Indicted US House Democrat pleads not guilty to charges of stealing $5M

US Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick entered a not guilty plea Monday to federal charges of conspiring to steal $5 million in federal disaster funds amid the COVID-19 pandemic and funneling some of it into her congressional campaign.

Her attorney, William Barzee, informed the court in a docket filing that the South Florida congresswoman had entered her plea and would waive her appearance at the arraignment scheduled for Tuesday.

Last year, a federal grand jury in Miami indicted Cherfilus-McCormick and several associates on charges that they stole $5 million in federal disaster funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), laundered the money, and used it to support her 2021 congressional campaign.

If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Monday that Cherfilus-McCormick is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

"I'm a hard 'no' as it relates to the effort to expel her, and it's going to fail," he said.

Cherfilus-McCormick called the indictment "an unjust, baseless sham," saying she is innocent.