Rep. Sheila Cervelos-McCormick has been accused of stealing FEMA funds
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A grand jury in Miami has indicted Rep. Sheila Chervilus McCormick, D-Fla., on charges of stealing millions of dollars in disaster relief funds to make illegal campaign contributions, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
According to the indictment, the Democratic congresswoman from Florida allegedly conspired to steal $5 million in FEMA funds along with her brother Edwin Cervellos and several other defendants.
Prosecutors alleged that the defendants routed the funds through multiple accounts to conceal their source and that a significant portion of the embezzled funds were used as candidate contributions to the Chervilus McCormick’s 2021 congressional campaign or for their personal benefit.
The Democrat could face up to 53 years in prison if convicted.
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A Miami grand jury indicted Rep. Sheila Chervilus McCormick on charges of stealing $5 million in FEMA funds on Wednesday, November 18, according to the Department of Justice. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)
“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish and cynical crime,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “No one is above the law, especially powerful people who rip off taxpayers for personal gain. We will pursue the facts in this case and seek justice.”
Both Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother worked through their family health care business under a FEMA-funded coronavirus vaccination employment contract in 2021, according to the indictment. Prosecutors alleged that the company received an overpayment of $5 million in FEMA funds in July 2021.
FBI Director Kash Patel immediately posted on X that Chervilus McCormick and her family “allegedly stole money from FEMA and then laundered it through her friends for her personal benefit — including her campaign accounts.”
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Prosecutor Pam Bondi referred to the alleged crimes as “particularly selfish.” (Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The indictment also states that Cherfilus-McCormick and Nadege Leblanc allegedly fixed contributions using informal donors and directed funds from the FEMA-funded COVID-19 contract to their associates, who used it to make campaign donations.
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., shared on X that he will introduce a motion to censure Cherfilus-McCormick and remove her from all committees.
“This is one of the most egregious violations of public trust I have ever seen,” he asserted.
The Republican Party of Florida in a post
Cherfilus-McCormick’s office did not immediately respond to Fox New News Digital’s request for comment.
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Rep. Steube, R-Fla., said he will introduce a motion to censure Chervilus McCormick and remove her from all committees. (Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The Howard University graduate was initially the subject of an investigation in 2023 by the House Ethics Committee, which investigated allegations of campaign finance violations tied to her 2022 election.
Chervilus McCormy was re-elected to a third term in Congress in 2024. She currently serves on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.