Democratic Florida Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is facing a full-scale investigation into her office’s finances and campaign practices, following multiple allegations of House rule violations and potential misuse of funds. The Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC) has called for a comprehensive probe, citing concerns that $5 million earmarked for a non-profit may have been diverted to a for-profit entity.
The Committee on Ethics, in a statement released by its Chairman and Ranking Member, confirmed on May 29, 2024, that it received a referral from the OCC regarding Representative Cherfilus-McCormick. This matter is now under the jurisdiction of an Investigative Subcommittee (ISC).
The OCC alleges that $5 million from Congress’s 2023 budget, intended for the Figgers Foundation, a Florida-based telemedicine nonprofit, was instead diverted to a for-profit entity.
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This particular allegation stems from a referral filed by the OCC over a year ago. Pursuant to House and Committee rules, if an ISC does not conclude its review within one year of receiving an OCC referral, the Committee must make the OCC’s report public. Consequently, the Committee on Ethics has now released the OCC’s report concerning the May 29, 2024, referral.
Beyond the appropriation of Congressional funds, the Democrat congresswoman is also facing a litany of other accusations.
The OCC’s report suggests Cherfilus-McCormick’s Congressional office may have “made payments to an entity in violation of House committee rules and standards of conduct.” Furthermore, her campaign is accused of potentially “accepting and failing to report in-kind contributions that may have exceeded applicable limits.”
The report also raises concerns that Cherfilus-McCormick “may have dispensed special favors or privileges to friends in connection with her congressional office’s requests for community project funding,” and that her campaign may have “misreported the source of a campaign contribution or accepted a campaign contribution made by one person in the name of another.”
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All five allegations gathered by the OCC have been voted on and cleared to move forward to an investigative subcommittee, marking the next significant step in the probe.
In a statement, Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick acknowledged the ongoing process. “The Committee on Ethics has not yet concluded its review of the allegations, and no decision has been made at this time,” she stated. “As outlined in the Committee’s public statement, the referral for further review does not imply that any violation has occurred. I fully respect the process and remain committed to cooperating with the Committee as it works to bring this inquiry to a close.”
The Committee on Ethics echoed this sentiment, noting that “the mere fact of a continued investigation into these allegations does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.”
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