Two allies of former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., have been held in contempt of Congress for failing to cooperate with the House Ethics Committee's investigation into the disgraced Democrat.
North Miami Beach Mayor Michael Joseph and Hector Roos, a former aide to Cherfilus-McCormick, now face the possibility of criminal charges from the Department of Justice (DOJ). A conviction for contempt of Congress can result in a fine of up to $100,000 and a jail sentence of up to one year.
The House of Representatives unanimously agreed to the contempt resolution on Tuesday through a voice vote, with no lawmakers objecting to the measure. The decision means that the DOJ will determine whether to pursue criminal charges against Joseph and Roos.
Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., stated that the committee "cannot fulfill its obligations to safeguard the integrity of the House for witnesses, ignore its subpoenas, and the House cannot accept such willful disregard of its authorities." He added that Roos and Joseph "willfully fail to comply with multiple subpoenas issued by the committee" and "impeded the investigative subcommittee's investigations into the allegations concerning former Representative Cherfilus-McCormick."
Guest detailed that Roos allegedly "filed inaccurate reports" with the Federal Election Commission while working for Cherfilus-McCormick and did not provide adequate justification for not complying with the committee's subpoenas. Regarding Joseph, Guest said he was the president of a company that "improperly provided corporate funds for the congresswoman's campaign" and influenced staff to submit community funding project requests for entities he supported. Joseph cited attorney-client privilege as his reason for not complying, a justification lawmakers rejected.
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., emphasized the importance of enforcing congressional process, stating, "At a time when public confidence in Congress is at historic lows and the House's ability to self-police member conduct is under intense scrutiny, enforcing lawful congressional process is vital to delivering swift transparency and accountability for any misconduct." He further noted that "A witness who refuses to cooperate with the Ethics Committee hinders the thoroughness and swiftness of an investigation."
Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress earlier this year amid significant pressure. The DOJ had previously indicted her, alleging that she and her co-defendants "conspired to steal" $5 million in emergency federal funds and used the money to finance her 2021 congressional campaign. According to the indictment, the funds were from a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract, and a substantial portion was allegedly used for campaign contributions and the personal benefit of the defendants. Cherfilus-McCormick has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
