Update: On April 21, Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from office.

In Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2022 congressional portrait, she can be seen wearing a 3.14 carat yellow diamond ring purchased in September 2021, worth approximately $109,000. Just a few months earlier, she allegedly stole nearly $5.8 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds.

Now, Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick is under federal indictment and set to face trial in February 2027. The 15 charges against her include, but are not limited to, theft of government funds, money laundering, and making a false statement to a federal agency.

According to the indictment, a $5.8 million overpayment was tied to a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract at Trinity Healthcare Services, Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick’s family healthcare company. This overpayment was allegedly diverted instead of being returned to FEMA. Prosecutors say that large portions of this sum were then used to purchase luxury items, including the yellow diamond ring, and fund the Congresswoman’s first campaign in 2021.

Cherfilus-McCormick, who was initially elected to Congress in a January 2022 special election following the death of Representative Alcee Hastings in April 2021, represents Florida’s 20th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Her district includes portions of western Broward County and southeastern Palm Beach County, including Riviera Beach, Belle Glade, and parts of West Palm Beach.

Despite the severity of the allegations, Cherfilus-McCormick has pleaded not guilty and has continued serving in Congress while the case proceeds. Under federal law, she maintains the presumption of innocence until she is convicted.

The House Ethics Committee, which was founded in 1967 to investigate the misconduct of members of the House of Representatives, held a public hearing March 26 where members of the committee questioned the congresswoman and her legal team. The last public hearing held by the committee occurred in 2010. 

After reviewing the evidence collected for and against Cherfilus-McCormick, the committee found that most of the allegations against the congresswoman were substantiated. The committee has yet to recommend an official course of action to be taken, which could include censure or even expulsion from the House of Representatives entirely. Only six U.S. representatives have been expelled in history, the latest of which being George Santos, a Republican who represented New York’s third congressional district, in 2023.

Cherfilus-McCormick’s legal troubles are occurring in a year where misconduct charges have impacted three other members of Congress from both political parties.

For example, Eric Swalwell, a Democrat who had represented California’s 14th congressional district since 2013, resigned on April 14 after multiple women publicly accused him of sexual misconduct and sexual assault. Swalwell denied the criminal allegations, but simultaneously dropped out of the 2026 California Gubernatorial Race, where he was the leading candidate in the polls.

Tony Gonzales, a Republican who had represented Texas’s 23rd congressional district since 2021, announced his resignation on the same day. Gonzales had come under scrutiny after he acknowledged having an affair with a former congressional aide who later died by suicide. 

Additionally, Cory Mills, a Republican who has represented Florida’s seventh congressional district since 2023, has also faced a House Ethics Committee investigation against him. The investigation is examining allegations that, similar to Cherfilus-McCormick, include campaign finance violations.

The Cherfilus-McCormick case, combined with the recent departures of Swalwell and Gonzales, have revealed that ethics violations in the nation’s highest legislative body are alive and well. Three students responded to two questions regarding their opinion on the conduct of Cherfilus- McCormick and Congress as a whole: 

Digital arts & photography senior Val McPherson

Q: U.S. Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has been federally indicted on charges including theft of FEMA funds and money laundering, though she has pleaded not guilty. What is your reaction to this case, and do you think a member of Congress should continue serving while facing charges like these?

A: “I don’t think she should continue serving in Congress. Stealing from FEMA is a really serious allegation because people die from hurricanes every year. I’ve had family that have been affected by hurricanes. You can’t take from an organization that helps survivors. That’s just not right.”

Q: Multiple members of Congress have faced allegations ranging from financial misconduct to personal scandals. Do you think Congress is effectively holding its own members accountable, or are they too lenient? Why?

A: “Congress is definitely not holding its members accountable. If any congressman even is accused of a charge as serious as money laundering or sexual assault, then they should be immediately kicked out, no questions asked.”

Visual junior Skylar Gaffney

Q: U.S. Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has been federally indicted on charges including theft of FEMA funds and money laundering, though she has pleaded not guilty. What is your reaction to this case, and do you think a member of Congress should continue serving while facing charges like these?

A: “She is extremely crazy and selfish. People in Congress should be trusted to do their jobs correctly and not be doing bad things behind the scenes. I definitely don’t think she should keep her job.”

Q: Multiple members of Congress have faced allegations ranging from financial misconduct to personal scandals. Do you think Congress is effectively holding its own members accountable, or are they too lenient? Why?

A: “First of all, none of this is surprising to me because I think, overall, people are way too lenient with politicians. Clearly, Congress really needs to get more strict with holding themselves accountable because we should be able to trust the people that are representing us and our interests.”

Communications sophomore Bella Leon

Q: U.S. Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has been federally indicted on charges including theft of FEMA funds and money laundering, though she has pleaded not guilty. What is your reaction to this case, and do you think a member of Congress should continue serving while facing charges like these?

A: “100% she should not be allowed to serve because, first of all, she’s not going to be concentrating on doing what’s best for her constituents. Additionally, the whole point of Congress is making laws that people shouldn’t break. But if the people that are making our laws are breaking them, then what’s the point?”

Q: Multiple members of Congress have faced allegations ranging from financial misconduct to personal scandals. Do you think Congress is effectively holding its own members accountable, or are they too lenient? Why?

A: “Clearly, they’re not being strict enough if they (Swalwell and Gonzales) had time to resign before they were fired. I don’t think that Congress is doing a very good job at holding their members accountable. Instead of having these investigations after they’ve already done the misconduct, they should be more vigilant in making sure it never happens in the first place.”