MIAMI — Nearly three months after U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted on charges that she stole $5 million in FEMA funds, a new attorney entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf in a Miami federal courtroom on Tuesday.
Attorney William Barzee said he recently joined the case and expects to begin working on it immediately, noting that Cherfilus-McCormick continues to carry out her duties in Washington.
“I just got on the case recently,” Barzee said. “We’ve been speaking pretty much nonstop over the next couple of days. As you can imagine, she’s very busy — she has votes today in Washington — and we expect to get to work on the case in short order.”
Federal prosecutors allege that a health care company Cherfilus-McCormick ran with her brother was mistakenly overpaid for a COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract funded by FEMA.
Instead of returning the money, prosecutors say, Cherfilus-McCormick funneled some of the funds into her 2021 congressional campaign and used other money to purchase a three carat “fancy vivid yellow” diamond ring.
Cherfilus-McCormick has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Speaking this past Friday, she called the case a “distraction” and said she remains focused on her responsibilities as an elected official.
“I’m innocent,” she said. “This was a distraction. I have a responsibility to the people to continue fighting every single day, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
She has also suggested that fellow Democrats turned against her amid the investigation.
Barzee said the health care company has already settled a related civil lawsuit with the state and has agreed to pay the money back.
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