Just weeks after resigning from Congress to dodge an expulsion vote, former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has officially qualified to run for her old seat, even as she faces federal charges for allegedly stealing millions in disaster relief money meant for Americans in crisis.
Florida’s Division of Elections Candidate Tracking System confirms the Democrat completed all state requirements and will appear on the ballot for Congressional District 20. The move comes barely two months after she stepped down from office in April, just minutes before the House Ethics Committee was set to vote on her removal.
Federal prosecutors in Miami allege Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, conspired to steal $5 million in FEMA disaster relief funds. According to the grand jury indictment, the pair routed taxpayer money through multiple accounts to hide where it came from. Even worse, prosecutors say they funneled cash to friends and family members who then made campaign contributions in their own names, effectively laundering stolen federal funds into political donations.
“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” former Attorney General Pam Bondi said following the indictment.
Members of Congress don’t enjoy immunity from criminal prosecution. That means even if voters send Cherfilus-McCormick back to Washington, she’d still face trial on the federal charges. The case will proceed through the court system regardless of the election outcome.
For taxpayers who watched $5 million in disaster relief funds allegedly disappear into a political slush fund, the sight of the accused fraudster back on the ballot may be hard to stomach. But in modern American politics, apparently a federal indictment is just another campaign obstacle to overcome.
