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Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick

Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and several co-defendants were hit with a federal indictment Wednesday charging them with stealing federal disaster funds, laundering the proceeds, and using the money to support her 2021 congressional campaign, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

According to the indictment, Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, and her brother Edwin Cherfilus, 51, both of Miramar, worked through their family health-care company on a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract in 2021. In July 2021, the company received an overpayment of $5 million in FEMA funds, prosecutors said.

Cherfilus-McCormick, a lawyer elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022, won reelection in November 2024. Her district includes Tamarac and parts of Broward and Palm Beach County. She has previously denied any wrongdoing in connection with allegations of wrongdoing related to campaign financing.

The indictment alleges the congresswoman and her co-defendants conspired to steal that $5 million and routed it through multiple accounts to disguise its source. Prosecutors said a “substantial portion” of the misappropriated money was used to make candidate contributions to Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2021 congressional campaign and for the personal benefit of the defendants.

The indictment also accused Cherfilus-McCormick and Nadege Leblanc, 46, of Miramar, of arranging additional campaign contributions using straw donors. They allegedly funneled money from the FEMA-funded Covid-19 vaccination staffing contract to friends and relatives who then donated to the campaign as if using their own money.

The indictment also charges Cherfilus-McCormick and her 2021 tax preparer David K. Spencer, 41, of Davie, with conspiring to file a false federal tax return. According to the indictment, they falsely claimed political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions and inflated charitable contributions in order to reduce her tax obligations.

The House Committee on Ethics is also investigating allegations against the congresswoman involving potential campaign finance violations, improper use of office, and potential ethics violations related to community project funding requests.

In an Instagram post Thursday morning, Cherfilus-McCormick said she is innocent.

“This is an unjust, baseless, sham indictment — and I am innocent,” the congresswoman wrote. “The timing alone is curious and clearly meant to distract from far more pressing national issues. From day one, I have fully cooperated with every lawful request, and I will continue to do so until this matter is resolved. I am deeply grateful for the support of my district, and I remain confident that the truth will prevail. I look forward to my day in court. Until then, I will continue fighting for my constituents.”

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi also commented in the indictment Wednesday, saying that the use of disaster relief funds “for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime… 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.”

If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison, prosecutors said. Edwin Cherfilus faces up to 35 years, Leblanc up to 10 years, and Spencer up to 33 years.

The FBI’s Miami Field Office and IRS Criminal Investigation Florida Field Office are investigating the case.

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Author Profile

Kevin Deutsch

Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning journalist and author of two nonfiction books. He covers general assignment news and Jewish community issues for Talk Media. He has also worked as a staff writer at The Miami Times, the Rio Grande SUN, the New York Daily News, Newsday, The Miami Herald, The Palm Beach Post, The Riverdale Press, and Bronx Justice News.