Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
Official portrait, 2024
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 20th district
In office
January 18, 2022 – April 21, 2026
Preceded by Alcee Hastings
Succeeded by TBD
Personal details
Born Sheila Cherfilus
(1979-01-25) January 25, 1979 (age 47)
New York City, U.S.
Party Democratic
Spouse
Corlie McCormick
​
(m. 2017)​
Children 2
Education Howard University (BA)
St. Thomas University (JD)
Website House website
Campaign website
Criminal information
Criminal status
Indicted
Criminal charge
  • Conspiracy to commit the theft of government funds
  • Theft of government funds
  • Conspiracy to commit money laundering
  • Money laundering (×7)
  • Conspiracy to make and receive straw donor contributions
  • Making and receiving straw donor contributions
  • Conspiracy to make a false and fraudulent statement on a tax return
  • Aiding and assisting a false and fraudulent statement on a tax return
  • Making a false statement to a federal agency
  • Concealment and falsification of a record or document[1]
Cherfilus-McCormick's voice
Cherfilus-McCormick on issues affecting senior citizens.
Recorded March 27, 2022

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (née Cherfilus; /ˈʃɜːrfɪləs/ SHUR-fill-əss; born January 25, 1979)[2] is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 20th congressional district from 2022 until her resignation in 2026. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

After the death of Representative Alcee Hastings in 2021, Cherfilus-McCormick was elected in an April 2022 special election to complete his term.[3] She won the Democratic primary by six votes in a heavily Democratic district, where the primary is effectively determinative, and went on to win the general election. She was elected to a full term in November 2022, and was re-elected in 2024.

In November 2025, Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted and charged with stealing $5 million in FEMA funds, money laundering, and making illegal campaign contributions. If convicted, she faces up to 53 years in prison.[4][5] An investigation conducted by the House Ethics Committee found Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of 25 out of 27 charges.[6][7] On April 21, 2026, Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress, just minutes before a hearing on whether she should be expelled.

Early life, education, and early career

Cherfilus-McCormick was born in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, to parents from Haiti and raised in the borough of Queens. She moved to Hollywood, Florida at 13 to attend high school.[8] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and government from Howard University and a Juris Doctor from the St. Thomas University School of Law.[9]

After graduating from college, Cherfilus-McCormick was a project manager for the New York City Transit Authority. From 1999 to 2007, she worked as the vice president for operations of Trinity Health Care Services, a Florida-based family home health care company co-founded by her stepfather, Gabriel Smith. She later was CEO.[10]

U.S. House of Representatives

Tenure

Cherfilus-McCormick voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time during the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[11] Cherfilus-McCormick voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[12][13]

Cherfilus-McCormick was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.[14] She served on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.[15]

On December 27, 2023, the House Ethics Committee announced that it was investigating Cherfilus-McCormick over complaints that she may have violated campaign finance laws, failed to submit required disclosures, and carried out improper hiring practices.[16] Subsequently, the investigative subcommittee of the Ethics Committee found that Cherfilus-McCormick's actions were consistent with the allegations in the criminal indictment against her, as well as more extensive misconduct, and included violations of campaign finance laws and regulations, criminal laws, the Ethics in Government Act, the Code of Ethics for Government Service, and House rules.[17] Cherfilus-McCormick denied the allegations. A hearing before the Ethics Committee was conducted on March 26, 2026.[18] The hearing lasted 7 hours, with the bipartisan committee finding Cherfilus-McCormick responsible for 25 of the 27 accused ethics violations.[19][7][6] The finding paved the way for an expulsion vote by the full legislature.[19] Both Cherfilus-McCormick and her lawyer denied any wrongdoing, but on April 21, 2026, Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress minutes before a hearing on whether she should be expelled.[20]

Elections

2018

Cherfilus-McCormick ran for Florida's 20th congressional district in the August 28 Democratic primary against incumbent Alcee Hastings in 2018.[21] She lost, 73.6%–26.4%.[22]

2020

Cherfilus-McCormick challenged Hastings again in 2020. She noted various ethics concerns facing Hastings and his health as reasons for running.[9] She lost the August 18 primary, 69.3%–30.7%.[23]

2022 special election

See also: 2022 Florida's 20th congressional district special election

After Hastings died on April 6, 2021, Cherfilus-McCormick ran again in the 20th district in the 2022 special election.[24] During the campaign, she loaned $3.7 million to her campaign organization.[25][26] She campaigned on progressive policies such as a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and a $1,000-a-month universal basic income.[8] Her campaign was supported by Brand New Congress, a progressive organization that also backed candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib.[27]

