US congressman Fortenberry found guilty of lying to FBI about funds According to Reuters
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Jeff Fortenberry, (R-NE) speaks during testimony by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a State Department budget request hearing for 2020 in Washington, U.S. March 27, 2019 REUTERS / Erin Scott / File Photo
By Jan Wolfe
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. grand jury on Thursday found U.S. Representative Jeff Fortenberry, a Republican from Nebraska, of lying to FBI investigators about illegal contributions to his 2016 re-election campaign.
After a trial in Los Angeles federal court, a jury found Fortenberry guilty of conspiracy to pervert and conceal material facts, along with two counts of making false statements to investigators. federal.
Prosecutors allege Fortenberry lied to investigators in two interviews in 2019 about a $30,000 campaign donation he received in 2016 from Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury.
Federal law prohibits foreign nationals from donating to federal election campaigns.
Fortenberry’s attorneys said he did not intentionally mislead FBI agents but was caught off guard by their request for an interview and suffered a memory error.
Prosecutors allege that an associate who organized the 2016 Fortenberry fundraiser told him in a 2018 phone call that the donations in question “probably came from Gilbert Chagoury” but were transfer through intermediaries to avoid the limitation of individual donors.
According to the US Department of Justice, when FBI agents asked Fortenberry about campaign contributions, he denied knowing about any illegal donations.
Assistant US Attorney Mack Jenkins told media outside the court after the ruling was announced: “If we want anyone to follow the law, it ultimately starts with the people who make the law.
“I think that’s even more important as the investigation itself comes down to the integrity of the election.”
Fortenberry, 61, has served in Congress since 2005.
The three counts each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 28 before U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld in Los Angeles.
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