MIAMI — A federal judge in Miami rescheduled a Tuesday hearing for U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, the congresswoman charged in a federal case involving alleged theft of COVID-19 disaster funds, so that Cherfilus-McCormick could finalize her legal team.
Judge Enjoliqué A. Lett granted Cherfilus-McCormick’s request for two more weeks and moved the arraignment to Feb. 3, according to proceedings described by the Associated Press. Prosecutors did not object to the request.
Defense attorney David Oscar Markus told the judge that Cherfilus-McCormick’s finances were complicated, and that he was confident they would be able to reach an agreement to secure legal counsel by the Feb. 3 court date. Markus and Cherfilus-McCormick declined to speak with reporters before or after Tuesday’s hearing.
The arraignment had previously been scheduled for late December but was rescheduled to Tuesday, the AP reported. Cherfilus-McCormick has pleaded not guilty and has maintained her innocence since the charges were announced last year, the report said.
Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat, is facing 15 federal counts that accuse her of stealing federal COVID-19 disaster funds that prosecutors say were overpaid to her family’s health care company, Trinity Healthcare Services, in 2021. The company had a contract to register people for COVID-19 vaccinations, the report said.
Prosecutors allege that, within two months of receiving the funds, more than $100,000 was spent on a 3-carat yellow diamond ring for Cherfilus-McCormick, as described in the federal indictment. The indictment also alleges that the funds Trinity Healthcare received were distributed through various accounts, including those belonging to friends and relatives, who then donated to Cherfilus-McCormick’s congressional campaign.
The indictment further says Cherfilus-McCormick’s brother, Edwin Cherfilus, requested $50,000 but that the company mistakenly received $5 million and did not return the difference, according to the AP report. Cherfilus-McCormick is facing charges that include theft of government funds, making and receiving straw donor contributions, aiding and assisting a false and fraudulent statement on a tax return, and money laundering, along with conspiracy charges associated with each count.
Cherfilus-McCormick was arrested in November and released on a $60,000 bond, the report said. In addition to bail, the judge required her to surrender her personal passport and limited her travel to Florida, Washington, D.C., Maryland and the Eastern District of Virginia, while allowing her to retain her congressional passport to perform certain job duties.
The report said Cherfilus-McCormick won a special election in January 2022 to represent Florida’s 20th District, which includes parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, after Rep. Alcee Hastings died in 2021.