Congresswoman representing Florida has resigned from Congress after allegedly stealing millions in COVID relief funds

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, [D-Fl], 46, was awaiting punishment after being accused of using millions that her family’s health care company received during the pandemic to fuel her political campaign

The bipartisan House Ethics Committee committee investigated 27 counts of ‘violations’ connected to the millions she’s accused of funneling into her campaign and found ‘substantial evidence’ to support ‘extensive misconduct’

Last month, the Committee found that she had committed committed 25 ethics violations, noting at the time that it would recommend a punishment in the coming week

The violations include the alleged theft of more than $5 million in taxpayer funds, part of which she is accused of spending on a flashy diamond ring

She is accused of steering money that came into a family health-care company she ran with her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, into her campaign coffers through ‘straw donations’

Cherfilus-McCormick’s resignation came as her colleagues were plotting to expel her from Congress over the messy fiscal affair

Her resignation means the House Committee on Ethics has now lost jurisdiction on the matter

She was separately indicted by a federal grand jury in Miami in November and is awaiting trial – she faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted    

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick [D], representing Florida, has resigned from Congress after allegedly stealing more than $5 million in pandemic relief funds. Cherfilus-McCormick appeared at a hearing of the US House Ethics Committee on March 26

Facing certain expulsion, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat representing Florida’s 20th Congressional District since 2022, on Tuesday April 21, resigned from the US Congress after allegedly diverting millions in COVID relief funds, some of which she is accused of spending on luxury items.
The resignation of Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, which widens the narrow GOP majority in the House, comes as she was awaiting sanctions after a house committee found her culpable on the accusation of embezzling tax payer funds her family’s health care company received during the COVID pandemic, allegedly diverted mainly into the funding of her political campaign.
Last month, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee slammed her with multiple violations of House rules and ethics standards, including the alleged theft of more than $5 million in taxpayer funds.
The committee investigated 27 counts of ‘violations’ connected to the millions she’s accused of funneling into her campaign and found ‘substantial evidence’ to support ‘extensive misconduct,’ including $109,000 allegedly was spent on a flashy diamond ring.

Former Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick [photo], posed with a large diamond ring on her hand in her official congressional  portrait. The same ring Cherfilus-McCormick allegedly bought for 109,000 with stolen FEMA funds

The now ex-congresswoman who pled not guilty, denies all the charges.
Her resignation came as her own colleagues were plotting to expel her from Congress over the messy fiscal affair – in an extremely rare move.  
The former congresswoman, along with a handful of co-conspirators, is accused of steering money that came into a family health-care company which she co-managed with her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, into her campaign coffers through ‘straw donations.’

The resignation letter Cherfilus-McCormick sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday April 21, was tendered ahead of a likely expulsion vote in the US Congress

The November indictment in Cherfilus–McCormick’s case accuses her of purchasing a 3.14–carat ‘Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond’ ring from a New York jeweler for $109,000.
Her official house portrait appears to show a similar piece of jewelry adorning her finger
Cherfilus-McCormick it is believed, most likely forfeits her eligibility to receive a congressional pension by resigning ahead of a likely expulsion vote.
Her service lasted from January of 2022 to April of 2026, less than the minimum 5 year requirement to qualify for congressional pension. 

Cherfilus-McCormick sits alongside her lawyer on March 26, appearing before the House Ethics Committee who investigated 27 counts of ‘violations’ connected to pandemic relief funds she allegedly, diverted and found ‘substantial evidence’ to support ‘extensive misconduct’ – with 25 ethics violations

In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, the former Florida congresswoman announced her immediate resignation on Tuesday.
‘I hereby resign my office from the 119th Congress as Representative for Florida’s 20th Congressional District, effective Tuesday April 21, 2026; 1.30pm,’ Cherfilus-McCormick stated.
‘After careful reflection and prayer, I have concluded that it is in the best interest of my constituents and the institution that I step aside at this time,’ she added.
In a separate statement issued Tuesday, Cherfilus-McCormick claimed that the Ethics Committee did not follow a ‘fair process.’ 

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick spent 4 years in the US Congress. She is seen with her husband Corlie McCormick, [right], and her two children, the night she was elected in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2022

The panel stated that Cherfilus-McCormick committed 25 ethics violations, noting at the time that it would recommend a punishment in the coming weeks. 
She resigned immediately before the committee was set to release its recommendations for punishment. 
Chairman Michael Guest said, ‘In light of Ms. McCormick’s resignation earlier today, the Committee on Ethics has now lost jurisdiction on this matter,’ adding that ‘there will not be a sanctions hearing.’
She was separately indicted by a federal grand jury in Miami in November and is awaiting trial. She faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted.