A state agency in Florida has initiated legal action against a healthcare company linked to U.S. Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, alleging that the firm billed the state nearly $5.8 million more than what was warranted for services provided amidst the pandemic, and it is reportedly refusing to reimburse the state.
This lawsuit coincides with the conclusion of a congressional ethics probe, which suggests that the South Florida Democrat may have breached U.S. House regulations and federal laws concerning her campaign practices and the use of her congressional office. However, the House Ethics Committee has yet to make a decision based on the findings of the investigation.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management filed the suit on December 30 in Tallahassee’s state court. The agency alleges that it made substantial overpayments to Trinity Healthcare Services, located in Miramar, after enlisting their services in 2021 to assist with COVID-19 vaccination registrations. According to the agency, a single overpayment of $5 million raised flags that led to further examination of the transactions.
The lawsuit claims, “Trinity exploited the national state of emergency prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and intentionally submitted an invoice that exceeded its usual billing amount by over 100 times.”
Attorney Gabriel Imperato, representing Trinity Healthcare Services, declined to provide any remarks concerning the lawsuit when approached by media sources.
At the time of the alleged overbilling, Cherfilus-McCormick served as the CEO of Trinity. She ascended to Congress in 2022, representing the 20th District, which encompasses parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties in a special election following the passing of Rep. Alcee Hastings in 2021. Cherfilus-McCormick narrowly secured victory in the primary election within the predominantly Democratic district by a mere five votes and later faced no opposition during the reelection in November.
A report from the Office of Congressional Ethics published on January 2 revealed that Cherfilus-McCormick’s income in 2021 skyrocketed, surpassing $6 million more than her earnings in 2020, largely due to nearly $5.75 million in consulting and profit-sharing revenues accrued from Trinity Healthcare Services. As the Ethics Committee has not yet taken action based on this report, the implications remain unresolved.
Throughout the 2021-2022 election cycle, Cherfilus-McCormick disclosed that she had loaned her campaign several million dollars. The ethics report uncovered that she potentially made close to $270,000 in unreported payments to a political action committee in Florida for campaign-related activities during 2021 and 2022. It also suggested that Cherfilus-McCormick might have improperly accepted contributions provided in kind.
Additionally, the report mentioned Mark Goodrich, identified as Cherfilus-McCormick’s campaign manager, for improperly creating promotional videos and mailers distributed using her congressional office resources. In response to the report, Cherfilus-McCormick has maintained that it does not imply any wrongdoing on her part.
