GOP Rep. Fortenberry Guilty of Lying to FBI

Nebraska politician was found guilty of 3 counts that each carry up to 5-year terms
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 25, 2022 12:45 AM CDT
GOP Rep. Fortenberry Guilty of Lying to FBI
US Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., arrives at the federal courthouse in Los Angeles, Wednesday, March 16, 2022.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

US Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska was convicted Thursday on charges that he lied to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign from a foreign billionaire at a 2016 Los Angeles fundraiser. A federal jury in LA deliberated about two hours before finding the nine-term Republican guilty of one count of falsifying and concealing material facts and two counts of making false statements. Each count carries a potential five-year prison sentence and fines. The judge set sentencing for June 28. Fortenberry was charged after sitting for two interviews with FBI agents who were investigating the donor, Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent, reports the AP.

The trial could all but end the political career of a congressman seen as a reliable conservative who coasted to easy wins but isn’t a familiar name outside of Nebraska. Defense lawyers said the FBI "set up" Fortenberry, 61, after a national investigation fizzled into foreign money funneled to members of Congress. They said Fortenberry's flaw was voluntarily meeting with agents and prosecutors to help their probe and having a faulty memory. Celeste Fortenberry, the lawmaker's wife, was the final witness in the case and testified that her husband didn't remember the day they met. She said he loathed making fundraising calls and was often on "autopilot" when he conducted them.

Lawyers on both sides of the trial focused their closing arguments on one such call with Dr. Elias Ayoub, who held the fundraiser for Fortenberry at his Los Angeles home in 2016. Ayoub, who was cooperating with the FBI, told Fortenberry during the call recorded in June 2018 that he distributed $30,000 to friends and relatives who attended the fundraiser so they could write checks to Fortenberry's campaign. The doctor said the money had been provided by an associate of theirs and probably came from Gilbert Chagoury, a billionaire who lives in Paris. Chagoury admitted in 2019 to funneling $180,000 in illegal campaign contributions to four campaigns and agreed to pay a $1.8 million fine.

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In 2019, Fortenberry denied to FBI agents that he received any funds from a foreign national or through so-called conduit contributions, where the money was distributed to straw donors. Fortenberry, who was unaware agents had recorded his call with Ayoub, said it would be "horrifying" if the doctor had made such a claim about the source of the funds. Defense attorney John Littrell said the recording of the call only depicted what was heard on Ayoub's end and not what Fortenberry, who had poor cellphone reception, heard. If Fortenberry had not heard as few as three crucial words, he may have missed what Ayoub was trying to tell him about where the money came from, Littrell said. (Read the full AP story for much more.)

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