House Ethics Panel Finds Cherfilus-McCormick Guilty of 25 Violations

A bipartisan House Ethics subcommittee has found Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat from Florida, guilty of 25 ethics violations stemming from allegations that she misused millions in federal COVID-19 relief funds and directed some of the money to her congressional campaign. The decision, announced on March 27, 2026, followed a three-year investigation and a nearly seven-hour televised public hearing, marking a rare public airing of such proceedings.

The adjudicatory subcommittee, evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, reached its verdict after reviewing more than 33,000 documents and conducting 28 witness interviews. The panel deliberated overnight before casting a secret vote. The charges center on Cherfilus-McCormick's family-owned company, Trinity Health Care Services, which received over $14.3 million from the Florida Division of Emergency Management in 2021 for COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Investigators determined that at least $5.78 million of those funds represented overpayments, with approximately $3.6 million allegedly routed through family-controlled entities and bank accounts to support her 2022 special election campaign in Florida's 20th...