A Florida Democrat already facing explosive federal charges is now being mocked nationwide after appearing to quietly edit a six-figure diamond ring out of her official portrait.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) posted a holiday greeting this week featuring her official congressional portrait. But eagle-eyed users quickly noticed something missing.
The massive yellow diamond ring that typically sits on her left hand was gone.
The edit immediately set social media on fire, with critics accusing the congresswoman of trying to scrub evidence of alleged ill-gotten wealth as she battles serious criminal charges.
Cherfilus-McCormick was charged last month with stealing $5 million in federal disaster relief funds, laundering the money, and funneling the proceeds into her 2021 congressional campaign and personal expenses.
Federal prosecutors allege the funds came from FEMA overpayments issued to Trinity Health Care Services, a company she ran with her brother during the COVID pandemic.
According to the indictment, prosecutors say Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother “routed” the funds through multiple accounts to disguise their source and used a substantial portion for campaign contributions and personal enrichment.
One purchase listed in court documents raised immediate eyebrows.
Prosecutors allege Cherfilus-McCormick bought a 3.14-carat Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond ring from a New York jeweler for $109,000.
Photos of her official House portrait appear to show a similar ring on her finger.
That same ring was nowhere to be found in the Christmas image she posted this week, per the Daily Mail.
X users wasted no time calling it out.
One commenter wrote that her “Photoshop skills are lacking.” Another accused her of triggering a Streisand Effect by drawing more attention to the ring through the edit.
Community notes were soon added to the post, stating the image had “been altered to remove a ring off of her left hand.”
Others were more blunt.
“Where is the ring you bought with stolen funds?” one user asked.
“What happened to your ring?” another demanded.
As backlash mounted, Cherfilus-McCormick’s office rushed to distance her from the edit.
Her chief of staff claimed the altered image was not “directed, approved, or authorized” by the congresswoman and blamed a staff-level decision made by people trying to “protect the Member’s reputation.”
The explanation did little to calm critics.
Attorney General Pam Bondi addressed the case directly last month, saying that “using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime.”
“No one is above the law,” Bondi added. “Least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain.”
Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted.
She has denied all charges, calling the indictment a “baseless sham” and insisting she is innocent.
But with edited photos, a missing diamond, and millions in taxpayer funds under scrutiny, the optics continue to get worse.
And critics say the disappearing ring only raised more questions than it answered.
