion resolution Thursday unless Cherfilus-McCormick resigns first.
The case now heads into a legal and political battle that could reshape Florida’s 20th Congressional District and revive long-standing questions about the oversight of pandemic-era contracts. For constituents, the indictment lands like a betrayal—an accusation that money meant for public health workers and disaster response was instead funneled into glossy mailers and campaign ads.
Washington, however, is already bracing for another bruising fight over ethics, accountability, and the boundaries of political survival.
