Federal prosecutors having invoiced former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry in Washington for allegedly lying to investigators in a campaign finance investigation into the political contributions of a foreign billionaire.
Fortenberry (R-Neb.) was convicted of the same charges by a jury in Los Angeles in 2022, but the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the conviction, determining that the case should have been brought either in the then-lawmaker’s Nebraska district or in Washington. Until Thursday, it was unclear whether prosecutors would seek to reissue the charges.
Fortenberry resigned from Congress after his conviction and was sentenced to probation and community service.
The former representative was convicted after a seven-day trial of lying to the FBI and concealing evidence amid questions over whether Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury made illicit contributions to U.S. candidates, including Fortenberry, by masking with “straw donors”. .” Prosecutors said some of that money was handed over by donors who attended a 2016 Fortenberry fundraiser in Los Angeles, which is why prosecutors brought the charges there. Foreign nationals are prohibited by federal law to contribute to candidates for federal office.
Chagoury admitted to making inappropriate donations in 2019 and paid a $1.8 million fine. The host of Fortenberry’s fundraiser also cooperated with the FBI, which then investigated whether Fortenberry knew about the illegal contributions. Although the fundraiser host informed Fortenberry in 2018 about Chagoury’s illegal contributions, Fortenberry never took steps to disclose the problem to the Federal Election Commission, according to prosecutors. Instead, they claim he misled the FBI about what he had learned and denied receiving donations from a foreign source.
Fortenberry defended himself against the accusations by arguing that he had fully cooperated with government investigators and was accused of forgetting details of a year-old conversation when he told the FBI that he was unaware of the foreign contributions. He also complained about FBI tactics, including what he described as a “ruse” undertaken by an investigator to convince him to speak with agents.
Chad Kolton, Fortenberry’s spokesman, said the upcoming charges are a reflection of an “overzealous” Justice Department that appears “determined to drag Jeff Fortenberry across the country to face a trial after trial until he was able to get a conviction that actually held water.”
“Federal prosecutors should have better things to do than force a distinguished former public official to incur substantial additional legal fees when he has already resigned from office and served his sentence following a conviction that was ultimately overturned,” said Kolton.
Fortenberry was first elected in 2004 and represented an eastern Nebraska district until his conviction in 2022.
