Stealing from the People: The Trinity Healthcare Scheme
The criminal allegations against Cherfilus-McCormick are rooted in the operations of Trinity Healthcare Services, the family business where she served as CEO. In 2021, at the height of the pandemic, the state contracted Trinity to register citizens for life-saving vaccinations. While our people were dying at disproportionate rates, federal prosecutors say Trinity Healthcare saw an opportunity not for service, but for a payday.
The indictment alleges that a “clerical error” by the state issued a check to the company for $5 million instead of the $50,000 requested in an invoice. A true servant of the people would have returned the 10,000% overpayment immediately. Instead, Cherfilus-McCormick and her co-conspirators allegedly moved with clinical precision to hide the money and use it for their own gain. This wasn’t a mistake; it was a proactive decision to exploit a public health crisis for private profit.
Laundering Power: The Straw Donor Conspiracy
Once the $5 million was secured, the challenge was to funnel it into her 2021 special election campaign without getting caught by federal authorities. To bypass democratic safeguards, the indictment details a “straw donor” scheme coordinated by the representative, her brother Edwin Cherfilus, and her former campaign manager, Nadege Leblanc.
They allegedly distributed the stolen FEMA funds in smaller increments to a network of friends and family, who were then instructed to donate the money back to the campaign in their own names. This created a fraudulent illusion of “grassroots” support. In reality, her political rise was financed by a single, massive theft from the American taxpayer. In her previous attempts at the seat, she raised less than $110,000 total; after the overpayment, her campaign spending exploded to over $6.7 million, allowing her to “buy” the seat and drown out veteran local leaders who had served our community for decades.
Diamonds over District 20: The $109,000 Betrayal
While our residents were facing eviction and a health crisis, the indictment alleges that the representative was indulging in the symbols of the global elite. Within two months of the FEMA windfall, Cherfilus-McCormick reportedly used a $109,000 cashier’s check to purchase a 3.14-carat “Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond” ring.
