EXPOSED: Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Faces 53 YEARS for Stealing $5 Million in Disaster Relief!
A federal grand jury in Miami on Wednesday indicted Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and several co-defendants on charges that they stole about $5 million in FEMA disaster-relief funds and funneled the money into her 2021 congressional campaign, the Justice Department announced.
According to the indictment, Cherfilus-McCormick — who represents Florida’s 20th District in Broward and Palm Beach counties — and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, diverted an overpayment tied to a COVID-19 vaccination-staffing contract awarded to their family’s home-health-care company, Newsweek reported.
Prosecutors allege the money was moved through multiple accounts to conceal its source, with a significant share ultimately directed from the FEMA-funded contract into political contributions.
The indictment also accuses the congresswoman of conspiring with her tax preparer to file a false federal tax return.
The ongoing ethics and criminal investigations continue to overshadow the congresswoman’s already troubled reputation, even prior to this indictment.
If found guilty, she could face a prison sentence of up to 53 years, while her brother could receive up to 35 years, prosecutors said.
The indictment comes as Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, is already under increased scrutiny for her family company’s pandemic-era finances.
In late 2024, Florida’s Division of Emergency Management filed suit against Trinity Healthcare Services — the firm she led before entering Congress — alleging the company overcharged the state by nearly $5.8 million for COVID-19 vaccine registration services and refused to repay the funds.
State officials said the dispute surfaced after a single $5 million overpayment triggered alarms, raising broader questions about Trinity’s handling of major public contracts during the pandemic, Newsweek reported.
The allegations in Florida have sparked an ethics investigation into the congresswoman’s significant increase in personal income. According to the Office of Congressional Ethics, Cherfilus-McCormick’s earnings in 2021 surpassed her income from the previous year by over $6 million.
The increase was largely attributed to nearly $5.75 million in consulting and profit-sharing fees from Trinity, the outlet reported.
In July, the House Ethics Committee unanimously voted to extend its investigation into whether she improperly benefited from the company’s government contracts, placing her under rare bipartisan scrutiny even before the federal indictment issued on Wednesday.
According to the indictment, the family company received a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract in 2021 and in July of that year received an overpayment of about $5 million.
Prosecutors say the defendants conspired to divert those funds and subsequently created straw-donor schemes: The indictment contends that Cherfilus-McCormick and co-defendant Nadege Leblanc arranged for friends and relatives to “donate” money to the campaign that actually came from the illicit FEMA funds.
The document also charges her and preparer David K. Spencer with conspiring to file a false tax return by mislabeling campaign expenditures and personal expenses as business deductions and inflating charitable contributions to reduce tax liabilities, Newsweek noted.
Born in Brooklyn, Cherfilus-McCormick holds a B.A. from Howard University and a J.D. from St. Thomas University School of Law. Before her 2022 special-election victory, she served as CEO of Trinity Health Care Services, the Miramar-based company now at the center of the contract dispute.
She won the seat following the death of longtime Rep. Alcee Hastings, becoming the only Haitian-American Democrat currently serving in Congress.
“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime. 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,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
Elijah Manley, who is running against Cherfilus-McCormick in the Democratic primary for her House seat, noted on the X platform, “Today’s indictment of my opponent, Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, is a sad moment for the people of Florida’s 20th Congressional District.
I am disappointed that the Congresswoman for abusing the power she was given and instead used it to enrich herself and her family. The people of FL-20 are ready to move past this era of fraud, corruption, and distractions.”
The $4.9 Million Admission: What The DOJ Desperately Didn’t Want You To Know About Ashli Babbitt.
Nearly four and a half years after Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd fatally shot Ashli Babbitt during the breach of the U.S. Capitol, her husband signed a settlement agreement on June 6 to resolve his $30 million wrongful death lawsuit against the federal government.
The settlement includes a payout of $4.975 million, though other terms were not immediately disclosed, The Blaze reported.
“This fair settlement is a historic and necessary step for justice for Ashli Babbitt’s family. Ashli should never have been killed, and this settlement destroys the evil, partisan narrative that justified her outrageous killing and protected her killer,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
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Twenty-five percent of the settlement will be placed in a trust account pending the outcome of a potential claim by Ashli Babbitt’s former attorney, Terrell N. Roberts III. Earlier this year, Roberts filed a motion to intervene in the case, asserting that he is entitled to 40% of any settlement awarded.
Roberts ended his professional relationship with Aaron Babbitt in early 2022. Babbitt’s Washington-based attorney, Richard Driscoll, has since requested that the dispute be resolved through the Attorney/Client Arbitration Board of the D.C. Bar.
Contrary to repeated claims in mainstream media, Judicial Watch handled the wrongful-death lawsuit on a pro bono basis.
While the federal government did not admit liability as part of the settlement, the agreement is seen by some as a tacit acknowledgment by the Department of Justice that Byrd acted recklessly and used excessive force when he emerged from a concealed position near the House Speaker’s Lobby and fatally shot Babbitt as she climbed through a sidelight window just outside the chamber doors.
The wrongful death lawsuit, filed on January 5, 2024, alleged that Byrd acted negligently in handling his Glock 22 sidearm and was reckless when he fired into the crowded hallway outside the Speaker’s Lobby.
The complaint also accused the U.S. Capitol Police of negligence in supervising Byrd, citing his disciplinary record, which includes discharging his firearm at a fleeing vehicle near his residence in 2004 and once leaving his service weapon on a toilet tank in the Capitol Visitor Center.
According to court filings in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Aaron Babbitt submitted claims against the Capitol Police in June and September 2021, with additional filings in February 2022 and January 2023.
The lawsuit was filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, naming the federal government as the defendant, including the U.S. Capitol Police as a component agency.
