The re-trial of Former Nebraska Congressman Jeff Fortenberry has been set for February 3rd — this time, in a Washington D.C. federal court.
Fortenberry was found guilty in 2022 of concealing illegal campaign donations made by a Nigerian billionaire, as well as lying to FBI agents about his knowledge of the contributions. The Nigerian-Lebanese, Paris-based billionaire Gilbert Chagoury gave Fortenberry’s re-election campaign $30,000 to further his own interests. That trail was held in California due to the fact that the accepting of the donation was done at a 2016 campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles.
The representative for Nebraska first congressional district resigned in March of 2022 after calls from then House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Fortenberry was sentenced to two years’ probation, 320 hours of community service and a $25,000 fine.
This conviction was overturned by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in late 2023, who agreed with Fortenberry’s attorneys that the case should have been tried in Nebraska or in Washington, D.C. — the two states where Fortenberry had conversations with investigators and lied.
Now preparing for the redux, FBI prosecutors and Fortenberry defense attorneys are preparing there cases and trying to influence what evidence will be admitted for trial. The former congressman is charged with two felonies: falsifying and concealing material facts and making false statements to federal investigators — as reported by the Nebraska Examiner.
Fortenberry has asked that the case be thrown out. His defense is working to gather evidence that the charges stem from political motivations — which prosecutors have denied. Additionally, they are asking for components of recordings between Fortenberry and investigators be excluded from the trial, and for one of the prosecutors to be removed.
With the case extending into February of 2025, Fortenberry may find support from the White House, as president-elect Donald Trump said Fortenberry was “treated badly.”