A bipartisan House Ethics Committee panel found Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) guilty of financial misconduct on 25 of 27 counts via summary judgment after a contentious hearing. The charges, stemming from a two-year investigation, include 18 campaign finance violations, five false financial disclosures, misuse of official funds, and lack of candor. They center on a $5 million government overpayment to her family’s health care company, Trinity Health Care Services, which allegedly funneled funds to her 2022 campaign through family conduits.
The committee will decide punitive action in April, with fines, censure, or expulsion possible. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) plans to force an expulsion vote immediately after the process. House Democratic leadership argues expulsion should wait until her concurrent criminal trial concludes, though some members are uneasy. Cherfilus-McCormick maintains her innocence and pleaded not guilty in that case.
Her new attorney, William Barzee, argued she was not responsible for campaign finances, citing an affidavit from staff and claiming Trinity legitimately paid her for work. He defended the lack of a paper trail, noting oral agreements are common in the Haitian American community. The committee rejected a delay request, rejecting claims of rights violations. Investigators noted her prior $86,000 salary contrasted sharply with the sudden influx of money directed to her, a point committee members found lacked credibility.
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