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The Democrat is accused of stealing Federal Emergency Management
Agency overpayments that her family health care company had
received through a federally funded COVID-19 vaccination
staffing contract, federal prosecutors said. A portion of the
money was then funneled to support her campaign through
candidate contributions, prosecutors allege.
“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.”
A phone message left at Cherfilus-McCormick’s Washington office
was not immediately returned.
Cherfilus-McCormick was first elected to Congress in 2022 in the
20th District, representing parts of Broward and Palm Beach
counties, in a special election after Rep. Alcee Hastings died
in 2021.
In December 2024, a Florida state agency sued a company owned by
Cherfilus-McCormick’s family, saying it overcharged the state by
nearly $5.8 million for work done during the pandemic and
wouldn’t give the money back.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management said it made a
series of overpayments to Trinity Healthcare Services after
hiring it in 2021 to register people for COVID-19 vaccinations.
The agency says it discovered the problem after a single $5
million overpayment drew attention.
Cherfilus-McCormick was the CEO of Trinity at the time.
The Office of Congressional Ethics said in a January report that
Cherfilus-McCormick’s income in 2021 was more than $6 million
higher than in 2020, driven by nearly $5.75 million in
consulting and profit-sharing fees received from Trinity
Healthcare Services.
In July, the House Ethics Committee unanimously voted to
reauthorize an investigative subcommittee to examine allegations
involving Cherfilus-McCormick.
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