Overview
- The DOJ says Cherfilus‑McCormick, 46, and several co-defendants stole and laundered the funds from a FEMA‑funded COVID‑19 staffing contract tied to her family health‑care firm.
- The indictment alleges a straw‑donor operation in which money from the contract was routed through friends and relatives as campaign contributions.
- Cherfilus‑McCormick and her 2021 tax preparer, David K. Spencer, are charged with conspiring to file a false federal return by misclassifying political and personal spending and inflating charitable deductions.
- Co-defendants include her brother Edwin Cherfilus and Nadege Leblanc; if convicted on all counts, the congresswoman faces up to 53 years in prison.
- FBI Miami and IRS‑CI are investigating; the case will proceed in the Southern District of Florida, and all defendants are presumed innocent.