A federal grand jury has indicted Congressman Jeff Fortenberry on charges he lied to FBI investigators looking into campaign contributions made by Nigerian billionaire back in 2016.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles sent this message on Twitter: “Federal grand jury indictment charges U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry with one count of scheming to falsify and conceal material facts and two counts of making false statements to federal investigators looking into illegal contributions to his 2016 campaign. Full announcement coming.”
(AP) U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska expects to be charged with lying to the FBI while federal agents were investigating campaign contributions funneled to him from a Nigerian billionaire.
The nine-term Republican is proclaiming his innocence and promising to fight the charges. Fortenberry says in a YouTube video posted Monday night that he was “shocked” and “stunned” by the allegations. Knowingly making false statements to a federal agent is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.
The expected indictment stems from an FBI investigation into $180,000 in illegal campaign contributions from Gilbert Chagoury, including $30,200 to Fortenberry in 2016. The contributions were funneled through a group of Californians from 2012 through 2016.