House Ethics Panel Finds Florida Democratic Congresswoman Committed 25 Violations (Connecting the Dots: Rep Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Howard University & The Carnegie/Soros Network)
A
bipartisan House Ethics panel found 25 of 27 charges proven against Rep. Sheila
Cherfilus-McCormick, with a sanctions hearing expected after the April recess.
The Epoch
Times
Chase
Smith
3/27/2026|Updated:
3/27/2026
A
bipartisan House Ethics Committee panel found on March 27 that Rep. Sheila
Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.)
committed 25 ethics violations, a ruling that sets the stage for a sanctions
hearing and a potential expulsion vote on the House floor.
The
eight-member adjudicatory subcommittee, composed of four Republicans and four
Democrats, found Counts one through 15 and 17 through 26 of a 27-count
Statement of Alleged Violations proven by clear and convincing evidence.
The
panel deliberated past midnight following a seven-hour public hearing on March
26 before announcing the findings early Friday. The full committee will hold a
sanctions hearing after the House returns from the April recess to determine a
recommended punishment, the committee noted in its statement announcing the
ruling.
Rep.
Greg Steube (R-Fla.) told reporters he would “move on the floor to expel”
Cherfilus-McCormick once the committee makes its determination. Expulsion from
the House requires a two-thirds vote.
Rep.
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) posted on X Friday, “You can’t crime your way
into legitimate power. Since she was found guilty, she should resign or be
removed.”
House
Democratic leaders have repeatedly declined to comment on the allegations
against Cherfilus-McCormick, saying they want to see the ethics process play
out. The top four Democrats in the House and the Democratic National Committee
did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.
“I look
forward to proving my innocence,“ the congresswoman’s office told The Epoch
Times via email. ”Until then, my focus remains where it belongs: showing up for
the great people of Florida’s 20th District who sent me to Washington to fight
for them.”
The
allegations the committee said were proven include campaign finance fraud,
money laundering of COVID-19 relief funds, straw donor schemes, financial
disclosure failures, acceptance of improper voluntary services in the
congresswoman’s official office, and special favors tied to federal
appropriations requests, according to the statement of alleged violations from
December.
Two
counts were not in the committee’s grouping of proven counts: Count 16,
alleging money laundering of funds from Petrogaz-Haiti, a Florida company
funded by the Haitian government, and Count 27, alleging a lack of candor
during the investigation.
A
representative for the committee declined to comment when asked if those counts
being left out of the announcement meant she was found not guilty of those
crimes, as the announcement did not clarify the status of those charges.
The
hearing was the first public ethics adjudicatory proceeding against a sitting
House member since the case of then-Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) in 2010.
The
last member expelled from Congress was Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) in 2023.
Santos and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) argued at the time that the House
would be setting a precedent by expelling a member before a criminal trial.
The
Allegations
At the
center of the case is Cherfilus-McCormick’s family health care company, Trinity
Health Care Services. Trinity received more than $14.3 million from the Florida
Division of Emergency Management for COVID-19 vaccination work in 2021,
including at least $5.78 million in overpayments. The largest single error was
a payment of roughly $5 million on an invoice of $50,578.50.
Investigators
found at least $3.6 million of Trinity’s funds that allegedly made their way
into Cherfilus-McCormick’s campaign. The congresswoman reported millions in
personal loans to fund her campaign, but the investigative subcommittee found
the money originated from Trinity and was routed through a network of
family-controlled companies and bank accounts.
Investigators
found no written agreement or legal basis establishing that Cherfilus-McCormick
was entitled to the money she received from Trinity beyond her $86,000 annual
salary.
Cherfilus-McCormick
won her seat in a January 2022 special election by five votes after running on
what her campaign called a “self-bought, unbossed” platform.
Text
messages cited in the Statement of Alleged Violations indicate the self-funding
strategy may have been designed to inflate the campaign’s apparent financial
strength.
In a
June 2021 exchange, Cherfilus-McCormick told senior campaign adviser Hector
Roos her goal was “$2 million at least $1.5” and that she was “not planning on
using that amount just leveraging.” Roos responded, “Indeed. But nobody has to
know that.” She replied, “Yes.”
