Florida Congresswoman Charged With Stealing $5 Million in FEMA Funds

A House Democrat from Florida and three others were charged with stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds and using the money to fund her 2021 congressional campaign, according to an indictment by a federal grand jury in Miami on Nov. 19.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, and her co-defendants allegedly pocketed the funds, laundered the money, and spent “a substantial portion of the misappropriated funds” on the special election that she won to succeed Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, who died from pancreatic cancer, the Department of Justice stated in Wednesday’s announcement.

“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” Attorney General Pamela 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.”

The Epoch Times requested comment from Cherfilus-McCormick’s office in Washington, but did not receive a reply before publication time.

The South Florida congresswoman was the CEO of Trinity Healthcare Services, a family company, in 2021 when the Federal Emergency Management Agency accidentally sent $5 million worth of overpayments to the businesses through a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract.

When Trinity Healthcare Services was asked to return the money, the request was rejected, which prompted the Florida Division of Emergency Management to sue the company.

The Office of Congressional Ethics investigated Cherfilus-McCormick’s campaign activities and how she used her congressional office. It found that Cherfilus-McCormick’s income in 2021 was more than $6 million higher than it was in 2020.

The indictment added that Cherfilus-McCormick, who serves on the Foreign Affairs and Veterans’ Affairs committees, was accused of moving the money to multiple accounts to disguise its origin.

Prosecutors alleged that the lawmaker also sent the FEMA money to friends and family so they could donate to her campaign. Nadege Leblanc, 46, of Miramar, Florida, allegedly helped her arrange these straw-donor contributions, the indictment said.

“Today’s indictment shows no one is above the law,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida.

“Public money belongs to the American people. When FEMA funds are diverted for personal or political gain, it erodes trust and harms us all. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that American taxpayer dollars are used as intended and that the public’s trust is safeguarded.”

Cherfilus-McCormick, the first Haitian American Democrat in Congress, faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted.

Her brother faces up to 35 years in prison, and Leblanc up to 10 years.

The indictment also charged Cherfilus-McCormick’s tax preparer, David K. Spencer, with conspiring to file a false federal tax return.