WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBS12) — A House Ethics Committee panel ruled that most of the ethics allegations against Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick were proven, a decision that could increase pressure to discipline or possibly expel the Florida Democrat from Congress.

In a statement released Friday, the bipartisan House Committee on Ethics said an adjudicatory subcommittee found that 25 allegations in the Statement of Alleged Violations were proven by clear and convincing evidence. The panel reached its decision after holding a public hearing on March 26.

The eight-member ethics panel — evenly split between Democrats and Republicans — spent more than seven hours deliberating after the hearing. Committee leaders said the private discussions continued late into the night before the panel finalized its findings.

The case focuses on Cherfilus-McCormick’s connection to millions of dollars that came from her family’s health care business. The money followed a roughly $5 million overpayment made by the state of Florida for COVID-19 disaster relief. Investigators allege that some of those funds were then funneled into her 2022 congressional campaign through family members and affiliated businesses.

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 26: U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FLA) appears for a hearing of the House Ethics Committee on Capitol Hill on March 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. Cherfilus-McCormick is accused of stealing $5 million from FEMA and using part of it to fund her first successful run for Congress in 2021. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

While the committee did not list each violation in its statement, it confirmed that nearly all of the alleged counts were upheld. The committee has not yet decided what punishment, if any, it will recommend.

The full House Ethics Committee is expected to meet shortly after Congress returns from its April recess to consider possible sanctions. These could range from a formal reprimand to expulsion from the House, though expelling a member would require a two-thirds vote of the full chamber.

The ruling could deepen political tensions on Capitol Hill. Republicans have signaled interest in pushing for Cherfilus-McCormick’s removal, while Democrats are trying to strengthen their position ahead of the November elections. Cherfilus-McCormick is currently running for a fourth term in a southeastern Florida district.

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Cherfilus-McCormick has denied any wrongdoing. Her attorney strongly criticized the ethics process during Thursday’s hearing, which was the House Ethics Committee’s first public adjudicatory hearing in nearly 15 years.