Florida Democrat accused of stealing FEMA funds for campaign, ethics probe deepens

The House Ethics Committee was set to decide what punishment to recommend against Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick after finding dozens of violations, but the Florida Democrat resigned just before the hearing began at 2 p.m. on April 21 in the Longworth House Office Building.

The case has become a test of how far Congress can go when public money, campaign finance rules and criminal allegations overlap. The Justice Department said Cherfilus-McCormick and several others were indicted on November 19, 2025, over claims they stole FEMA disaster funds, laundered the proceeds and used the money to support her 2021 congressional campaign. Cherfilus-McCormick has pleaded not guilty.

House investigators had been looking at the matter far earlier. The House Ethics Committee received an Office of Congressional Ethics referral on September 25, 2023, and said in May 2025 that the referral was still under review. In January 2026, the committee’s statement of alleged violations said the indictment accused Cherfilus-McCormick and co-defendants of stealing federal disaster funds and using them for her campaign.

The ethics inquiry went beyond the theft allegation. The Office of Congressional Ethics found substantial reason to believe Cherfilus-McCormick’s congressional office made payments to an entity in violation of House rules or, alternatively, that her campaign accepted and failed to report in-kind contributions that may have exceeded legal limits. Separate findings released in December 2024 and January 2026 said she made payments to a state political action committee that may have been connected to her federal campaign and may not have reported those payments properly.

The House Ethics Committee publicly found in March 2026 that she violated ethics rules, after what was described as an unusual public trial for a panel that normally works behind closed doors. Reports said the committee had backed 25 violations out of 27 original charges, underscoring how serious the case had become and how rare it is for the House to push a member this far through the discipline process.

Republicans had already been pressing for Cherfilus-McCormick’s expulsion before she stepped down. Her resignation stopped the sanctions hearing from going forward, but it did not erase the record the committee had built. The case now stands as a stark example of the limits of House self-policing when accusations involve FEMA disaster money, campaign conduct and the use of public office for political gain.