A Democratic congresswoman from Florida accused of stealing $5million in disaster relief funds was blasted online for editing out a flashy diamond ring from her official portrait.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus–McCormick, 46, who represents a heavily–Democratic district in Southeast Florida, uploaded the photo Thursday, as she wished her followers a Merry Christmas.
However, online users were quick to spot that the sparkler typically found on her left hand was completely missing from the holiday postcard.
Last month, Cherfilus–McCormick was charged with stealing federal disaster funds, laundering the proceeds, and using the money for her 2021 congressional campaign.
Federal prosecutors alleged she stole the funds her family’s health care company received during the COVID–19 pandemic and used them to support her political aspirations and for her personal benefit.
The indictment from Cherfilus–McCormick’s case said she purchased a 3.14–carat ‘Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond’ ring from a New York jeweler for $109,000, per CBS12.
The congresswoman’s official house portrait appears to show a similar piece of jewelry adorning her finger, although no link has been confirmed.
Cherfilus–McCormick’s post was accompanied by a community note – a feature which allows users to add context to potentially misleading posts – saying that her portrait had ‘been altered to remove a ring off of her left hand’.
The Florida Democrat’s official portrait showed the luxury accessory on her hand, but it was scrubbed from her Christmas greeting posted Thursday
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus–McCormick, 46, was mocked online for removing out a diamond ring from her official portrait as she faces accusations of stealing $5m in disaster relief funds
The portrait quickly drew the ire of social media users.
‘Your photoshop skills are lacking,’ one X user said.
One user posted a side–by–side picture showing how the luxury accessory was missing from the Florida Democrat’s hand.
Another user said Cherfilus–McCormick had triggered a ‘Streisand Effect,’ in which attempts to suppress information only draw more attention to it.
The comment section on the congresswoman’s post was flooded with similar accusations and questions about the ring.
‘Where is the ring you bought with stolen funds?’ one user asked.
‘What happened to your ring?’ another insisted.
Cherfilus–McCormick’s chief of staff claimed that the altered image posted on X had not been ‘directed, approved, or authorized by the Congresswoman’
Cherfilus–McCormick’s staff claimed that the edited image had not been ‘directed, approved, or authorized by the Congresswoman.’
‘It was a staff–level decision made by well–intentioned individuals seeking to protect the Member’s reputation,’ Naomie Pierre–Louis, Cherfilus–McCormick’s chief of staff, told CBS12.
She added that the change to the Democrat politician’s photo ‘should not have occurred;.
‘The image is the Congresswoman’s official portrait, and she has no intention of altering or editing it now or in the future,’ Pierre–Louis told the outlet.
In November, federal prosecutors alleged Cherfilus–McCormick was the CEO of her family–run company Trinity Health Care Services when it received a contract at the start of the pandemic to conduct COVID testing and outreach in minority communities.
When the company received an overpayment of $5million in FEMA funds in July 2021, Cherfilus–McCormick and her brother Edwin Cherfilus, 51, allegedly worked to ‘steal’ the cash.
They allegedly ‘routed it through multiple accounts to disguise its source’.
Federal prosecutors alleged Cherfilus–McCormick stole the funds her family’s health care company received during the pandemic and used them to support her congressional campaign
The congresswoman allegedly used a ‘substantial portion’ of the funds as ‘campaign contributions to Cherfilus–McCormick’s 2021 congressional campaign and for the benefit of the defendants’.
She was also charged with conspiring to file a false federal tax return after having ‘falsely claimed political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions’.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said that ‘using disaster relief funds for self–enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime’.
She added: ‘No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain. We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice.’
Cherfilus–McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted. She has denied the charges.
‘This is an unjust, baseless, sham indictment — and I am innocent,’ she said in a November 20 statement.
‘The timing alone is curious and clearly meant to distract from far more pressing national issues. From day one, I have fully cooperated with every lawful request, and I will continue to do so until this matter is resolved.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Cherfilus–McCormick’s office for further comment.
