A South Florida congresswoman is claiming her innocence after she was indicted for allegedly stealing millions of dollars in federal emergency funds for her own political campaign.
Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who represents Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, was indicted in federal court Wednesday for allegedly stealing millions of dollars in federal emergency funds and routing some of it to her campaign account, the Justice Department said in a statement.
“This is an unjust, baseless, sham indictment — and I am innocent,” Cherfilus-McCormick said. “The timing alone is curious and clearly meant to distract from far more pressing national issues. From day one, I have cooperated with every lawful request, and I will continue to do so until this matter is resolved.”
She continued to say she looks forward to her day in court and until then, will continue to fight for her constituents.
Why was Cherfilus-McCormick indicted?
The Justice Department alleged that in 2021, a year before Cherfilus-McCormick was elected to Congress, a health care company that she ran was overpaid $5 million on a Federal Emergency Management Agency-funded contract related to coronavirus vaccinations. The defendants in the case allegedly “conspired to steal” the money by sending it through multiple accounts.
Some of that overpaid money was then used to help fund Cherfilus-McCormick’s campaign to represent South Florida in the House, the Justice Department alleged. In particular, she was accused of funneling some of the money to friends and family members who donated it to her campaign, in what’s known as a “straw donor” scheme.
“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. We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice.”
The Justice Department’s statement did not specify the charges against Cherfilus-McCormick or any other defendants. An indictment for Cherfilus-McCormick was not posted on the federal court database as of Wednesday evening.
