Former Congressman Jeff Fortenberry was charged with lying to federal authorities about a $30,000 illegal donation to his campaign by a wealthy foreign billionaire, reviving a case that stalled in an appeals court.
A federal jury convicted the Nebraska Republican in 2022, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out Fortenberry’s conviction last year, ruling that the case should not have been tried in Los Angeles. handed down the verdict.
A grand jury in the nation’s capital indicted Mr. Fortenberry on Wednesday on two counts of falsifying and concealing material facts and making false statements.
Court throws out former Nebraska congressman Jeff Fortenberry, found guilty of lying to federal authorities
Fortenberry spokesman Chad Colton said the lawsuit should never have been filed in the first place and should not have been pursued again after the 9th Circuit ruled in his favor. .
“This case clearly demonstrated excessive prosecution from the earliest stages of the investigation, and the retrial in Washington, D.C., only highlights the prosecutor’s tenacity in destroying the life of a good man,” Colton said in a statement. ” he said.
On Wednesday, March 16, 2022, U.S. Representative Jeff Fortenberry (R-Nebraska) arrives at the federal courthouse in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Following his conviction, Mr. Fortenberry announced his resignation from the position he had held since 2005. He was under pressure from legislative leaders and Nebraska’s Republican governor.
The case stemmed from an FBI investigation into illegal campaign contributions by Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire who was living in Paris at the time. According to the indictment, Chuggery donated $30,000 to Fortenberry through his intermediary at a fundraiser in Los Angeles in 2016.
Chagory later agreed to pay a $1.8 million fine. Foreign nationals are prohibited from contributing funds directly to candidates for U.S. federal office.
Mr. Fortenberry was indicted after denying to the FBI that he was aware of receiving illicit funds from Mr. Chagauri. According to the indictment, a person who cooperated with the FBI investigation repeatedly told Mr. Fortenberry about the illegal donations.
The Ninth Circuit ruled that Mr. Fortenberry received an unfair trial in Los Angeles because he was charged in connection with statements he made to federal agents at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska, and at his attorney’s office in Washington. I put it down.
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Mr. Fortenberry’s trial is the first for a sitting lawmaker since Rep. Jim Traficant (D-Ohio), who was convicted of bribery and other felonies in 2002.
