Rep. Greg Steube is going on the offensive against a fellow Florida lawmaker after federal prosecutors dropped a bombshell indictment accusing Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of siphoning off millions in FEMA disaster cash to bankroll her 2021 campaign.

“Tomorrow morning I will be filing a privileged motion to censure Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick and remove her from all committees,” Steube said on X late Wednesday. “This is one of the most egregious abuses of public trust I have ever seen. Stealing $5 million in taxpayer disaster funds from FEMA of all places is beyond indefensible. Millions of Floridians have relied on FEMA after devastating hurricanes, and that money was supposed to help real disaster victims.”

Steube isn’t stopping at censure. He vowed to push for her expulsion once House Ethics or a conviction seals the case. “And once House Ethics concludes their investigation or she is formally convicted, rest assured I will move to expel her from Congress,” he wrote.

Cherfilus-McCormick fired back, calling the charges a political ambush. “This is an unjust, baseless, sham indictment — and I am innocent. The timing alone is curious and clearly meant to distract from far more pressing national issues. From day one, I have cooperated with every lawful request, and I will continue to do,” she said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“I am deeply grateful for the support of my district, and I remain confident that the truth will prevail. I look forward to my day in court. Until then, I will continue fighting for my constituents.”

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) was first elected in 2022

The Justice Department paints a far different picture.

Prosecutors say that in 2021, Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, ran a family healthcare company working on a FEMA-funded COVID vaccination staffing contract that accidentally received an extra $5 million.

Instead of returning the overpayment, the DOJ says, they allegedly “conspired to steal that $5 million and routed it through multiple accounts to disguise its source.” A chunk of the stolen cash allegedly landed in her campaign, while the rest went toward personal expenses.

The indictment also claims Cherfilus-McCormick and Nadege Leblanc lined up additional donations through straw donors and funneled “other monies from the FEMA-funded COVID-19 contract to friends and relatives who then donated to the campaign as if using their own money.”

And prosecutors say the scheme didn’t stop there. Cherfilus-McCormick is also accused of working with her tax preparer, David K. Spencer, to file a bogus federal tax return by falsely writing off political spending and personal costs as business deductions and inflating charitable contributions.

Florida’s former attorney general Pam Bondi slammed the alleged conduct as “particularly selfish” and “cynical.” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said the case shows “no one is above the law.” FBI Director Kash Patel echoed the point in a post on X, writing, “This individual and her family allegedly stole money from FEMA and then laundered it through friends toward her own personal benefits — including her campaign accounts. Today the FBI and partners at [DOJ] took action. No one is above the law.”

If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick faces a maximum of 53 years in federal prison. Her brother faces up to 35 years, Leblanc up to 10, and Spencer up to 33, according to prosecutors.

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