Ethics panel finds most violations proven against Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Democrat accused of stealing FEMA funds

Washington — The House Ethics Committee said Friday it had concluded that most of the allegations against Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick “have been proven” but said it would wait to recommend possible disciplinary action until after Congress’s next recess in April.

The Florida Democrat is accused of stealing $5 million in federal pandemic relief funds and using some of the money to boost his congressional campaign. She was indicted in November on federal charges and pleaded not guilty.

The panel’s announcement came a day after a rare public audience in the charges against Cherfilus-McCormick to determine whether any of the alleged violations “had been proven by clear and convincing evidence.” The hearing was held by an adjudication subcommittee composed of eight Republican and Democratic members of the House of Representatives, which then determined that all but two of the defendants, 27 the alleged violations had been proven.

House Republicans are pushing to expel Cherfilus-McCormick from Congress over the allegations, and the ethics committee’s findings could bolster that effort. When the full committee reconvenes for a hearing after the April recess to discuss possible sanctions against the Florida Democrat, it could recommend expulsion as a penalty. Such a move could lead Democrats to support his removal from the House.

Already, at least one Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, has indicated that Cherfilus-McCormick should no longer serve in Congress.

“You cannot gain legitimate power through crime. Since she has been found guilty, she should resign or be removed from office,” she wrote on social media.

Republican Rep. Greg Steube of Florida, who led the campaign to oust Cherfilus-McCormick, said in an article on X Thursday that he was ready to move forward with his effort to expel the Democratic congresswoman.

If the House votes to remove Cherfilus-McCormick from Congress, she would be only the seventh House member to be expelled. The lower house voted in 2023 to oust Republican George Santos from Congress after House Ethics Committee report found that there was “substantial evidence” he broke the law and engaged in a “complex web” of illegal activities involving his finances. Santos has been indicted on nearly two dozen federal charges related to allegations of fraud and illegal use of campaign funds. He pleaded guilty wire fraud and identity theft in 2024, but President Trump commuted his sentence last October.

In the Cherfilus-McCormick case, ethics committee investigators adopted a 59-page statement of alleged violations in December that outlined an alleged campaign finance scheme. The investigative subcommittee said in its report that it determined there was “substantial reason to believe” that the congresswoman had committed wrongdoing.

The report sheds new light on Cherfilus-McCormick’s efforts to strengthen her congressional campaign after two unsuccessful bids in 2018 and 2020. She was elected to represent Florida’s 20th congressional district in a special election in 2022, replacing the late Rep. Alcee Hastings, a Democrat, after his death in 2021.

During Thursday’s hearing, Cherfilus-McCormick’s attorney unsuccessfully attempted to delay any committee action until after her criminal trial and warned that continuing with the proceedings would jeopardize the congresswoman’s right to a fair trial.

Federal prosecutors accused Cherfilus-McCormick and several co-conspirators of stealing disaster funds, laundering the proceeds, and then using the money to support her 2021 congressional campaign. The charges relate to more than $5 million in overpayments to Trinity Healthcare Services from the Florida Division of Emergency Management, according to the indictment. Trinity Healthcare was co-founded by the congresswoman’s mother and stepfather and had received a state contract to help register the COVID-19 vaccine.

Prosecutors said that instead of returning the overpaid money, Cherfilus-McCormick and his brother transferred the funds to several other bank accounts to “conceal their source,” and transferred more than $1 million to accounts linked to Cherfilus-McCormick’s congressional campaign.

The Justice Department also said the congresswoman purchased a 3.14-carat yellow diamond ring and falsely inflated her business expenses and charitable contributions to reduce her tax liability.

The Florida Democrat has denied any wrongdoing and said the indictment is a “sham.”

In its own investigation into Cherfilus-McCormick’s alleged wrongdoing, the ethics committee said it found “substantial evidence of conduct consistent with the allegations in the indictment, as well as more significant misconduct.” In addition to identifying millions of dollars in overpaid funds, House investigators also highlighted an alleged pattern of inaccurate and incomplete campaign finance reporting across multiple election cycles, including falsely reported improper contributions like personal loans, acceptance of improper contributions and inflated cash flow figures.

Lawmakers said in their report that the timing of transactions in her campaign matched transfers from Cherfilus-McCormick’s health care company and accused the congresswoman of using the overpayments to buy luxury items, including jewelry from Tiffany & Co., a Tesla and designer clothes.

While the Florida Democrat initially cooperated with the panel’s investigation, she ultimately invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Her attorney said Cherfilus-McCormick disputes the allegations and the report.