After a recount, Cherfilus-McCormick was declared the winner of the Democratic primary by five votes over Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness in an upset. She easily defeated Republican Jason Mariner in the January 11, 2022, general election.[28][29] Cherfilus-McCormick is the second Haitian-American to be elected to Congress (after Republican Mia Love of Utah) and the first Haitian-American Democrat to be elected to Congress.[14][30]

2022 general election

Following her narrow margin of victory in the special election, Cherfilus-McCormick was again challenged by Holness for the regular election.[31] Cherfilus-McCormick handily defeated Holness in the August Democratic primary, 66%–27% with another 6% going to Anika Omphroy.[32] Cherfilus-McCormick defeated Republican nominee Drew Montez-Clark with 72% of the vote in the November election.[33]

2024

McCormick was re-elected without opposition in 2024.[34]

2026

On April 21, 2026, Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress minutes before a hearing on whether she should be expelled.[20][35] She had been facing a primary challenge from 26-year old activist and substitute teacher Elijah Manley, who had out-raised and outspent her in the race.[36][37] In September 2025, Cherfilus-McCormick filed a $1 million defamation lawsuit against Manley claiming that Manley has spread "blatant lies" about her record and reputation.[38] In these ads, Manley called Cherfilus-McCormick a "crook" and referenced her ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation.[39] Manley called the lawsuit frivolous. In January 2026, the lawsuit was dismissed.[40] In October 2025, at a town hall meeting, Cherfilus-McCormick and Manley got into a heated exchange that ended with Cherfilus-McCormick telling Manley "your mama" multiple times.[41][42]

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress:[15]

  • Committee on Foreign Affairs
    • Subcommittee on Africa
    • Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability
  • Committee on Veterans' Affairs
    • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
    • Subcommittee on Technology Modernization (Ranking Member)

Caucus memberships

  • Congressional Black Caucus[14]
  • Congressional Progressive Caucus[43]
  • Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus[44][45]
  • Congressional Ukraine Caucus[46]
  • Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment[47]

Financial fraud charges

In 2023, Cherfilus-McCormick was referred to the United States House Committee on Ethics after they found that there was "substantial reason to believe" that she made payments to a state political action committee in connection with her campaign for U.S. Congress and did not report her payments as contributions to her congressional campaign.[48] In early 2026, the investigative subcommittee of the Committee on Ethics found that Cherfilus-McCormick's actions were consistent with the allegations in the criminal indictment against her, as well as more extensive misconduct, and included violations of campaign finance laws and regulations, criminal laws, the Ethics in Government Act, the Code of Ethics for Government Service, and House rules.[17]

In January 2025, the state of Florida filed a $5 million lawsuit against Cherfilus-McCormick's South Florida-based Trinity Health Care Services business for knowingly accepting overpayments of invoices for work that was not actually performed during the COVID-19 pandemic.[49]

In November 2025, Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted on charges including theft of $5 million in FEMA funds, money laundering, making illegal campaign contributions, and conspiring to file a false federal tax return.[50][4][5] Claiming innocence;[51] she pleaded not guilty.[52] She faces up to 53 years in prison and millions of dollars in fines.[4][52]

The House Ethics Committee held a hearing on Cherfilus-McCormick's conduct on March 26, 2026.[53][54] The following day, the bipartisan committee found her guilty on 25 of 27 charges.[19][55][56] A subsequent committee meeting to determine what punitive actions are appropriate was planned for mid-April. The finding paved the way for an expulsion vote by the full legislature.[19] Representative Greg Steube stated he intended to force a vote to expel Cherfilus-McCormick.[57] Democratic representatives Vicente Gonzalez, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, and Jim Himes suggested Cherfilus-McCormick should resign or be removed.[58][56][59]

On April 21, 2026, Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress minutes before a hearing on whether she should be expelled.[20][35]

