(JEWISH VOICE NEWS) A Florida congresswoman is facing a staggering set of federal charges after a grand jury accused her of siphoning off millions in Covid-19 disaster relief funds and funneling part of the haul into her own political campaign — a sprawling scheme repeatedly detailed by CNBC, according to the Justice Department.

As CNBC reported, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, allegedly tried to conceal the origins of $5 million by routing the money through multiple bank accounts after their family’s health-care company received an accidental $5 million FEMA overpayment tied to a Covid vaccination staffing contract in July 2021. Federal prosecutors say the siblings immediately began laundering the cash to hide where it came from.

According to the indictment — cited several times by CNBC — Cherfilus-McCormick also teamed up with another defendant, Nadege Leblanc, to orchestrate an elaborate “straw donor” operation. Prosecutors say money from the FEMA-funded contract was handed to friends and relatives, who then kicked the funds back to her 2021 congressional campaign as if the donations were their own.

Cherfilus-McCormick ultimately won her House seat in January 2022, prevailing in the special election to replace the late Rep. Alcee Hastings in Florida’s 20th Congressional District.

But the alleged misconduct didn’t stop with campaign donations. As CNBC further reported, the congresswoman and her 2021 tax preparer, David Spencer, are also charged with conspiring to file a false tax return. Prosecutors say they improperly claimed personal and campaign expenses as business deductions and inflated charitable contributions — all to shrink her tax bill.

If convicted on all counts, Cherfilus-McCormick faces a theoretical maximum of 53 years in prison, though sentences are typically far lower under federal guidelines. Her brother faces up to 35 years, Spencer up to 33, and Leblanc up to 10, the DOJ said.

Attorney General Pam Bondi blasted the alleged scheme, telling reporters that “using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” according to CNBC coverage. “No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain.”

A spokesperson for Cherfilus-McCormick did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment. Her legal team — David Oscar Markus, Margot Moss, and Melissa Madrigal — issued a joint statement insisting she remains “a committed public servant” and vowing to “fight to clear her good name.”

As CNBC also noted, the congresswoman has been under scrutiny from the House Ethics Committee since at least late May. A referral from the Office of Congressional Conduct cited potential violations, including whether she sought community project funding that may have benefited a for-profit company.

The DOJ says the case is ongoing as prosecutors continue examining the money trail and the alleged misuse of federal Covid relief dollars.