According to the complaint, Byrd fired the shot that struck Ashli, a 14-year Air Force vet, in the left anterior shoulder at 2:44 p.m. on January 6, 2021. The bullet “perforated her left brachial plexus, trachea, upper lobe of the right lung, and second anterior rib before coming to rest in her right anterior shoulder,” the filing states.
“Video recordings show her alive and conscious, writhing uncontrollably immediately after the shooting,” the suit stated. “Ashli remained conscious for minutes or longer after being shot by Lt. Byrd. Ashli experienced extreme pain, suffering, mental anguish and intense fear before slipping into pre-terminal unconsciousness.”
“Furthermore, nothing about the wound track described in the autopsy report would be expected to result in immediate death or instantaneous loss of consciousness,” the suit said, “and Ashli’s lungs contained blood, further confirming that she was alive and breathing after being shot.”
Although Byrd claimed that he feared for his life at the time he shot Babbitt, he “later confessed that he shot Ashli before seeing her hands or assessing her intentions or even identifying her as female,” the lawsuit said. “Ashli was unarmed. Her hands were up in the air, empty and in plain view of Lt. Byrd and officers in the lobby.
“Ashli posed no threat to the safety of anyone,” the suit said.
Trump Warns New York Mayor-Elect Mamdani: ‘We’ll Have To Arrest Him’
Trump Warns New York Mayor-Elect Mamdani: ‘We’ll Have To Arrest Him’
President Donald Trump on Wednesday addressed sharp criticism from Zohran Mamdani, who defeated disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s mayoral race. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, ordered the president during his fiery victory speech to “turn the volume up.”
“I think it’s a very dangerous statement for him to make,” Trump told Fox News host Bret Baier. “He has to be a little bit respectful of Washington, because if he’s not, he doesn’t have a chance of succeeding. And I want to make him succeed.” He quickly clarified, “I want to make the city succeed, I don’t want to make him succeed.”
Trump has frequently attacked the progressive candidate throughout his campaign, which focused on affordable housing and expanding social safety nets. Mamdani faced racist attacks from critics before defeating Cuomo, whom Trump had endorsed.
In his victory speech Tuesday, Mamdani called Trump a “despot” who has “betrayed” the nation. He urged his supporters to use their votes and voices to “stop the next Trump” by “dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.”
“I thought it was a very angry speech,” Trump told Baier. “Certainly angry toward me, and I think he should be nice to me. I’m sort of the one that has to approve a lot of things coming to him, so he’s off to a bad start.”
Supporters countered that Mamdani, 34, is off to a great start as the first Muslim and South Asian mayor in city history, and its youngest in more than a century.
“Look, for thousands of years communism has not worked. Communism, or the concept of communism, has not worked. I tend to doubt it will work this time,” Trump said. He added that he was “torn” by Mamdani’s win due to his “love” for New York City, saying he “would like to see the new mayor do well.”
When asked if he’s thought about reaching out, Trump replied, “I would say he needs to reach out to us, really. I’m here. We’ll see what happens, but I would think it would be more appropriate for him to reach out to us.”
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In June, when asked about Mamdani’s vow to “stop masked ICE agents from deporting our neighbors,” Trump said, “Well then, we’ll have to arrest him.”
“Look, we don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation,” Trump added.
Trump Admin Wildly Surpasses Biden Energy Record In Matter of Months
The White House marked the one-year anniversary of the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) on Saturday, February 14, 2026, touting a massive surge in U.S. energy production that has fundamentally reshaped the global market in just over twelve months.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who chairs the Council alongside Energy Secretary Chris Wright, presented data showing that U.S. output has not only eclipsed the previous administration’s peaks but has done so at a pace federal officials are calling "unprecedented."
Record-Breaking Production Levels
The administration's "Energy Dominance" agenda, codified by executive order exactly one year ago, has driven U.S. crude oil production to a record 13.6 million barrels per day in 2025. By comparison, it took the Biden administration nearly four years to move production from 11.3 million to 13.2 million barrels—a threshold the current administration cleared in its first few months.
Natural gas output has seen a similar vertical climb. In November 2025, production reached 110.1 billion cubic feet per day, the highest level since federal tracking began in 1973. This represents an 8% increase over the previous administration's average.
“Gasoline prices have fallen to some of the lowest levels in years, permitting has been streamlined, and American energy exports are surging,” Secretary Burgum told Fox News Digital. “These achievements mean real savings for families, farmers, and small businesses.”
Surging Global Influence and LNG Exports
The U.S. has significantly widened its lead as the world’s premier liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter. Average LNG exports rose to 15.1 billion cubic feet per day in 2025, a sharp jump from the 11.9 billion recorded in late 2024.
This surge is credited to the Council's aggressive focus on "unleashing" American resources through:
Regulatory Rollbacks: Modernizing financial risk evaluations to free up billions for offshore exploration.
Permitting Speed: The Department of the Interior has approved 63.7% more Federal and Indian drilling permits compared to the previous administration over the same period.
Infrastructure Investment: New agreements with a bipartisan group of governors to advance over $15 billion in power-generation projects.
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The Economic Impact: Addressing Affordability
A central pillar of the NEDC's mission is to use energy abundance as a tool against inflation. While recent Middle East tensions have caused temporary spikes in crude prices, the administration maintains that the expanded domestic grid and increased output are the only long-term solutions to lowering transportation and grocery costs.
Secretary Burgum reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to "conservation abundance," arguing that environmental stewardship and fossil fuel development are not mutually exclusive. As the U.S. enters the second year of this policy, the White House expects to export four billion more cubic feet of natural gas per day than in 2024—a 33% increase.
