Haitian-American Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted Wednesday on federal charges accusing her of stealing US$5 million in disaster relief funds, laundering the money, and funneling a substantial portion of it into her 2021 congressional campaign.
A federal grand jury in Miami returned the indictment against Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, along with her brother Edwin Cherfilus, 51, and several associates. Prosecutors say the case stems from a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract awarded in 2021 to the family health-care company operated by the Cherfilus siblings in Miramar. That July, the company received an overpayment of US$5 million in FEMA funds — money prosecutors allege the group then conspired to steal.
According to the indictment, the defendants moved the funds through multiple accounts to disguise their origin. Investigators say a sizeable share of the misappropriated money ended up as contributions to Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2021 campaign, while the rest benefited the defendants personally.
The indictment also accuses Cherfilus-McCormick and Nadege Leblanc, 46, of Miramar, of orchestrating additional donations using straw donors. Prosecutors allege they funneled other funds from the FEMA-backed COVID-19 contract to friends and relatives, who then made campaign contributions in their own names to conceal the source of the money.
Cherfilus-McCormick and her 2021 tax preparer, David K. Spencer, 41, of Davie, are separately charged with conspiring to file a false federal tax return. Prosecutors say they falsely claimed political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions and inflated charitable contributions in an effort to lower her tax bill.
“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “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.”
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida echoed that message, saying: “Today’s indictment shows no one is above the law. This indictment reflects our Office’s commitment to follow the facts, apply the law, and protect the American taxpayer. Public money belongs to the American people. When FEMA funds are diverted for personal or political gain, it erodes trust and harms us all.”
If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in federal prison. Her brother faces up to 35 years, Leblanc up to 10 years, and Spencer up to 33 years.
Born in Brooklyn to Haitian parents and raised in Queens, Cherfilus-McCormick moved to Florida at age 13 to attend high school. She later emerged as a persistent political contender in Florida’s 20th Congressional District, repeatedly challenging longtime Democratic incumbent Alcee Hastings.
She first ran against Hastings in the 2018 Democratic primary, losing 73.6%–26.4%. She mounted another challenge in 2020, citing ethics concerns and Hastings’ health, but again lost, 69.3%–30.7%.
After Hastings died in April 2021, Cherfilus-McCormick launched a third campaign for the seat. Following a recount, she won the Democratic primary by just five votes over Jamaican-American then-Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness — a political upset that sent her to Congress after an easy victory in the January 2022 special election. She became the only Haitian-American Democrat ever elected to Congress and only the second Haitian-American overall, after Utah Republican Mia Love.
She went on to win the August 2022 Democratic primary decisively, defeating Holness 66%–27%, and secured 72% of the vote in the November general election. Cherfilus-McCormick began her first full term in Congress on Jan. 3, 2023.
FBI Miami and the IRS Criminal Investigation Florida Field Office are leading the ongoing investigation.
