Judge Sets $60,000 Bond for Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick in Alleged $5M COVID-19 Relief Scheme

05:19 AM, 11/26/2025

Key points: A federal judge set a $60,000 bond for Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick after she appeared on 15 federal counts alleging the misappropriation of $5 million in COVID-19 relief funds. The indictment claims overpaid funds to a family-owned health company were diverted — including more than $100,000 allegedly spent on a 3-carat yellow diamond ring — and funneled through associates into campaign donations. Cherfilus-McCormick denies the charges, has pledged to fight them, and will retain her congressional passport for official duties.

A federal judge in Miami on Tuesday ordered U.S. Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick to post a $60,000 bond following her first court appearance on a 15-count federal indictment alleging she conspired to misappropriate $5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds in 2021.

Prosecutors say the funds were overpaid to Trinity Healthcare Services, a family-owned company that held a contract to register people for COVID-19 vaccinations, and that the excess payments were diverted for personal and political use.

Cherfilus-McCormick stood with her attorneys as Judge Enjoliqué Lett read the 15 charges aloud. The congresswoman acknowledged that she understood the charges against her.

"Let me be clear: I am innocent and I look forward to my day in court," Cherfilus-McCormick said in a written statement. She added the case was "politically timed and politically motivated" and vowed she would not be "intimidated or silenced."

The judge also ordered Cherfilus-McCormick to surrender her personal passport and restricted her travel: she may travel to and from Florida only via Washington, D.C., Maryland and the Eastern District of Virginia. She will be allowed to retain her congressional passport to perform official duties.

The indictment, unsealed earlier this month, alleges that within two months of Trinity Healthcare receiving the disputed funds in 2021, more than $100,000 was used to purchase a 3-carat yellow diamond ring. Prosecutors say the company received far more than the $50,000 requested by Cherfilus-McCormick's brother, Edwin Cherfilus — claiming Trinity mistakenly received $5 million and did not return the excess.

According to the indictment, some of the disputed funds were distributed to friends and relatives, who in turn made donations to Cherfilus-McCormick's congressional campaign. The charges include theft of government funds, making and receiving straw donor contributions, aiding and assisting the preparation of a false tax return, money laundering, and related conspiracy counts.

Through her attorney David Oscar Markus, Cherfilus-McCormick has denied the allegations. Her chief of staff said she does not plan to resign and has cooperated with "every lawful request" and will continue to do so while the matter is resolved.

Cherfilus-McCormick won a special election in January 2022 to represent Florida's 20th Congressional District, which covers parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, following the 2021 death of Rep. Alcee Hastings.

Reporting by Payne in Tallahassee.