U.S. federal authorities have announced charges against a Democratic congresswoman from Florida for embezzling five million dollars from a federal disaster relief fund, alleging that she used the money to finance her 2021 election campaign.
A statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said that Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat elected from South Florida, is accused of working with her brother and others to retain an excess payment of $5 million that her family-owned healthcare company received through a COVID-19 vaccination employment contract.
The statement noted that the money—originating from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)—was mistakenly deposited into the company’s accounts in July 2021.
Prosecutors suspect that the 46-year-old congresswoman then laundered the unlawfully obtained funds and funneled them into her campaign.
This was allegedly carried out by “transferring money from the FEMA-funded COVID-19 contract to friends and relatives, who then donated the funds to the campaign as if using their own money,” according to federal prosecutors.
If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick faces a maximum prison sentence of 53 years.