By Jack Morphet

A Democratic congresswoman from Florida has relinquished her leadership position on a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee after being indicted on a charge of allegedly stealing disaster relief funds to bankroll her congressional campaign.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D., Fla.) was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday night. Cherfilus-McCormick was accused of conspiring to steal $5 million that the Federal Emergency Management Agency overpaid to her family's healthcare company for a Covid vaccination contract, according to the indictment. A substantial portion of the $5 million was spent on her 2021 congressional campaign, the Justice Department alleged.

The indictment alleges Cherfilus-McCormick funneled the FEMA funds to family and friends who in turn contributed to her campaign as straw donors. It also alleges she conspired to file a false federal tax return claiming political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions. The House Ethics Committee has said it was investigating similar allegations.

The office of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) said Thursday that Cherfilus-McCormick would relinquish her role as the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs subcommittee focused on the Middle East and North Africa, in line with party policy for indicted officials.

"Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime," Attorney General Pam Bondi said. "No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain."

If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison, according to the Justice Department.

Cherfilus-McCormick proclaimed her innocence, calling the indictment "an unjust, baseless, sham." She questioned the timing of the allegations, saying they are "meant to distract from far more pressing national issues."

Her attorneys, Melissa Madrigal, Margot Moss and David Oskar Markus, said in a joint statement the congresswoman was "a committed public servant, who is dedicated to her constituents" and vowed they would "fight to clear her good name."

Cherfilus-McCormick is a third-term Democrat who represents Florida's 20th congressional district, a majority-Black district spanning parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Rep. Greg Steube (R., Fla.) said he would seek a vote of expulsion for Cherfilus-McCormick if she didn't resign. While extremely rare, the House expelled then-Rep. George Santos (R., N.Y.) in 2023 over a series of fraud allegations. Santos pleaded guilty in 2024 and was sentenced to more than seven years in prison before President Trump commuted his sentence in October.

Write to Jack Morphet at jack.morphet@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 20, 2025 12:19 ET (17:19 GMT)

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