A federal grand jury in Miami has indicted Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) and several co-defendants on charges that they stole $5 million in federal disaster funds, laundered the proceeds and used the money to bolster her 2021 congressional campaign, according to the Department of Justice.
Prosecutors say Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, 51, both of Miramar, used their family health-care company on a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract in 2021. In July 2021, the corporation reportedly received a $5 million overcharge from FEMA. The indictment claims the defendants worked together to embezzle the funds, using a complex web of accounts to hide where the money came from. A significant portion of the stolen money ended up as contributions to her 2021 campaign, and the rest was used for their own gain.
The indictment also claims that Cherfilus-McCormick and Nadege Leblanc, a 46-year-old from Miramar, orchestrated extra donations through straw donors. Funds from contracts were channeled to friends and family. These individuals then donated to the campaign, making the money appear as if it originated from them. Cherfilus-McCormick and her 2021 tax preparer, David K. Spencer, 41, of Davie, are also accused of conspiring to file a false federal tax return by treating political spending and personal expenses as business deductions and inflating charitable contributions.
“Using disaster relief funds for personal gain is a particularly selfish and cynical crime,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated, emphasizing that “no one is above the law.” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quinones emphasized that public funds are the property of the American people, and he pledged to keep a close eye on how FEMA spends its money.
FBI Miami and IRS-CI’s Florida Field Office are investigating. If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison; her co-defendants face maximum sentences ranging from 10 to 35 years. An indictment is an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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