Investigators
also cited a June 28, 2021, text message from Cherfilus-McCormick to her
campaign treasurer describing a straw donor arrangement: “The max is 2 checks
of 2900. That is why [respondent’s sister] had to give money to Nadege for her
to make another donation.”
The
committee’s investigation lasted more than two years. The investigative
subcommittee met 12 times, sent 30 requests for information, issued 59
subpoenas, reviewed more than 33,000 documents, and conducted 28 witness
interviews.
Cherfilus-McCormick
invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to
testify. During closing arguments at the hearing, committee counsel told the
panel the charges were supported by objective documents.
“The
record establishes that there was a scheme to impermissibly funnel Trinity’s
money to respondent’s special election campaign via both direct transactions
and using various conduits,” committee senior counsel Sydney Bellwoar said at
the close of Thursday’s hearing.
Cherfilus-McCormick’s
attorney, William Barzee, argued the panel should have held a full evidentiary
hearing with witnesses rather than ruling on summary judgment. Barzee told the
panel he had only had the case for 21 days and was not prepared to call witnesses.
“The
greatest material fact in dispute right now is apparently whether or not she
was entitled to the money that she received from Trinity,” Barzee said.
He
described Trinity as “a family corporation that had been in business for over
30 years” and said the congresswoman’s father “had COVID, they thought he was
dying from COVID, the family sat down and talked about how to divide up the
‘profits’ of Trinity.”
Barzee
said he introduced a document he described as evidence of a profit-sharing
agreement among the family. He acknowledged it was informal.
“I
understand it is not your typical profit-sharing agreement that you would see
if you helmed a corporation and had lawyers handling these things for you,”
Barzee said. “That doesn’t mean it’s not true. It doesn’t mean that in the
Haitian-American community, family members don’t put things in writing like
that. They shake hands and they trust each other.
“But to
suggest that there’s no material fact and you can just decide to throw a woman
out of Congress who was duly elected by her constituents because of ‘bank
records,’ that’s not enough,” Barzee added.
Cherfilus-McCormick
also faces a federal indictment in the Southern District of Florida filed Nov.
19, 2025. She and her brother Edwin Cherfilus were charged with conspiracy to
commit theft of government funds, theft of government funds, conspiracy to commit
money laundering, and eight counts of money laundering.
The
indictment also charged her and her district chief of staff, Nadege LeBlanc,
with conspiring to make straw donor contributions. Her tax preparer was charged
separately with tax fraud-related counts, according to the Department of
Justice.
The
Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sheila
Cherfilus-McCormick
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_Cherfilus-McCormick#Early_life,_education,_and_early_career
Early
life, education, and early career
Cherfilus-McCormick
was born in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, to parents from Haiti and
raised in the borough of Queens. She moved to Hollywood, Florida at 13 to
attend high school.[8] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political
science and government from Howard University and a Juris Doctor from the St.
Thomas University School of Law.
U.S.
House of Representatives
Tenure
Cherfilus-McCormick
is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.[14] She serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs
and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Connecting
the Dots:
Rep Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is
a member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and earned a
Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and government from Howard
University.
Keith Ellison is
a member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), a
director at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and a
director at the Economic Policy Institute.
National
Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform is a paid for staff by
the Economic Policy Institute.
Richard J. Durbin is a
member of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform,
a U.S. Senate senator and Charles E. Schumer’s Washington
housemate.
Open Society Foundations was a funder the Economic
Policy Institute.
George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open
Society Foundations and was the chairman for the Foundation to
Promote Open Society.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Economic
Policy Institute and the Committee for Economic Development.
Earl G. Graves is
the Committee for Economic Development and a trustee at Howard University.
Letitia James is the chair for the Committee
on Economic Development, the Attorney General of New York and
obtained her Juris Doctor degree at Howard University.
Judge Darrin P. Gayles received a Bachelor of Arts degree
in 1990 from Howard University.
Kamala D. Harris graduated
from Howard University and was the vice president of the Joseph
R. Biden Jr Administration.
Martin D. Payson was
a trustee at Howard University and is a co-chair emeritus
for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.
Wayman F. Smith
III was the chairman for Howard University and
is a director emeritus at the NAACP Legal
Defense & Educational Fund.
