WHAT!? Judge Sets $60K Bond For Democrat Lawmaker Who Was Charged With Stealing $5 Million In Funds

I think this bond is a bit low for someone who has been charged with stealing millions of dollars.

As WLT Report previously reported, the Department of Justice announced last week Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla) has been charged with stealing $5 million in FEMA funds.

According to prosecutors Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother laundered and stole FEMA funds and in return used the money for her congressional campaign.

The federal judge that is overseeing Cherfilus-McCormick’s case has now set a bond for the disgraced lawmaker.

The Associated Press reported how much the bond is and other restrictions the lawmaker faces:

A federal judge in Miami set a $60,000 bond Tuesday for U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who made her first appearance in court on charges of conspiring to steal $5 million in federal disaster funds meant to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

The Florida Democrat is facing 15 federal counts that accuse her of stealing funds that had been overpaid to her family’s health care company, Trinity Healthcare Services, prosecutors alleged. The company had a contract to register people for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Cherfilus-McCormick stood with her attorneys as Judge Enjoliqué Lett read all 15 charges, the South Florida SunSentinel reported. She told the judge she is aware of the charges she faces.

In addition to bail, the judge said Cherfilus-McCormick must surrender her personal passport, and she is restricted from traveling to and from Florida from anywhere other than Washington, D.C., Maryland and the Eastern District of Virginia.

If found convicted Cherfilus-McCormick is facing 53 years in prison:

Backup here if needed:

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) steps down from her role as Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa as she’s charged with stealing $5M in COVID relief she used for her 2021 campaign.

She’s facing 53 years in jail. pic.twitter.com/rvkHw8XDLk

— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) November 20, 2025

Here’s the press release by the DOJ describing the lawmaker’s alleged crime:

A federal grand jury in Miami has returned an indictment charging Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and several co-defendants with stealing federal disaster funds, laundering the proceeds, and using the money to support her 2021 congressional campaign.

According to the indictment, Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, and her brother Edwin Cherfilus, 51, both of Miramar, worked through their family health-care company on a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract in 2021. In July 2021, the company received an overpayment of $5 million in FEMA funds.

The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to steal that $5 million and routed it through multiple accounts to disguise its source. Prosecutors allege that a substantial portion of the misappropriated funds was used as candidate contributions to Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2021 congressional campaign and for the personal benefit of the defendants.

The indictment further alleges that Cherfilus-McCormick and Nadege Leblanc, 46, of Miramar, 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.

The indictment also charges Cherfilus-McCormick and her 2021 tax preparer David K. Spencer, 41, of Davie, with conspiring to file a false federal tax return. According to the indictment, they falsely claimed political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions and inflated charitable contributions in order to reduce her tax obligations.

“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “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.”

Republican Congressman Greg Steube shared how the alleged crime impacted Floridians:

When hurricanes strike, Floridians rely on FEMA relief to get back on their feet.

The idea that a Florida member of Congress would steal $5 million in FEMA funds for herself is as unconscionable as it is unlawful.

If Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick won’t resign, the House must take… pic.twitter.com/7SR5bH56E5

— Congressman Greg Steube (@RepGregSteube) November 25, 2025