Electoral history

2018
2018 Florida's 20th congressional district Democratic primary results[60]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Alcee Hastings (incumbent) 52,628 73.8
Democratic Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick 18,697 26.2
Total votes 71,325 100
2020
2020 Florida's 20th congressional district Democratic primary results[61]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Alcee Hastings (incumbent) 62,759 69.3
Democratic Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick 27,831 30.7
Total votes 90,590 100
2022
2022 Florida's 20th congressional district special Democratic primary results[62][63]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick 11,662 23.764
Democratic Dale Holness 11,657 23.753
Democratic Barbara Sharief 8,680 17.7
Democratic Perry E. Thurston Jr. 7,282 14.8
Democratic Bobby DuBose 3,458 7.1
Democratic Omari Hardy 2,902 5.9
Democratic Priscilla Taylor 1,677 3.4
Democratic Elvin Dowling 646 1.3
Democratic Emmanuel Morel 454 0.9
Democratic Phil Jackson 342 0.7
Democratic Imran Siddiqui 316 0.6
Total votes 49,074 100
2022 Florida's 20th congressional district special election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick 44,707 79.0
Republican Jason Mariner 10,966 19.4
Libertarian Mike ter Maat 395 0.7
Independent Jim Flynn 265 0.5
Independent Lenny Serratore 262 0.5
Total votes 56,595 100
2022 Florida's 20th congressional district Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (incumbent) 47,601 65.6
Democratic Dale Holness 20,783 28.6
Democratic Anika Omphroy 4,197 5.8
Total votes 72,581 100
2022 Florida's 20th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (incumbent) 136,215 72.3
Republican Drew Montez Clark 52,151 27.6
Total votes 188,366 100
2024
2024 Florida's 20th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (incumbent) unopposed 100
Total votes N/A 100

Personal life

Cherfilus-McCormick married lawyer Corlie McCormick in 2017 and they live in Miramar, Florida. They have two children together.[9]

Cherfilus-McCormick is Protestant.[64][65]

See also

  • List of African-American United States representatives
  • Women in the United States House of Representatives

