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3d ago

Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick’s Holiday Portrait Posted Without $109K Ring, Drawing X Community Note

Her office says a staffer edited the image without her authorization.

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WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 28: (L-R) Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States, and Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick attend the Women of Impact Celebration hosted by ELLE at Ciel Social Club on April 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for ELLE)
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Overview

  • On Dec. 25, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick shared a holiday post using her official portrait in which a yellow diamond ring visible in prior versions appears digitally removed, prompting an X community note flagging the alteration.
  • The congresswoman’s chief of staff, Naomie Pierre-Louis, said the change was a staff-level decision that was not directed, approved, or authorized by Cherfilus-McCormick.
  • A Nov. 19 federal indictment charges Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother with conspiring to steal roughly $5 million in FEMA funds tied to a 2021 overpayment to their family-run Trinity Health Care Services and laundering the proceeds through multiple accounts.
  • Charging documents allege she used about $109,000 of the funds to buy a 3.14-carat ‘Fancy Vivid Yellow’ diamond ring via cashier’s check in September 2021, and the ring matches what appears in her official House portrait.
  • Cherfilus-McCormick has pleaded not guilty, was released on $60,000 bond, faces up to 53 years if convicted on all counts, and is scheduled for arraignment on Dec. 29 in Miami.