House Ethics panel finds 'substantial evidence' that supports fraud charges against Florida Democrat

A House Ethics subcommittee on Thursday published a report that said it found "substantial evidence" that supported federal fraud charges against Florida Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.

Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted by a grand jury in November for allegedly stealing $5 million from FEMA, laundering the proceeds, and using them to fund her 2021 congressional campaign. The lawmaker has denied any wrongdoing.

The House Ethics investigative subcommittee said it found evidence of alleged violations of campaign finance laws and regulations; criminal laws; the Ethics in Government Act; the Code of Ethics for Government Service; and House rules.

“The ISC’s investigation has revealed substantial evidence of conduct consistent with the allegations in the indictment, as well as more extensive misconduct as laid out in the following Statement of Facts in Support of Alleged Violations related to violations of federal laws and regulations, as well as ethical standards,” the committee's Statement of Facts reads. 

The findings come after the subcommittee reviewed over 33,000 documents, conducted dozens of interviews and issued 59 subpoenas in the case. 

The subcommittee did not make any immediate recommendations in the case, but an adjudicatory subcommittee has scheduled a hearing for March 5, 2026.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.