Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick Found Guilty on 25 Ethics Charges After 3-Year Inquiry
TL/DR –
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., has been found guilty of 25 ethics charges by a special House Ethics subcommittee after a three-year investigation into allegations she stole millions in federal relief funds and funneled some to her congressional campaign. She has pleaded not guilty in a related federal criminal case, where she is accused of stealing and laundering $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funding, which if convicted, could lead to over 50 years in prison. The House Ethics Committee will hold a hearing after the House’s two-week spring recess to discuss sanctions, which could include censure, removal from committees, or expulsion.
Florida Congresswoman Found Guilty of 25 Ethics Charges
In a rare public hearing on Friday, a special House Ethics subcommittee declared Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., guilty of 25 ethics charges. This marks the climax of a three-year-long investigation into accusations of stealing millions in federal funds and funneling them into her congressional campaign.
Cherfilus-McCormick and her lawyer sat through a nearly seven-hour televised House trial. Lawmakers on the panel deliberated overnight before finalizing their decision.
Despite the charges, Cherfilus-McCormick maintains her innocence. She has also pleaded not guilty in a related federal criminal case.
\”I am committed to proving my innocence,\” the congresswoman stated. \”Meanwhile, my attention is on the people of Florida’s 20th District who elected me to represent them.”
This verdict likely paves the way for Cherfilus-McCormick’s removal from Congress. Even before the trial, a vote on her ousting had been threatened by GOP Rep. Greg Steube of Florida.
Following Friday’s verdict, numerous Democrats publicly urged Cherfilus-McCormick to resign or face expulsion.
“She should resign or be removed after being found guilty,” stated Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., in a post on X.
Upon being asked if Cherilus-McCormick should continue to serve in the House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., did not respond.
Charges against the congresswoman were adopted by the Ethics subcommittee in December, following a recommendation from the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics.
The investigative subcommittee accomplished its decision after examining over 33,000 documents and conducting 28 witness interviews. A special adjudicatory subcommittee was then assembled to assess the findings.
The Justice Department indicted Cherfilus-McCormick last November for allegedly stealing and laundering $5 million of FEMA funding. She may face over 50 years in prison if found guilty.
Cherfilus-McCormick’s decision to challenge the allegations led to the case being handled in public, with the ethics case progressing faster than the judicial system.
Bellwoar, the senior counsel for the Ethics panel, told lawmakers that Cherfilus-McCormick and her siblings \”funneled more than $500,000 originating from Trinity into various outside organizations that made expenditures on behalf of the campaign.”
“The most egregious example” was a $2 million direct transfer from Trinity to Cherfilus-McCormick, who then moved the money to her campaign and “returned the money to herself nearly in full” after the end of the filing period, Bellwoar highlighted.
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