US EditionFlorida congresswoman to plead not guilty to charges of stealing $5M
Cherfilus-McCormick faces 15 counts of retaining $5 million in FEMA overpayments during a COVID staffing contract, with trial set for late April, prosecutors say.
- On Monday, U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick entered a not guilty plea to federal charges alleging conspiracy to steal $5 million and waived her scheduled Tuesday arraignment in Miami with attorney William Barzee.
- Prosecutors allege Trinity Healthcare Services received Federal Emergency Management Agency funds in 2021 for a COVID-vaccination staffing contract and retained an overpayment, prompting a 2024 state suit and a U.S. Department of Justice criminal investigation in July 2024.
- Court filings show the indictment lists 15 counts and names three co-defendants, including her brother Edwin Cherfilus, Nadege LeBlanc, and David Spencer, all pleading not guilty.
- Despite the allegations, an investigative subcommittee last Thursday found `substantial evidence` of ethics violations, and Judge Darrin Gayles has been assigned to preside over the case while the congresswoman continued advocacy for 350,000 Haitian immigrants last week.
- Barring a change of plea or postponement, a federal trial is scheduled for April 20, with defense counsel change and less than three months to prepare, after a federal grand jury returned the indictment last Nov. 19.
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9 Articles
Associated Press News
Florida congresswoman accused of stealing COVID-19 funds pleads not guilty 3 months after indictment
A Florida congresswoman charged with conspiring to steal $5 million in federal COVID-19 disaster funds has formally pleaded not guilty nearly three months after her indictment.
Cherfilus-McCormick to enter not guilty plea in absentia, retains new lawyer in theft case
Nearly three months after her indictment, U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick plans to enter a not guilty plea to federal charges that she conspired to steal $5 million in federal relief funds and steered some of the money to her congressional campaign. But the congresswoman is not expected to be in court for her scheduled arraignment Tuesday afternoon in Miami. Her new attorney, William Barzee of Barzee Flores of Miami, notified the court in a…
Florida congresswoman to plead not guilty to charges of stealing $5M
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) will plead not guilty Monday to federal charges of conspiring to steal $5 million in federal disaster funds amid the COVID-19 pandemic and funneling some of it into her congressional campaign. Her attorney, William Barzee, notified the court on its docket of the Florida congresswoman’s plea and that she would waive her appearance at an arraignment set for Tuesday. The Hill reached out for comment. Cherf…
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