(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The Democratic allies who allegedly refused to cooperate with the congressional probe into now-former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., may soon face criminal charges after being held in contempt of Congress.
In a voice vote Tuesday, the House of Representatives approved contempt resolutions against North Miami Beach Mayor Michael Joseph and Hector Roos, a former aide to Cherfilus-McCormick.
Both individuals reportedly failed to comply with subpoenas issued by the House Ethics Committee during its investigation into Cherfilus-McCormick’s alleged theft of a FEMA payment made in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The embattled Democratic lawmaker resigned from Congress on April 21, 2026, moments before the Ethics Committee was scheduled to hold a hearing to consider expelling her from the House. Just weeks earlier, the same panel found her guilty of 25 ethics violations in connection with the alleged theft.
Despite Cherfilus-McCormick no longer being in office, the House Ethics Committee said holding both men in contempt was important to protect the institution.
“Underlying the Committee’s decision to recommend Mr. Joseph and Mr. Roos be held in contempt is the imperative to protect the institutional interests of the House by enforcing its subpoenas, without which the House’s investigative proceedings cannot be fully executed,” the committee said in a statement.
It is now up to the DOJ whether to pursue criminal charges, Fox News reported.
Cherfilus-McCormick is also facing a federal indictment alleging that she stole federal disaster funds, laundered the proceeds and used the money to support her 2021 congressional campaign.
At the center of the allegations is an overpayment of more than $5 million in FEMA funds to a health care company run by Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus.
According to the indictment, instead of reporting the overpayment, Cherfilus-McCormick allegedly used the money for personal expenses and to fund the campaign that ultimately landed her in Congress in 2022.
Her trial is set for February 2027.
Despite resigning from Congress, Cherfilus-McCormick filed paperwork to run for the same seat in the 2026 primary. She lost the Democratic nomination to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a fellow Democrat who switched districts after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis redistricted the congressional districts and made her reelection in her old seat more challanging.
