Florida congresswoman accused of stealing COVID-19 funds pleads not guilty 3 months after indictment

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MIAMI (AP) — A Florida congresswoman charged with conspiring to steal $5 million in federal COVID-19 disaster funds formally pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, nearly three months after her indictment.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was not present for the arraignment in Miami federal court, but her attorney, William Barzee, entered the plea on her behalf. He explained that she was in Washington, D.C., where Congress has been debating funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

“She’s eager to get back to work,” Barzee said after the hearing. “She’s up in Washington right now fighting for her constituents, and her main focus is representing the people in her district.”

Barzee just took over Cherfilus-McCormick's case this week. Her previous attorney, David Oscar Markus, had requested the arraignment be rescheduled several times while Cherfilus-McCormick resolved issues with her finances, but he ultimately left the case, citing scheduling conflicts.

Cherfilus-McCormick is facing 15 federal counts that accuse her of stealing funds that had been overpaid to her family's health care company, Trinity Healthcare Services, in 2021, before she was elected to Congress. The company had a contract to register people for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Cherfilus-McCormick was arrested in November and then freed on a $60,000 bond. In addition to bail, the judge said Cherfilus-McCormick must surrender her personal passport, and is allowed to travel only between Florida, Washington, D.C., Maryland and the Eastern District of Virginia.

She has been allowed to retain her congressional passport to perform certain duties for her job.

According to the federal indictment, prosecutors said that within two months of receiving the funds in 2021, more than $100,000 had been spent on a 3-carat yellow diamond ring for the congresswoman.

The health care company owned by Cherfilus-McCormick's family had received payments through a COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract, the indictment says. Her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, requested $50,000, but they mistakenly received $5 million and didn't return the difference.

Prosecutors said that the funds received by Trinity Healthcare were distributed to various accounts, including those of friends and relatives, who then donated to Cherfilus-McCormick’s congressional campaign.

The Florida Department of Emergency Management previously sued Trinity Healthcare in civil court, and the company agreed to pay back all of the money last year as part of a settlement with the state.

“It's surprising that the DOJ (U.S. Department of Justice) would take on a case after it’s been resolved and after there was an agreement to repay all of the funds that were improperly sent to her,” Barzee said.

Cherfilus-McCormick won a special election in January 2022 to represent Florida’s 20th District, which includes parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, after Rep. Alcee Hastings died in 2021.

The charges she faces include theft of government funds; making and receiving straw donor contributions; aiding and assisting a false and fraudulent statement on a tax return; and money laundering, as well as conspiracy charges associated with each count.