Lawmakers on Thursday will hold a rare public hearing to determine whether a House Democrat violated House rules for allegedly using federal emergency relief funds intended for her family’s health care company for her congressional campaign.
Members of the House Ethics Committee will vote on whether Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., broke campaign finance rules during the Covid-19 pandemic. If they find she violated the rules, the full committee may vote on how to discipline her, including possible censure or expulsion.
Cherfilus-McCormick, who was first elected to the House in 2022 in a special election, faces separate criminal charges related to the accusations. She was indicted by a grand jury in November on “charges of stealing federal disaster funds, laundering the proceeds, and using the money to support her 2021 congressional campaign,” the Justice Department said in a press release.
The Justice Department alleges that the Florida lawmaker and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, used a $5 million overpayment from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for their family health care company’s Covid vaccination staffing contract in order to fund her 2021 congressional campaign and for their personal benefit.
Cherfilus-McCormick and her associates allegedly “conspired to steal that $5 million and routed it through multiple accounts to disguise its source,” the Justice Department said.
She has denied any wrongdoing and called the indictment an “unjust, baseless sham.” If convicted, she faces up to 53 years in prison. As part of the indictment, Cherfilus-McCormick and her tax accountant, David K. Spencer, are also accused of filing a false federal tax return that claimed political and personal expenses as business deductions and inflated charitable contributions for tax deductions. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian. Recommended
Spencer did not immediately respond to MS NOW’s request for comment.
