A federal grand jury in Miami on Wednesday indicted Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and several co-defendants on charges that they stole about $5 million in FEMA disaster-relief funds and funneled the money into her 2021 congressional campaign, the Justice Department announced.
According to the indictment, Cherfilus-McCormick — who represents Florida’s 20th District in Broward and Palm Beach counties — and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, diverted an overpayment tied to a COVID-19 vaccination-staffing contract awarded to their family’s home-health-care company, Newsweek reported.
Prosecutors allege the money was moved through multiple accounts to conceal its source, with a significant share ultimately directed from the FEMA-funded contract into political contributions.
The indictment also accuses the congresswoman of conspiring with her tax preparer to file a false federal tax return.
The ongoing ethics and criminal investigations continue to overshadow the congresswoman’s already troubled reputation, even prior to this indictment.
If found guilty, she could face a prison sentence of up to 53 years, while her brother could receive up to 35 years, prosecutors said.
The indictment comes as Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, is already under increased scrutiny for her family company’s pandemic-era finances.In late 2024, Florida’s Division of Emergency Management filed suit against Trinity Healthcare Services — the firm she led before entering Congress — alleging the company overcharged the state by nearly $5.8 million for COVID-19 vaccine registration services and refused to repay the funds.
State officials said the dispute surfaced after a single $5 million overpayment triggered alarms, raising broader questions about Trinity’s handling of major public contracts during the pandemic, Newsweek reported.
The allegations in Florida have sparked an ethics investigation into the congresswoman’s significant increase in personal income. According to the Office of Congressional Ethics, Cherfilus-McCormick’s earnings in 2021 surpassed her income from the previous year by over $6 million.
The increase was largely attributed to nearly $5.75 million in consulting and profit-sharing fees from Trinity, the outlet reported.
In July, the House Ethics Committee unanimously voted to extend its investigation into whether she improperly benefited
from the company’s government contracts, placing her under rare bipartisan scrutiny even before the federal indictment issued on Wednesday.
According to the indictment, the family company received a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract in 2021 and in July of that year received an overpayment of about $5 million.
Prosecutors say the defendants conspired to divert those funds and subsequently created straw-donor schemes: The indictment contends that Cherfilus-McCormick and co-defendant Nadege Leblanc arranged for friends and relatives to “donate” money to the campaign that actually came from the illicit FEMA funds.
The document also charges her and preparer David K. Spencer with conspiring to file a false tax return by mislabeling campaign expenditures and personal expenses as business deductions and inflating charitable contributions to reduce tax liabilities, Newsweek noted.
Born in Brooklyn, Cherfilus-McCormick holds a B.A. from Howard University and a J.D. from St. Thomas University School of Law. Before her 2022 special-election victory, she served as CEO of Trinity Health Care Services, the Miramar-based company now at the center of the contract dispute.
She won the seat following the death of longtime Rep. Alcee Hastings, becoming the only Haitian-American Democrat currently serving in Congress.
“Using 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,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
Elijah Manley, who is running against Cherfilus-McCormick in the Democratic primary for her House seat, noted on the X platform, “Today’s indictment of my opponent, Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, is a sad moment for the people of Florida’s 20th Congressional District. I am disappointed that the Congresswoman for abusing the power she was given and instead used it to enrich herself and her family. The people of FL-20 are ready to move past this era of fraud, corruption, and distractions.”
The Department of Justice has been handed a bombshell referral implicating Democrat Eric Swalwell in what could be one of the most significant mortgage fraud cases involving a sitting member of Congress in decades.
The referral came directly from Trump-appointed Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, sending shockwaves through Washington’s left-wing establishment.
According to The Washington Post, this marks the fourth referral of a Democrat to the DOJ under Pulte’s leadership.
Swalwell, a California congressman infamous for his ties to a Chinese spy and anti-Trump hysteria, is now facing serious legal scrutiny over the finances behind his Washington, D.C. real estate holdings.
Public records reveal Swalwell purchased a home in March 2020 using two mortgages totaling over $1 million. He refinanced into a single loan and opened a home-equity line of credit worth $200,000 just last year.
These numbers are not disputed. What is disputed is how Swalwell managed to qualify for such terms and whether fraudulent information was submitted during the process.
Pulte was blunt in his reasoning for the referral. “The average American faces steep penalties for manipulating mortgage applications.
Why should Eric Swalwell be above the law?” he said during a recent press briefing. This sentiment has echoed loudly across conservative America.
Critics have noted Swalwell’s reported $174,000 congressional salary cannot reasonably support the aggressive refinancing and home equity borrowing he undertook.
One financial analyst commented anonymously, “That math doesn’t add up unless you’re inflating assets or omitting liabilities.”
Swalwell’s response was predictable and deflective. “This is really about Donald Trump going after his political enemies,” he told reporters, ignoring the actual substance of the allegations and trying instead to recast himself as a political martyr.
But that narrative is falling flat. The numbers tell a different story. And for a man who infamously peddled the discredited Russian collusion hoax, few are giving Swalwell the benefit of the doubt.
In fact, FHFA’s referral includes internal documentation suggesting possible misrepresentations on loan applications. “If true,” said legal expert Hans von Spakovsky, “this is textbook mortgage fraud—charges have been brought for much less.”
Swalwell’s role on the House Intelligence Committee during previous congressional terms raises additional concerns. “If a sitting member of the Intel Committee is found guilty of fraud, that’s not just a financial crime—it’s a national security issue,” said retired FBI agent Chris Swecker.
Already, GOP lawmakers are calling for Swalwell’s removal from all committee assignments pending investigation. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stated plainly: “He shouldn’t be on any committee until we know what he’s hiding behind those loan papers.”
The left-leaning press, meanwhile, has remained mostly silent. CNN, MSNBC, and The New York Times have failed to provide meaningful coverage of the allegations, exposing their blatant bias and protecting one of their own.
Pulte’s crackdown on financial fraud has sent tremors through the progressive elite. His office has also referred cases involving New York’s Letitia James and California’s Adam Schiff—two other high-profile Trump antagonists.
The DOJ now faces a moment of truth. If it moves forward with charges, it will demonstrate a long-overdue commitment to equal justice. If it stalls, it will prove what millions already suspect—that there’s a two-tiered justice system in America.
Americans struggling to afford homes in Biden’s broken economy are watching closely. “We play by the rules and get nothing. These people cheat and get rich,” said one frustrated voter in Ohio. “It’s time someone went to jail for it.”
Trump’s America First policy aims to restore the rule of law not just at the border, but in the boardroom and the halls of power. That includes cleaning up corruption wherever it festers.