A House committee report filed on Jan. 21 alleges Florida Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick improperly directed millions in earmarked federal funding to a company tied to her family and, along with her brother, conspired to hide the money by routing it through multiple accounts. She was indicted by a grand jury in November 2025, accused of stealing $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds and using some of the money to finance her congressional campaign.
Florida International University political science professor Dario Moreno said Cherfilus-McCormick used the money to bolster her image with voters.
“She used the fact that she had money, which now we see [she] is accused of getting it fraudulently, to tell voters that the reason she had money was [because] she’s an astute businesswoman,” said Moreno. “So there were two frauds.”
Investigators say the evidence warrants further review by the full House Ethics Committee, which could lead to penalties ranging from fines to censure or expulsion. Cherfilus-McCormick denied wrongdoing, calling the investigation politically motivated and saying she followed House rules.
Elijah Manley, who is challenging Cherfilus-McCormick in the Democratic primary for Florida’s 20th Congressional District, said, “They really have a strong case laid out in the indictment, and it’s really hard to find a way to get out of that situation — 17 counts of various levels of fraud, wire fraud, etc.”
Manley added he was “disappointed by the selfish act” and said the funds “were supposed to go to our community to get us vaccines during a very troubling time.” A defamation lawsuit Cherfilus-McCormick filed against Manley last year was later dismissed by a judge.
The committee report also noted the congresswoman initially turned over some records but later invoked her Fifth Amendment right after being subpoenaed for documents and testimony. A congressional subcommittee is scheduled to hold a hearing on March 5.
