South Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is set to be arraigned in federal court in Miami on Monday afternoon after she was accused of stealing Federal Emergency Management Agency funds.
Cherfilus-McCormick is facing 15 different charges after her indictment, and if she’s convicted, she could face more than 50 years in federal prison and be forced to pay more than $2 million in fines.
Cherfilus-McCormick is maintaining her innocence.
New controversy surrounding Cherfilus-McCormick stems from photo
And a new controversy surrounding Cherfilus-McCormick occurred over Christmas when her office posted a photo on social media that appears to have edited out a ring on her finger.
It’s the same photo as her official portrait in Congress, which has the ring on her finger.
That matters because the lawmaker is accused of using the FEMA funds to buy the ring.
A spokesperson for Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement that the decision to edit out the ring was not authorized by the congresswoman and should not have occurred.
The Justice Department alleges that in 2021, a year before Cherfilus-McCormick was elected to Congress, a healthcare company she ran was overpaid $5 million in a FEMEA funded contract related to Coronavirus vaccinations.
Prosecutors allege that the defendants in the case allegedly conspired to steal the money by sending it through friends and family and even helping to fund the congresswoman’s campaign.
Attorneys say they intend to prove Cherfilus-McCormick’s innocence
After she bonded out, her attorneys said she was innocent and believe she’s being targeted because of her race.
CBS News Miami’s Chelsea Jones pressed her lawyer on that claim.
“Where did that comment stem from, you think?” Jones asked.
“I think we’ve seen that pattern,” attorney Lauren Kransoff replied.
Kransoff said Cherfilus-McCormick was innocent and “we are going to prove that.”
Cherfilus-McCormick was ordered to surrender her personal passport but was allowed to keep her congressional passport.
She’s allowed to travel between South Florida and the Washington, D.C. area.
Cherfilus-McCormick is set to be arraigned Monday afternoon around 1 p.m.
