Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick Accused of 'Cynical' Crime

US Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida has been indicted on charges accusing her of stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds and using some of the money to aid her 2021 special election campaign, the Justice Department said Wednesday. The Democrat is accused of stealing Federal Emergency Management Agency overpayments that her family health care company had received through a federally funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract, federal prosecutors said. They allege that a portion of the money was then funneled to support her campaign through candidate contributions, the AP reports.

"Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime," Attorney General Pam 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." Prosecutors said Cherfilus-McCormick and co-conspirators including her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, routed the overpayment "through multiple accounts to disguise its source," WPLG reports. They said a "substantial portion" of the funds went to her 2021 campaign. She won the Democratic primary by five votes. Prosecutors said Cherfilus-McCormick could face up to 53 years in prison if convicted.