Not all scandals plaguing the Democrats come with a Jeffrey Epstein connection. Sometimes, just plain ol' corruption will suffice.
Late yesterday, the Department of Justice announced an indictment on money laundering and theft against Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) and her brother Edwin Cherfilus. The House Democrat is currently serving her third term in office, having won a special election in 2022 to replace the late Alcee Hastings. The DoJ allege that the siblings stole and then laundered millions of dollars in emergency funds:
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., was indicted Wednesday on charges she stole and laundered $5 million in federal relief funds and used the money for her congressional campaign, the Justice Department said.
In a news release citing the indictment, the Justice Department said that Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, and Edwin Cherfilus, 51, her brother, worked on a staffing contract funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Covid vaccinations tied to their family health care company in 2021 and that the company was overpaid by $5 million in relief funds.
She and her brother are accused of conspiring to steal the overpayment and route it through various accounts to conceal its origins. Cherfilus-McCormick is alleged to have used the money for her own enrichment and to fund a significant part of her congressional campaign.
Yikes. Did no one explain how USAID works to the Cherfilus family?
WPLG had more coverage last night. These charges are no joke, and neither is the potential prison time:
Cherfilus-McCormick is also accused of working with Nadege Leblanc, 46, of Miramar, to arrange additional contributions using straw donors, funneling other monies from the FEMA contract to friends and relatives, who then donated to the campaign as if they were using their own money, the indictment stated.
Cherfilus-McCormick's tax preparer, David K. Spencer, is also accused of conspiring to file a false federal tax return. Prosecutors accused them of falsely claiming political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions, and of inflating charitable contributions to reduce Cherfilus-McCormick's tax obligations.
If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison. Edwin Cherfilus faces up to 35 years, Leblanc up to 10 years, and Spencer up to 33 years.
Allegedly, Cherfilus-McCormick isn't exactly a criminal genius. She sued her 2022 opponent, Dale Holness, for alleging that she had embezzled the funds that went into her campaign. Not surprisingly, Holness is claiming vindication:
“We did our research back then,” Holness said. “She made $86,000 the year before. The company she got the money from was in debt to the IRS to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. We just couldn't figure out how you go from that to putting 4 million in a campaign. Where did the money come from?”
Looks like investigators came to the same conclusion as Holness.
House Republican Greg Steube plans to push a censure motion that would strip Cherfilus of her committee assignments. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, already dealing with the backfire of the Epstein files scandal involving Stacey Plaskett and himself, pulled Cherfilus-McCormick out of her House Foreign Affairs Committee assignments:
Jeffries spox Christie Stephenson says Cherfilus-McCormick will step down from her role as ranking member of HFAC subcmte "while this matter is ongoing"
— Max Cohen (@maxpcohen) November 20, 2025
"Consistent with the United States Constitution, she is entitled to her day in court and the presumption of innocence." pic.twitter.com/xGfSjlZNn9
True enough. The House Ethics Committee opened its own investigation into these allegations in July, however, and could still take action to recommend either censure or removal to the full House. It's not too likely that they will get ahead of a criminal prosecution, but it's still a potential problem for Jeffries, who's up to his hips in corruption and criminal problems at the moment. LaMonica McIver will face trial for felony charges from her battery on federal officers at an ICE facility early this year as well. Stay tuned as the House Democrat leader enters his winter of discontent, in more ways than one.
Editor’s Note: Help us continue to report the truth about corrupt politicians like Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, and other kleptocrats.
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