Democrat Congresswoman Indicted for Allegedly Stealing $5 Million in FEMA Funds — Faces 50+ Years Behind Bars

A Florida Democratic lawmaker is now staring down the possibility of spending more than half a century in federal prison after being charged with siphoning off millions in disaster-relief dollars and allegedly using that money to bankroll her climb to Congress.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick — who has been under investigation since irregular payments were first exposed — was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Miami. Prosecutors say she and multiple co-defendants fraudulently received $5 million in FEMA overpayments during the COVID-19 emergency, then diverted the money through a complex web of accounts.

The Department of Justice stated that Cherfilus-McCormick — first elected to the seat left vacant after the death of Rep. Alcee Hastings — “conspired to steal that $5 million and routed it through multiple accounts to disguise its source”.

According to the DOJ, the alleged scheme was run through the family’s healthcare company, which received a federal contract to provide COVID-19 vaccine staffing in 2021. The indictment notes: “According to the indictment, Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, and her brother Edwin Cherfilus, 51, both of Miramar, worked through their family health-care company on a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract in 2021. In July 2021, the company received an overpayment of $5 million in FEMA funds.”

Prosecutors further allege that Cherfilus-McCormick and her associates manufactured campaign donations by disguising FEMA dollars as contributions from fake donors: “The indictment further alleges that 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.”

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi condemned the alleged actions in stark terms:
“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime.”
“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.”

While actual sentencing is often lower than the statutory maximum, CNBC reports that the charges could amount to more than 50 years in federal prison if Cherfilus-McCormick is convicted.

Her spokespeople did not respond after the indictment was issued. However, her attorneys released a statement claiming the congresswoman “is a committed public servant, who is dedicated to her constituents. We will fight to clear her good name.”

A Political Rise Funded by Disaster Relief?

The indictment paints a timeline beginning in mid-2021, after the death of Rep. Hastings. Cherfilus-McCormick, who had twice tried to unseat the incumbent, allegedly began using the FEMA overpayment to fuel another run for office — this time successfully. She went on to win the special election for Florida’s 20th Congressional District, and again in the 2022 general election.

But scrutiny soon caught up with her. In December 2023, the Office of Congressional Ethics referred her to the House Committee on Ethics for unreported payments and excessive contributions. By September 2024, another OCE complaint alleged improper financial transactions tied to her official capacity. That same December, the state of Florida filed suit to recover a portion of the overpaid FEMA funds.

Compounding the legal consequences, prosecutors say her 2021 tax preparer — also indicted — “inflated charitable contributions in order to reduce her tax obligations.”

Social media reaction has been swift, including major coverage on X:

From Public Office to Public Scandal

As if the legal ordeal wasn’t enough, Cherfilus-McCormick now faces a challenger from her own left flank. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, progressive activist Elijah Manley entered the primary accusing her of corruption — even charging that she “took $5.7 million from taxpayers.”

Rather than offering a policy rebuttal, Cherfilus-McCormick responded with mockery. The Palm Beach Post reported that she fired back with the remark “your mama.”

That’s unlikely to impress a federal jury. And if convicted, the congresswoman who allegedly stole millions in taxpayer disaster funds to advance her political ambitions may have decades of quiet reading time ahead of her — perhaps better spent with Scripture than playground insults.

The indictment concludes with an echo of biblical justice, and the implications are fitting. As Ezekiel 34:2-4 warns:

“Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? …The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed… With force and harshness you have ruled them.”

Whether Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick understands the message now — or will only confront it behind bars — remains to be seen.