A Florida congresswoman from the Democratic Party has found herself under fire after she was accused of embezzling $5 million in disaster relief funds. The criticism intensified when she edited out a conspicuous diamond ring from an official photograph.

Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who serves a predominantly Democratic area in Southeast Florida, posted the doctored image on Thursday, accompanying it with a holiday greeting for her followers. However, eagle-eyed internet users quickly noticed the absence of the usual sparkle on her left hand, sparking a flurry of online discussions.

In a related turn of events, Cherfilus-McCormick faces serious legal trouble following charges last month. She has been accused of misappropriating federal disaster funds, laundering the ill-gotten gains, and channeling the money into her congressional campaign in 2021.

Federal prosecutors have charged that she siphoned off funds directed to her family’s healthcare business during the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds were allegedly repurposed to fuel her political ambitions and cater to her personal expenses, according to the detailed allegations.

Federal prosecutors alleged she stole the funds her family’s health care company received during the COVID–19 pandemic and used them to support her political aspirations and for her personal benefit.

The indictment from Cherfilus–McCormick’s case said she purchased a 3.14–carat ‘Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond’ ring from a New York jeweler for $109,000, per CBS12.

The congresswoman’s official house portrait appears to show a similar piece of jewelry adorning her finger, although no link has been confirmed.

Cherfilus–McCormick’s post was accompanied by a community note – a feature which allows users to add context to potentially misleading posts – saying that her portrait had ‘been altered to remove a ring off of her left hand’. 

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus–McCormick, 46, was pictured with a large diamond ring on her hand in her official portrait

However, the piece of jewelry was scrubbed from her Christmas greeting posted Thursday. The Florida Democrat was mocked online for the photo alteration

The portrait quickly drew the ire of social media users. 

‘Your photoshop skills are lacking,’ one X user said. 

One user posted a side–by–side picture showing how the luxury accessory was missing from the Florida Democrat’s hand.

Another user said Cherfilus–McCormick had triggered a ‘Streisand Effect,’ in which attempts to suppress information only draw more attention to it.

The comment section on the congresswoman’s post was flooded with similar accusations and questions about the ring.

‘Where is the ring you bought with stolen funds?’ one user asked.

‘What happened to your ring?’ another insisted.

Cherfilus–McCormick’s chief of staff claimed that the altered image posted on X had not been ‘directed, approved, or authorized by the Congresswoman’

Cherfilus–McCormick’s staff claimed that the edited image had not been ‘directed, approved, or authorized by the Congresswoman.’

‘It was a staff–level decision made by well–intentioned individuals seeking to protect the Member’s reputation,’ Naomie Pierre–Louis, Cherfilus–McCormick’s chief of staff, told CBS12.

She added that the change to the Democrat politician’s photo ‘should not have occurred;.

‘The image is the Congresswoman’s official portrait, and she has no intention of altering or editing it now or in the future,’ Pierre–Louis told the outlet.

In November, federal prosecutors alleged Cherfilus–McCormick was the CEO of her family–run company Trinity Health Care Services when it received a contract at the start of the pandemic to conduct COVID testing and outreach in minority communities.

When the company received an overpayment of $5million in FEMA funds in July 2021, Cherfilus–McCormick and her brother Edwin Cherfilus, 51, allegedly worked to ‘steal’ the cash.

They allegedly ‘routed it through multiple accounts to disguise its source’.

Federal prosecutors alleged Cherfilus–McCormick stole the funds her family’s health care company received during the pandemic and used them to support her congressional campaign

The congresswoman allegedly used a ‘substantial portion’ of the funds as ‘campaign contributions to Cherfilus–McCormick’s 2021 congressional campaign and for the benefit of the defendants’.

She was also charged with conspiring to file a false federal tax return after having ‘falsely claimed political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions’.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said that ‘using disaster relief funds for self–enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime’.

She added: ‘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.’

Cherfilus–McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted. She has denied the charges.

‘This is an unjust, baseless, sham indictment — and I am innocent,’ she said in a November 20 statement.

‘The timing alone is curious and clearly meant to distract from far more pressing national issues. From day one, I have fully cooperated with every lawful request, and I will continue to do so until this matter is resolved.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to Cherfilus–McCormick’s office for further comment.