Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s attorney — in one of the few moments of Thursday’s hearing to address alleged abuse of FEMA funds — said his client was “entitled to a certain percentage of profits” from a health care company that took taxpayer dollars and paid out six-figure consulting fees to LLCs that the Florida Democrat owned.
Defense lawyer William Barzee told members of the House Ethics Committee that the payments that she was receiving from Trinity were not used to finance her campaign.
“It was money that was legally obligated to be paid to her as part of the profit-sharing agreement,” Barzee said, citing a previous Federal Election Commission settlement over the matter.
A January 2025 ethics report highlighted how her income surged more than $6 million in 2021 — the same year she set up some of those LLCs, which took payments from Trinity Health Care Services.
FEMA had a contract with Trinity to help Floridians receive COVID-19 vaccinations.
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted in November for allegedly stealing $5 million in FEMA funds, among the allegations is the purchase of a $109K ring.