References

  1. ^ [https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26289405/25-cr-20500-indictment.pdf United States Of America Vs. Sheila Cherfilus-Mccormick, Edwin Cherfilus, Nadege Leblanc, and David Kofi Spencer]
  2. ^ "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  3. ^ Weigel, David (January 11, 2022). "Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick wins House seat in Florida special election". The Washington Post. Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick won Tuesday's election to fill Florida's vacant 20th Congressional District, returning her party to the 222-seat majority it held after the 2020 elections.
  4. ^ a b c "US Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida indicted on charges of stealing $5M in disaster funds". AP News. November 20, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "House Democrat charged with stealing $5 million in FEMA funds, and making illegal campaign contributions". NBC News. November 20, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Groves, Stephen (March 27, 2026). "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick: Congresswoman committed 25 fraud violations, according to House ethics panel". The Independent. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  7. ^ a b Sprunt, Barbara (March 27, 2026). "House panel finds Florida Democrat guilty of ethics violations". NPR. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  8. ^ a b Kassel, Matthew (October 20, 2021). "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick hopes the third time's a charm in FL20". Jewish Insider. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Washington, Wayne (August 6, 2020). "Lawyer makes second run at long-time incumbent Hastings". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  10. ^ Knowles, Tiffani (November 30, 2021). "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick preps to lead in D.C." Miami Times Online. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  11. ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 15, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. ^ Demirjian, Karoun (October 25, 2023). "House Declares Solidarity With Israel in First Legislation Under New Speaker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  13. ^ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (October 25, 2023). "Roll Call 528 Roll Call 528, Bill Number: H. Res. 771, 118th Congress, 1st Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved October 30, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ a b c Lowry, Bryan (January 19, 2022). "Cherfilus-McCormick, first Haitian American from Florida, officially joins Congress". WLRN. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  16. ^ Multiple sources:
  17. ^ a b Fuchs, Hailey (January 29, 2026). "House Ethics finds 'substantial evidence' of fraud charges against Florida Democrat". Politico. Politico, LLC. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  18. ^ "Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Democrat accused of stealing FEMA funds, set to face rare ethics "trial"". www.cbsnews.com. March 26, 2026.
  19. ^ a b c d Fuchs, Hailey (March 27, 2026). "Florida Democrat found guilty of House Ethics violations". politico.com. Politico. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  20. ^ a b c Wong, Scott; Stewart, Kyle (April 21, 2026). "Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigns minutes before hearing on whether she should be expelled". nbcnews.com. NBC News. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  21. ^ "Haitian-American Woman Looks to Unseat Hastings in Florida Primary". The Haitian Times. August 23, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  22. ^ Almukhtar, Sarah; et al. (August 30, 2018). "Florida Primary Election Results". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  23. ^ "Florida Primary Election Results 2020". NPR. May 1, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  24. ^ Multiple sources:
  25. ^ Morse, Hannah (October 29, 2021). ""They Deserve to Be Safe": Candidates Call on Florida to Investigate the Health Effects of Sugar Cane Burning". ProPublica. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  26. ^ "Health CEO leads after recount in Florida congressional race". AP News. November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  27. ^ Nicol, Ryan (June 11, 2021). "Brand New Congress endorses Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick in CD 20 Special Election". Florida Politics.
  28. ^ Kihara, David (November 12, 2021). "Cherfilus-McCormick apparent winner in Florida Democratic primary for Hastings' seat". Politico PRO. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  29. ^ Steve Contorno (November 13, 2021). "Businesswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is apparent winner of Florida primary for late Alcee Hastings' seat". CNN. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  30. ^ Cioffi, Chris (September 8, 2022). "'There needs to be a voice' for Haitian Americans, says Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick". Roll Call.
  31. ^ "Holness launches campaign to oust Cherfilus-McCormick in congressional rematch". Sun Sentinel. March 26, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  32. ^ "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick wins Democratic nomination for Congress". WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm. August 23, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  33. ^ Sutton, Scott (November 9, 2022). "Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick wins re-election to U.S. House in Florida's 20th Congressional District". WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm.
  34. ^ "AP Race Call: Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick wins reelection to US House in Florida's 20th". AP News. November 6, 2024.
  35. ^ a b Mangan, Dan (April 21, 2026). "Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick resigns, third House member to quit this month". CNBC. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  36. ^ Ogles, Jacob (May 8, 2025). "Are Democrats sleeping on South Florida? And could Jared Moskowitz pay the price?". Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  37. ^ "Challenger raises 18 times as much campaign money as Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick". Sun Sentinel. April 18, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  38. ^ Multiple sources:
  39. ^ "Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick accuses challenger of defamation, seeks $1 million in damages". Sun Sentinel. September 6, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  40. ^ Scheckner, Jesse (January 12, 2026). "Court dismisses Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick's $1M lawsuit against challenger Elijah Manley". Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  41. ^ Lyons, Douglas C. "Florida's 20th congressional district needs more than a 'Your Mama' campaign | Opinion". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  42. ^ Scheckner, Jesse (October 17, 2025). "'Your mama': Video captures heated exchange between Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, challenger she's suing". Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  43. ^ "CAUCUS MEMBERS". April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  44. ^ "CONGRESSIONAL LGBTQ+ EQUALITY CAUCUS MEMBERS". LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. July 17, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  45. ^ Ogles, Jacob (July 11, 2022). "Florida LGBTQ caucus lineup includes Charlie Crist, Val Demings, Nikki Fried". Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  46. ^ "Members". Congressional Ukraine Caucus. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  47. ^ "Membership". Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  48. ^ "U.S. House ethics panel releases more details about allegations against Florida lawmaker • Missouri Independent". Missouri Independent. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  49. ^ Goñi-Lessan, Ana (January 8, 2025). "Florida files COVID-19 related suit after accidentally overpaying company $5 million". tallahassee.com.
  50. ^ "South Florida Congresswoman Charged with Stealing $5 Million in FEMA Funds and Making Illegal Campaign Contributions". justice.gov. U.S. Department of Justice. November 19, 2025. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  51. ^ "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick: Florida congresswoman charged with stealing $5m in federal disaster funds". BBC. November 20, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  52. ^ a b Valderrama, Stefany (February 3, 2026). "Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick skips arraignment for finance charges, files not guilty plea". WPEC. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  53. ^ Karni, Annie (March 27, 2026). "House Ethics Panel Holds Rare Public Hearing on Democrat's Conduct". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  54. ^ "House Ethics panel hears charges against Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick". POLITICO. March 26, 2026. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  55. ^ "House panel finds Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of 25 ethics charges". NBC News. March 27, 2026. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  56. ^ a b "Ethics panel finds most violations proven against Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Democrat accused of stealing FEMA funds - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. March 27, 2026. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  57. ^ Solender, Andrew (March 27, 2026). "Fiery Ethics Committee hearing ends in guilty ruling for Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick". Axios. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  58. ^ Davis, Sarah (March 27, 2026). "First Democrats call for Cherfilus-McCormick to resign over ethics findings". The Hill. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  59. ^ "Democratic lawmaker Himes calls for indicted colleague Cherfilus-McCormick to resign". Reuters. March 29, 2026. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  60. ^ "August 28, 2018 Primary Election Official Results". Florida Secretary of State. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  61. ^ "August 18, 2020 Primary Election Official Results". Florida Secretary of State. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  62. ^ "2021 Florida Special Primary Election Results: 20th Congressional District". NBC News. November 3, 2021.
  63. ^ Greenwood, Max (November 16, 2021). "Florida officials certify 5-vote victory in primary for Alcee Hastings' seat". The Hill. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  64. ^ "Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress" (PDF). Pew Research Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2023.
  65. ^ "Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 118th Congress". Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
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