Accused Fraudster Could Be Replaced by Politician Whose Daughters Committed Covid Fraud
Both of the daughters of the candidate seeking to replace alleged fraudster Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick have pleaded guilty to COVID-19 fraud.
In 2024, Richelle Holness, the oldest daughter of former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness, pleaded guilty to defrauding Florida’s federally funded unemployment program of $30,000.
As part of her plea deal, however, Richelle Holness was spared from pleading guilty to pocketing money from her dad’s 2020 County Commission campaign, in which she served as treasurer.
Two years prior, Richelle’s younger sister, Damara Holness, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for fraudulently receiving $300,000 in a COVID-19 relief loan.
Damara Holness lied on a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) application, stating that she ran a consulting business with 18 employees. Investigators uncovered that the business had no employees.
Aside from the 20-month prison sentence, the Department of Justice noted that Damara Holness was given another five years of supervised release, ordered to pay back the $300,000, and fined an additional $100 special assessment.
The wrongdoings of the Holness sisters mirror those of the congresswoman their father is looking to replace.
The Federal Elections Committee first opened an investigation into Cherfilus-McCormick in August of 2025, after the Coolidge Reagan Foundation alleged the congresswoman “accepted over $150,000 in illegal in-kind campaign contributions from a corporation and attempted to conceal this crime by failing to accurately report those illegal contributions.”
In February, the Department of Justice charged Cherfilus-McCormick for allegedly stealing over $5 million in COVID-19 disaster relief funds and making illegal campaign contributions. If convicted, she could face upward of 53 years in prison.
In March, the House Ethics Committee found the congresswoman guilty of violating 27 separate House ethics rules.
The violations included money laundering, failure to disclose donations, making false statements, and accepting illegal campaign contributions.
The committee alleged that the congresswoman used some of the funds to make illegal contributions to her 2021 congressional campaign, purchase designer merchandise from Tiffany & Co. and Tesla, and for luxury travel.
Despite the violations, the representative could hold her seat until her November election.
In a press conference in February, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, told reporters he is a “hard no” on an expulsion vote.
“I’m a hard no as it relates to the efforts to expel her, and it’s going to fail,” Jeffries told reporters in a press conference.
Jeffries added that his caucus might align with his vote.
