Haitian-American U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) pleaded not guilty on Monday to federal charges alleging she conspired to steal $5 million in federal disaster funds during the COVID-19 pandemic and diverted some of the money into her congressional campaign.
Cherfilus-McCormick’s attorney, William Barzee, informed the court of her plea through a docket filing and said the Florida congresswoman would waive her appearance at an arraignment scheduled for Tuesday. She faces 15 federal counts accusing her of retaining Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds that were allegedly overpaid to her family’s healthcare company, Trinity Healthcare Services, where she previously served as CEO.
Prosecutors allege that Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, received the funds in July 2021 while Trinity Healthcare Services was working on a FEMA-funded staffing contract related to COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Rather than returning the overpayment, the siblings are accused of routing the money through multiple accounts to disguise its source and retain the funds.
According to the indictment, within two months of receiving the FEMA funds, more than $100,000 was used to purchase a 3-carat yellow diamond ring for the congresswoman.
The ring resurfaced in public discussion late last year after it appeared to have been edited out of a Christmas post shared on Cherfilus-McCormick’s X account, which featured her official congressional portrait.
When the charges were initially announced, Cherfilus-McCormick described them as an “unjust, baseless sham indictment.” She was released on a $60,000 bond after surrendering her passport.
If convicted, the congresswoman could face more than 50 years in prison, though first-time offenders are rarely sentenced to the maximum. Her brother could face up to 35 years in prison.
In addition to the criminal case, Cherfilus-McCormick is facing scrutiny from the Office of Congressional Ethics. The House Ethics Committee released a report last week stating that it found “substantial reason to believe” she violated multiple laws, regulations and standards of conduct.
According to the report, the committee’s investigative subcommittee is bringing charges related to campaign finance laws and regulations, criminal laws implicated by campaign finance misconduct, the Ethics in Government Act, the Code of Ethics for Government Service, and certain House rules.
“The ISC’s investigation has revealed substantial evidence of conduct consistent with the allegations in the indictment, as well as more extensive misconduct as laid out in the following Statement of Facts in Support of Alleged Violations related to violations of federal laws and regulations, as well as ethical standards,” the investigative subcommittee stated.
Attorney Michael Stroud, representing Cherfilus-McCormick in the ethics matter, asked the panel to pause its proceedings while the criminal case is ongoing and to dismiss the investigation, which began in June.
An adjudicatory subcommittee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the matter on March 5.
 pleaded not guilty on Monday to federal fraud charges.){kind=link}