A federal grand jury in Miami indicted four people, including Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, for allegedly stealing millions in federal emergency funds.

Federal prosecutors said in a press release Wednesday that Cherfilus-McCormick used some of the stolen funds to support her 2021 campaign to win election.

‘No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain. We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice.’

The 46-year-old congresswoman was indicted, along with her 51-year-old brother Edwin Cherfilus, for the scheme that involved overpayment to her family health care company.

She is also accused of participating in a straw donor scheme with the funds through the help of 46-year-old Nadege Leblanc, and filing a false federal tax return in 2021 with the aid of her 41-year old tax preparer, David K. Spencer.

If found guilty, Cherfilus-McCormick faces 53 years in prison. Her brother faces up to 35 years, Leblanc faces up to 10 years, and Spencer faces up to 33 years.

“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” read a statement from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. “No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain. We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice.”

The congresswoman’s allegedly shady campaign practices were first reported by Inside Elections in 2022. The report noted that she had squeaked out a win in the heavily contested election through the use of expensive ads.

RELATED: Newsom’s former chief of staff arrested on corruption charges — the governor blames Trump

Cherfilus-McCormick was the subject of an ethics investigation by the House Ethics Committee in January 2024, and that probe was reauthorized in July.

The congresswoman denied any wrongdoing at the time.

“The Committee on Ethics has not yet concluded its review of the allegations, and no decision has been made at this time. As outlined in the Committee’s public statement, the referral for further review does not imply that any violation has occurred,” Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement to Florida Politics. “I fully respect the process and remain committed to cooperating with the Committee as it works to bring this inquiry to a close.”

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​Sheila cherfilus-mccormick, Democrat indicted, Dem steals fed funds, Political corruption, Politics 

The owner of a Latino-themed ice cream shop in Charlotte says his workers are too scared to drive to the shop over the threat of being picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Javier Morales is the co-owner of Legends Ice Cream & Snacks, but his is not the only business shuttering over the threat from ICE operations in North Carolina.

‘We have shut down. We are an ice cream shop that 80%-90% of our customers are Latino, because we sell Latino ice cream flavors. We have mangonadas, we have Mexican street corn.’

“Right now, I cannot take the risk to bring my employees to be profiled because a lot of them speak Spanish. They look like me. I look like the profile that they’re looking for. So it is a risk that I am not willing to take. My customers — the same thing,” Morales said.

The Trump administration ordered a surge in federal immigration sweeps in Charlotte named Operation Charlotte’s Web. The operation has led to a large drop in school attendance, which many say proves the immense size of the illegal immigration crisis.

“So right now there’s a lot of uncertainty — we have shut down,” Morales continued. “We are an ice cream shop that 80%-90% of our customers are Latino, because we sell Latino ice cream flavors. We have mangonadas, we have Mexican street corn, we have our Legends products, which are our big sellers that are just full of Latino flavor, and it’s what we try to do.”

He said that on Sunday, he only had one customer during a two-hour period.

“Even in their face, you could tell that they were scared,” he added. “They came in, got their things, and left right out. The weather in Charlotte was beautiful this weekend, and as an ice cream shop, we should have been packed. We should have been busy, and now we’re dealing with our shutdown.”

RELATED: VIDEO: Leotarded liberals protest ICE facility with ’80s-themed aerobics class

Morales suggested that ICE was profiling people based on their ethnicity.

“It’s just really unfortunate that by the look of your skin, you’re being profiled and you’re being stopped — you’re being questioned,” he added.

WJZY-TV reported that a U.S. citizen claimed to have been stopped by ICE twice within 10 minutes on South Boulevard, and he was dragged out of his vehicle after his car window was busted out.

One report from the operation indicated that 1 out of every 6 residents in Charlotte are foreign-born.

“We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed,” read a statement from DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens. President Trump and Secretary Noem will step up to protect Americans when sanctuary politicians won’t.”

A closed sign on the business blamed “icy conditions” for the interruption in service.

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​Latino themed ice cream shop, Ice threat to latinos, Operation charlotte’s web, Ethnic profiling, Politics 

Left-wing firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) tried to smear Republicans with a bizarre attack about supposed campaign donations from deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein but got humiliated instead.

Crockett tried to insinuate that the disgraced financier had donated to the campaign of former Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York along with other Republican politicians.

‘Crockett should get censured for this and staff should be fired. What a shocking embarrassment.’

“Folks who also took money from somebody named Jeffrey Epstein, as I had my team dig in very quickly: Mitt Romney, the NRCC, Lee Zeldin, [former President] George Bush … McCain-Palin,” she said in a video that was circulated on social media.

“I just wanna be clear. If this is the standard that we’re gonna make, just know we gonna expose it all!” she added. “Just know that the FEC filings? They are available for everybody to review!”

Zeldin mocked her in a post on his social media account.

“Yes Crockett, a physician named Dr. Jeffrey Epstein (who is a totally different person than the other Jeffrey Epstein) donated to a prior campaign of mine,” he wrote.

“NO FREAKIN RELATION YOU GENIUS!” he added with interspersed clapping emojis.

Others hopped in to make fun of Crockett’s suggestion.

“My team dug into Representative Crocket. Did you know she died at the ALAMO?! Stop the presses,” joked one account.

“Please order immediate testing of the drinking water across her congressional district — something is seriously wrong with it,” added another.

A Blaze News request for comment to Crockett’s office was not immediately answered.

RELATED: Jasmine Crockett calls Trump a ‘piece of s**t’ during rant at left-wing rally

“Crockett should get censured for this and staff should be fired. What a shocking embarrassment to go to the floor with this kind of insane accusation, and have the WRONG JEFFREY EPSTEIN,” replied GOP communications expert Matt Whitlock.

Crockett has recently suggested that she may launch a campaign for the U.S. Senate as retribution against Texas Republicans who redistricted the congressional maps to help them in the midterm elections.

“If you want to take my seat of 766,000 away, I feel like there has to be some karma in that to where I take your seat that is for 30 million away,” she said in October. “So we are, you know, the primary is the primary. That’s cool, but you got to win the general. So we are doing some testing here shortly to see if I can expand the electorate.”

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​Lee zeldin, Jasmine crockett, Jeffrey epstein donations, Epstein files, Politics