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Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Indicted Over Alleged $5M FEMA Fund Diversion; Calls Case an Attack on 'Black and Brown People'

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted on federal charges alleging she misappropriated roughly $5 million in FEMA relief funds and used part of that money to support her 2022 campaign. The alleged scheme grew out of a Florida lawsuit over purported overpayments to Trinity Health Care Services, where she served as CEO. Prosecutors say funds were routed through multiple accounts to conceal their origin; the charges carry a combined statutory maximum of 53 years. Cherfilus-McCormick has pleaded not guilty and called the indictment "unjust," saying it targets minorities and is politically motivated.

09:18 AM, 11/22/2025Politics

A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday charges Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) with allegedly diverting about $5 million in FEMA relief funds and using some of the money to help finance her 2022 congressional campaign.

According to prosecutors, the allegations stem from a dispute in Florida in which the state sued Trinity Health Care Services over what it described as overpayments tied to a COVID-19 vaccination contract. Cherfilus-McCormick, who served as Trinity’s CEO, is accused of effectively lending herself the contested funds and moving money “through multiple accounts to disguise its source,” the Department of Justice says.

The indictment lists multiple federal charges that together carry a theoretical maximum sentence of up to 53 years if the defendant is convicted on all counts. The congresswoman has pleaded not guilty and has said she will contest the charges in court.

Cherfilus-McCormick’s response: She called the indictment "unjust," described it as politically motivated, and suggested prosecutors were using the case to intimidate minorities and to distract from media coverage of the Jeffrey Epstein matter. She said she looks forward to clearing her name and continuing to fight for her district’s needs, including affordable housing and fair representation.

The case is ongoing and will proceed through the federal court system. As with any indictment, the allegations are accusations and must be proven in court.

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