(The Epoch Times)—Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) said on Nov. 20 that he will file a resolution to expel Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) from Congress.
The Department of Justice indicted Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, on Nov. 19 for allegedly stealing $5 million in FEMA funds.
She and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, 51, undertook a COVID-19 vaccination contract through their company in July 2021 when it received an overpayment of $5 million, according to the Justice Department.
The two allegedly took the $5 million and put it in multiple accounts to cover up the source of the funds, according to the Justice Department.
A significant portion of the funds was allegedly used toward Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2021 congressional campaign and for personal benefit.
“I have decided to skip censure and move straight to expulsion. Defrauding the federal government and disaster victims of $5 million is an automatic disqualifier from serving in elected office,” posted Steube on X.
“Cherfilus-McCormick needs to be swiftly removed from the House before she can inflict any more harm on Congress, her district, and the State of Florida.”
Steube said he will bring the resolution to the floor if Cherfilus-McCormick does not resign.
Cherfilus-McCormick told reporters outside her office on Capitol Hill that she was innocent of the allegations, describing the indictment as “unjust.”
“I look forward to my day in court so I can prove myself and actually state the truth,” she said.
Asked about calls from her colleagues for her to resign, Cherfilus-McCormick said, “They didn’t elect me; it was my district, and so we’ll keep fighting for the people and keep working like we’re doing now.”
She suggested the effort to censure her was an “intimidation tactic.”
The Epoch Times has reached out to Cherfilus-McCormick’s office for further comment on the indictment and the expulsion resolution.
Steube initially announced on Nov. 19 that he would file a censure resolution against Cherfilus-McCormick.
“This is one of the most egregious abuses of public trust I have ever seen,” he posted on X.
Steube previously said he would move to expel her from Congress once the House Ethics Committee has finished its investigation of her or if she is convicted.
According to the Department of Justice, Cherfilus-McCormick and Nadege Leblanc, 46, allegedly “arranged additional contributions using straw donors, funneling other monies from the FEMA-funded COVID-19 contract to friends and relatives who then donated to the campaign as if using their own money.”
Cherfilus-McCormick and tax preparer David K. Spencer, 41, have been charged with filing a false tax return.
“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a statement. “No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain. We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice.”
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said the indictment “reflects our office’s commitment to follow the facts, apply the law, and protect the American taxpayer.
“Public money belongs to the American people. When FEMA funds are diverted for personal or political gain, it erodes trust and harms us all.”
If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick, who was first elected in a special election in 2022, faces up to 53 years behind bars, Edwin Cherfilus up to 35 years, Leblanc up to 10 years, and Spencer up to 33 years.
Joseph Lord contributed to this report.
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