House Ethics Panel to Recommend Punishment for Fla. Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick

The House Ethics Committee is set to recommend punishment on Tuesday for Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, following its determination that she committed 25 violations of House rules and ethical standards, including campaign finance infractions tied to the alleged misuse of $5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.

The bipartisan panel's two-year investigation, which involved 59 subpoenas, 28 witness interviews and a review of more than 33,000 pages of documents, concluded in January that there was substantial evidence of misconduct beyond the federal indictment against Cherfilus-McCormick. Prosecutors in November charged the congresswoman, who represents Florida's 20th district in the southeastern part of the state, with 15 counts including money laundering and theft of the funds, which were mistakenly overpaid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to a health care business she co-owns with family members. Authorities allege the money was funneled through a network of accounts and relatives to support her 2022 congressional campaign and personal expenses, such as a three-carat yellow diamond ring, a Tesla vehicle, designer clothing, high-end hotel...