A federal grand jury in Miami has indicted Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick on charges that she stole a $5 million FEMA overpayment and routed part of the money to her 2021 congressional bid, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors announced that Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was charged by a Miami grand jury with theft of government funds, money laundering, making and receiving illegal campaign contributions, and related conspiracy counts. The indictment alleges she and several co-defendants diverted disaster-relief money and disguised its origin before channeling a portion to her 2021 campaign.
According to the Justice Department, an overpayment of roughly $5 million was sent in July 2021 to a family health-care company working on a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract. Prosecutors say the money was moved through multiple accounts to conceal its source, with a substantial portion used as candidate contributions and for personal benefit. (DOJ press releases.)
The co-defendants named in the indictment are Edwin Cherfilus, 51, the congresswoman’s brother; Nadege Leblanc, 46, of Miramar; and David K. Spencer, 41, of Davie. Prosecutors allege Cherfilus-McCormick and Leblanc arranged additional contributions using straw donors, and that Cherfilus-McCormick and Spencer conspired to file a false federal tax return by claiming campaign and personal expenses as business deductions and inflating charitable contributions. (DOJ; AP; CBS.) Public payroll records identify Leblanc as the congresswoman’s district chief of staff. (LegiStorm.)
“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain.” FBI Director Kash Patel said the defendants “allegedly stole money from FEMA and then laundered it through friends toward [the congresswoman’s] campaign accounts,” adding, “No one is above the law.” (DOJ; multiple outlets referencing Patel’s statement.)
Cherfilus-McCormick’s attorneys said she “is a committed public servant” and vowed to “fight to clear her good name.” She has maintained her innocence and said she has cooperated with “every lawful request.” (AP; NBC; CBS.)
If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison; Edwin Cherfilus up to 35 years; Leblanc up to 10 years; and Spencer up to 33 years, according to the Justice Department. An indictment is an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. (DOJ.)
The case has prompted swift political fallout. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) initially said he would seek to censure Cherfilus-McCormick and remove her from committee assignments; he subsequently moved to force a vote to expel her and filed an expulsion resolution on Nov. 20. House Democratic leaders said she would step down as ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa during the legal process. She continues to serve on the Foreign Affairs and Veterans’ Affairs committees. (Reuters; House Democratic leadership statement; House Clerk and HFAC records.)
The indictment follows separate scrutiny over a state lawsuit alleging pandemic overpayments. Florida’s Division of Emergency Management sued Trinity Health Care Services in late 2024, seeking repayment of about $5.8 million in overpayments tied to the same vaccination staffing effort. News accounts and state filings identify Trinity, which Cherfilus-McCormick once led, as the company that received the $5 million overpayment. (AP; Washington Post; WUSF/WLRN.) The House Ethics Committee also reauthorized an investigative subcommittee reviewing allegations involving the lawmaker in July 2025. (House Ethics Committee.)
