Congresswoman faces prison if found guilty of multiple charges, including stealing disaster relief funds

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is accused of spending US$5 million in stolen disaster relief funds. Photo / Getty Images

A diamond ring at the centre of a US$5 million ($8.6m) fraud investigation into a Democratic politician has mysteriously disappeared from her congressional portrait.

United States Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is accused of spending stolen disaster relief funds that were mistakenly overpaid into her family’s healthcare business on the three-carat, US$109,000 ($188,220) ring, as well as funnelling them into her campaign.

The congresswoman from Florida is facing up to 53 years in prison if found guilty on all counts.

Cherfilus-McCormick came under renewed scrutiny on Boxing Day when followers noticed that she had appeared to airbrush the jewellery from a headshot shared on her social media, wishing constituents a Merry Christmas.

The original photo, which serves as the representative’s official House portrait, features the ring.

A spokesman for Cherfilus-McCormick said that the edit had been made by a member of staff and that she had nothing to do with it.

“This action was not directed, approved, or authorised by the congresswoman. It was a staff-level decision made by well-intentioned individuals seeking to protect the member’s reputation. It was unauthorised and should not have occurred,” they told the New York Post.

“The image is the congresswoman’s official 2025 portrait, and she has no intention of altering or editing it now or in the future.”

In November, Cherfilus-McCormick was charged with 15 counts, including theft of government funds, money laundering, and making and receiving illegal straw-donor campaign contributions.

Her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, requested US$50,000 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) funding for a Covid-19 vaccination contract, but they mistakenly received $5m and failed to return the difference, instead allegedly conspiring to steal it, according to the indictment.

Cherfilus has also been charged in connection with the alleged fraud.

Authorities allege that the ring was purchased with a cashier’s cheque in September 2021, about two months after the overpayments.

On Tuesday, she pleaded not guilty.

“I just want to make it very clear that I am innocent,” Cherfilus-McCormick said immediately after leaving court. “In no way did I steal any kind of funds. I’m committed to the people of Florida and my district.”

David Oscar Markus, her lawyer, who also represents Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex-trafficker, argued that the case was politically motivated.

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