Vernon E. Jordan
Jr. is a trustee at Howard University a senior director at
the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and an honorary
trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the NAACP
Legal Defense & Educational Fund and the Brookings Institution
(think tank).
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote
Open Society.
Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.
Ted Lieu was honored with
the Carnegie
Corporation of New York's Great Immigrants Award,
has represented California's 36th congressional district in the United
States House of Representatives since 2023 and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Astrid S. Tuminez was a program officer at the Carnegie
Corporation of New York and is the 7th President of the Utah
Valley University (Charlie Kirk Shooting).
Andrew Carnegie was
the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Carnegie
Corporation of New York was a funder for the Atlantic Council
of the United States (think tank) and a supporter for the American
Society for Muslim Advancement.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic
Council of the United States (think tank).
George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open
Society Foundations.
Colin L. Powell was
a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and
a trustee at Howard University.
Rep Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and government
from Howard University and is
a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Barack Obama was
a member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and an intern
at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was
a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
R. Eden Martin is
counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and the president of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
Cameron F. Kerry is a
senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP John F. Kerry’s brother
and a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Newton N. Minow is
a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago and an honorary trustee at the Carnegie Corporation
of New York.
Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.
Ted Lieu was honored with
the Carnegie
Corporation of New York's Great Immigrants Award,
has represented California's 36th congressional district in the United
States House of Representatives since 2023 and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Astrid S. Tuminez was a program officer at the Carnegie
Corporation of New York and is the 7th President of the Utah
Valley University (Charlie Kirk Shooting).
Andrew Carnegie was
the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Carnegie
Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings
Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society
for Muslim Advancement.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings
Institution (think tank) and the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational
Fund.
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to
Promote Open Society.
Vernon E. Jordan
Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think
tank), a senior director at the NAACP Legal Defense &
Educational Fund and a trustee at Howard University.
Martin D. Payson
is a co-chair emeritus for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational
Fund and was a trustee at Howard University.
Wayman F. Smith
III is a director emeritus at the NAACP Legal Defense &
Educational Fund and was the chairman for Howard University.
Judge Darrin P. Gayles received a Bachelor of Arts degree
in 1990 from Howard University.
Kamala D. Harris graduated
from Howard University and was the vice president of the Joseph
R. Biden Jr Administration.
Earl G. Graves is
a trustee at Howard University and the Committee for
Economic Development.
Letitia James obtained her Juris Doctor degree
at Howard University, is the Attorney General of New York and
the chair for the Committee on Economic Development.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee
for Economic Development and the Economic Policy Institute.
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to
Promote Open Society and is the founder & chairman for the Open
Society Foundations.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Economic
Policy Institute.
National
Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform is a paid for staff by
the Economic Policy Institute.
Richard J. Durbin is a
member of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform,
a U.S. Senate senator and Charles E. Schumer’s Washington
housemate.
Keith Ellison is
a director at the Economic Policy Institute, a director at
the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and a member of the Congressional
Black Caucus (CBC).
Rep Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
is a member of the Congressional
Black Caucus (CBC) and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political
science and government from Howard University.
Resources:
Past Research
Obama
Judge Gets Trump's $10B Murdoch Lawsuit Case (Connecting the Dots: Judge Darrin
Gayles, Howard University, The Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch, Fox News
& Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past Research
on Howard University)
Monday,
July 21, 2025
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2025/07/obama-judge-gets-trumps-10b-murdoch.html
Noem
Defends Trump's Immigration Policies at Hearing (Connecting the Dots:
Connecting the Dots: Rep. Bennie Thompson, Kappa Alpha Psi, People of the
United Methodist Church & Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past Research on Richard J. Durbin & Charles E.
Schumer)
Thursday,
December 11, 2025
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2025/12/noem-defends-trumps-immigration.html
Rep.
Cedric Richmond: ‘Can’t Use Black Lives Matter As Scapegoat’ (Past Research on the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC))
Sunday,
July 10, 2016
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/search?q=Congressional+Black+Caucus
Pepsi
- Obama Logo Controversey (Connecting the Dots: PepsiCo, Inc., The Center for
American Progress, Barack Obama administration, The Carnegie Corporation of New
York & the Carnegie/Soros Network) (Past
Research on the Carnegie/Soros Network)
Saturday,
March 14, 2026
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