https://cbs12.com/news/local/florida-congresswoman-sheila-cherfilus-mccormick-5-million-criminal-case-delayed-until-february-2027-wire-fraud-money-laundering-crime-congresswomans-brother-edwin-cherfilus

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A federal judge in Miami has agreed to postpone the criminal fraud trial of U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and three co-defendants until February 2027, granting a joint request from prosecutors and defense attorneys who cited the large scope of evidence still under review.

In a brief order entered Tuesday night, U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles rescheduled the trial from its original start date next week to a two-week period beginning Feb. 8, 2027.

Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat representing parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, is accused of participating in a scheme to steal roughly $5 million in federal disaster relief funds and channeling the money into her successful 2021 congressional campaign. She has denied the allegations and has said she intends to remain in Congress while she fights the charges.

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The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Miami last November, accuses Cherfilus-McCormick and three others of wire fraud, money laundering, and related offenses. The co-defendants include the congresswoman’s brother, Edwin Cherfilus, 51, along with Nadege LeBlanc and David K. Spencer.

The motion requesting the delay was filed by Srilekha Jayanthi, an assistant federal public defender representing Edwin Cherfilus. The filing states that federal prosecutors Alejandra Lopez and John Taddei agreed to the postponement. Attorneys for the other defendants, including Cherfilus-McCormick’s lawyer, William Barzee, joined the request.

Lawyers for both sides told the court that the case involves an unusually large volume of discovery, much of which has yet to be reviewed. According to the filing, the first batch of evidence alone consists of more than 1.2 million records, including financial documents, reports, audio recordings, and electronic communications covering several years.

Prosecutors have also indicated that additional discovery is forthcoming. A second production is expected later this spring, with a third batch to follow in the coming months. Defense attorneys said some of the materials will be provided by an external filter team, creating uncertainty as to when those records will be available for review.

“Now that all parties are represented by permanent counsel, and that counsel have had a chance to confer, the parties hereby jointly request that the Court set trial in this matter in early February of 2027,” the lawyers wrote.

The postponement significantly extends a case schedule that has already been delayed multiple times. Cherfilus-McCormick’s arraignment was pushed back earlier this year as she sought to retain permanent counsel after her previous law firm withdrew. She ultimately entered a plea of not guilty through Barzee, a partner at the Miami defense firm Barzee Flores.

Judge Gayles had most recently scheduled the trial to begin on April 20.

The court filing does not reference the separate ethics investigation underway against Cherfilus-McCormick in Washington. Last month, an adjudicatory subcommittee of the House Ethics Committee concluded that she committed 25 ethics violations, including campaign finance breaches, finding the allegations supported by “clear and convincing evidence.”

The committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing next week to determine whether the congresswoman should be sanctioned. Possible penalties could range from reprimand to a recommendation that the full House consider expulsion.

After appearing before the House Ethics Committee in late March, Barzee suggested that the criminal case was likely to proceed well after lawmakers decide whether Cherfilus-McCormick will face discipline in Congress.